Dr. Rahab N. KINYANJUI
NATIONAL MUSEUMS OF KENYA
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10Years (2017-Present)
(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)
Representative Publications
View All Publications6 April 2018 in Science
Journal Article
RPRichard Potts
Richard PottsABAnna K. Behrensmeyer
Anna K. BehrensmeyerJFJ. Tyler Faith
J. Tyler Faith
CTChristian A. Tryon
Christian A. TryonABAlison S. Brooks
Alison S. BrooksRRRobin W. Renaut
Robin W. Renaut +9
The Middle Stone Age in Africa: The Olorgesailie basin in the southern Kenya rift valley contains sediments dating back to 1.2 million years ago, preserving a long archaeological record of human activity and environmental conditions. Three papers present the oldest East African evidence of the Middle Stone Age (MSA) and elucidate the system of technology and behavior associated with the origin of Homo sapiens . Potts et al. present evidence for the demise of Acheulean technology that preceded the MSA and describe variations in late Acheulean hominin behavior that anticipate MSA characteristics. The transition to the MSA was accompanied by turnover of large mammals and large-scale landscape change. Brooks et al. establish that ∼320,000 to 305,000 years ago, the populations in eastern Africa underwent a technological shift upon procurement of distantly sourced obsidian for toolmaking, indicating the early development of social exchange. Deino et al. provide the chronological underpinning for these discoveries. Science , this issue p. 86 , p. 90 , p. 95
10 February 2023 in Science
Journal Article
TPThomas W. Plummer
Thomas W. PlummerJOJames S. Oliver
James S. Oliver
EFEmma M. Finestone
Emma M. FinestonePDPeter W. Ditchfield
Peter W. DitchfieldLBLaura C. Bishop
Laura C. BishopRPRichard Potts
Richard Potts +26
The oldest Oldowan tool sites, from around 2.6 million years ago, have previously been confined to Ethiopia’s Afar Triangle. We describe sites at Nyayanga, Kenya, dated to 3.032 to 2.581 million years ago and expand this distribution by over 1300 kilometers. Furthermore, we found two hippopotamid butchery sites associated with mosaic vegetation and a C 4 grazer–dominated fauna. Tool flaking proficiency was comparable with that of younger Oldowan assemblages, but pounding activities were more common. Tool use-wear and bone damage indicate plant and animal tissue processing. Paranthropus sp. teeth, the first from southwestern Kenya, possessed carbon isotopic values indicative of a diet rich in C 4 foods. We argue that the earliest Oldowan was more widespread than previously known, used to process diverse foods including megafauna, and associated with Paranthropus from its onset.
23 October 2020 in Science Advances
Journal Article
RPRichard Potts
Richard PottsRDRené Dommain
René DommainJMJessica W. Moerman
Jessica W. MoermanABAnna K. Behrensmeyer
Anna K. BehrensmeyerADAlan L. Deino
Alan L. Deino
KUKevin Uno
Kevin Uno +26
Adaptations characteristic of early Homo sapiens prevailed during a shift to unstable environment and less predictable resources.
14 April 2023 in Science
Journal Article
DPDaniel J. Peppe
Daniel J. PeppeSCSusanne M. Cote
Susanne M. CoteADAlan L. Deino
Alan L. Deino
DFDavid L. Fox
David L. FoxJKJohn D. Kingston
John D. KingstonKMKieran P. McNulty
Kieran P. McNulty +25
The assembly of Africa’s iconic C 4 grassland ecosystems is central to evolutionary interpretations of many mammal lineages, including hominins. C 4 grasses are thought to have become ecologically dominant in Africa only after 10 million years ago (Ma). However, paleobotanical records older than 10 Ma are sparse, limiting assessment of the timing and nature of C 4 biomass expansion. This study uses a multiproxy design to document vegetation structure from nine Early Miocene mammal site complexes across eastern Africa. Results demonstrate that between ~21 and 16 Ma, C 4 grasses were locally abundant, contributing to heterogeneous habitats ranging from forests to wooded grasslands. These data push back the oldest evidence of C 4 grass–dominated habitats in Africa—and globally—by more than 10 million years, calling for revised paleoecological interpretations of mammalian evolution.
Journal Article
SMSilvio Marta
Silvio Marta
Roberto Sergio AzzoniDFDavide Fugazza
Davide Fugazza
Levan G. TielidzePCPRITAM CHAND
PRITAM CHAND
Gentile Francesco Ficetola +39
Most of the world’s mountain glaciers have been retreating for more than a century in response to climate change. Glacier retreat is evident on all continents, and the rate of retreat has accelerated during recent decades. Accurate, spatially explicit information on the position of glacier margins over time is useful for analyzing patterns of glacier retreat and measuring reductions in glacier surface area. This information is also essential for evaluating how mountain ecosystems are evolving due to climate warming and the attendant glacier retreat. Here, we present a non-comprehensive spatially explicit dataset showing multiple positions of glacier fronts since the Little Ice Age (LIA) maxima, including many data from the pre-satellite era. The dataset is based on multiple historical archival records including topographical maps; repeated photographs, paintings, and aerial or satellite images with a supplement of geochronology; and own field data. We provide ESRI shapefiles showing 728 past positions of 94 glacier fronts from all continents, except Antarctica, covering the period between the Little Ice Age maxima and the present. On average, the time series span the past 190 years. From 2 to 46 past positions per glacier are depicted (on average: 7.8).
1 August 2021 in Journal of Human Evolution
Journal Article
RLRachel L. Lupien
Rachel L. LupienJRJames M. Russell
James M. Russell
ASAvinash Subramanian
Avinash Subramanian
Rahab N. KINYANJUIEBEmily J. Beverly
Emily J. BeverlyRPRichard Potts
Richard Potts +3
About Me
I am a paleobotanist & paleoecologist interested in understanding past vegetation change and ecosystems dynamics driven by both biotic and abiotic factors in eastern African region. I analyze and study both plant macro- and micro-fossils (leaves, wood, seeds, pollen, phytoliths, spores and charcoal). My major focus is to study and understand vegetation change, especially grasslands, in response to major past environmental and climatic events. Data collected help explain major evolutionary events especially for mammals, including humans.
Timescales: Miocene, Pliocene, Pleistocene, Holocene, Anthropocene
Archives: Paleontological & archeological sites, paleolake basins, Swamps/bogs, caves
The following are my major research questions: -
1) When is the onset of grasslands ecosystems expansion in eastern Africa region?
2) How did vegetation composition and structure vary across space and through time?
3) What was the main driving factor (s) (climate, tectonic processes, anthropogenic) of these changes at any given time and space?
4) Did these paleoenvironmental changes uniform across the region or were they localized in specific basins/blocks?
5) Pastoralism is one of the oldest subsistence strategies in East Africa, it is mainly practiced in semi-arid and arid regions. What is its impact of vegetation cover?