Some of the world’s scientists have gathered in Cape Town to discuss and explore some of the human origins in the world, especially in Africa, which is considered to be the cradle of humankind.
The main objective of the conference is to celebrate the centennial of the discovery of the Taung child fossil skull in South Africa among other fossil discoveries. CEO of the Paleontological Scientific Trust, Kimberleigh Tommy, has described the conference as an active participation on human discovery.
“I think in general astronomy defines the future right, the audience needs to come and participate in astronomical sciences, the science that makes us think how we view the world around us, about our future, about how small we are in the grand scheme of things.”
Some scientists are calling for more optimal promotion of paleontology or the study of the earth to bring Africa on par with its international counterparts when it comes to scientific research.
This emerged at the two-day, third annual Life in the Universe Conference being held in Cape Town. The gathering is hosted by the African Astronomical Society and the SA Radio Astronomy Observatory. Tommy says this is a significant gathering to find out about our human origins on earth.
“The life in the universe conference is a very unique conference because it brings paleontology, or the study of the earth and the origins of the earth together with astronomy. You might think they do not go together but when you are looking at research, at the origin, they do go together.”
World’s Astronomers converge on Cape Town
