Author Archives: al125

Alex’s Blog: Post-Course Blues (7/2)

Posted on July 2, 2024 by al125

Two days post-Africa and I am deep in the grips of jet lag. Today, I returned to my lab position and nearly fell asleep at the bench. Despite my sleepiness, I can’t stop reminiscing on my time in Tanzania. Throughout … Continue reading →

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Alex’s Blog: The Journey Home (6/28-6/30)

Posted on July 2, 2024 by al125

In the wise words of my mom, the journey home was a “helluva trek.” We started on our way Friday morning at 7:30 am. With clear eyes and full hearts, the BIOS/ANTH 323 crowd did not know what we had … Continue reading →

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Alex’s Blog: Buckets of Bones (6/25)

Posted on July 2, 2024 by al125

This morning, the professor from UNC Greensboro offered to take four students along to assist with his field work. Marlo, McKenna, Caroline, and I threw elbows and burned bridges to get in on his project. Not actually, but we did … Continue reading →

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Alex’s Blog: Last Day at Olduvai (6/27)

Posted on July 2, 2024 by al125

This morning, I defied all odds and learned an entire year’s-worth of content in less than an hour. Don’t believe me? Good, because I certainly didn’t learn everything, but I got the basics. Dr. Manuel taught us how to identify … Continue reading →

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Alex’s Blog: We’re Diggin’ (6/26)

Posted on July 2, 2024 by al125

I excavated a 1.4-million-year-old stone tool today. No big deal. We spent today at Olduvai’s BK dig site – one of the original sites excavated by Mary and Lewis Leaky, the archaeologists who discovered the Gorge. Each student was assigned … Continue reading →

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Alex’s Blog: Into the Gulley (6/24)

Posted on July 2, 2024 by al125

I was a little geologist today. We started off the morning at a secluded gulley within Olduvai Gorge. Wet season erosion uncovered new material from the gulley’s outcrop, which we surveyed for teeth from the L.A.S. layer – a strata … Continue reading →

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Alex’s Blog: Sunday Funday at Olduvai (6/23)

Posted on July 1, 2024 by al125

Today, we got an introduction to the paleo archeological work occurring at Olduvai Gorge. Dr. Manuel showed us around the Olduvai Museum, explaining to us the evidence of human and environmental evolution throughout the past six million years. The coolest … Continue reading →

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Alex’s Blog: Serengeti Rules (6/22)

Posted on June 27, 2024 by al125

**Heads up!! There are graphic images in this post** When I was 16, I read The Serengeti Rules by Dr. Sean B. Carroll. That was five years ago. Today, I got to experience the Serengeti for myself — it was … Continue reading →

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Alex’s Blog: Hanging out at Olduvai (6/21)

Posted on June 25, 2024 by al125

The first night of camping was not kind to us. We got struck with unusually strong winds, which gracefully (violently) picked up all the sand surrounding us and kindly (abrasively) placed it atop us as we slept in our tents. … Continue reading →

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Alex’s Blog: Into the Ngorongoro Crater (6/20)

Posted on June 24, 2024 by al125

Oh my gawd. It was a large felid bonanza today at the Ngorongoro crater. Let me tell you how it all went down: We had arrived early at the Ngorongoro conservation area to descend into the crater floor and view … Continue reading →

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