{"id":13744,"date":"2026-10-28T14:29:33","date_gmt":"2026-10-28T18:29:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/?p=13744"},"modified":"2026-11-11T10:29:54","modified_gmt":"2026-11-11T15:29:54","slug":"signs-in-the-sand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/?p=13744","title":{"rendered":"Signs in the sand"},"content":{"rendered":"

As an anthropologist and archaeolo<\/span>gist, you were the first scientist to <\/span>walk east to west across the Namib <\/span>Desert. Tell us more.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Namib, in southern Africa, is <\/span>considered the oldest desert on Earth. I first went there with a team of scientists in 2021. I\u2019m interested in learning about our early human ancestors by <\/span>analyzing the stone tools that they left behind about 500,000 years ago. After a couple of trips, I wanted to go deeper <\/span>into the desert to find new archaeolog<\/span>ical sites. So in 2024, my research <\/span>partner, Dominic Stratford, and I <\/span>crossed the Namib on foot. We believe <\/span>we were the first to ever do so for <\/span>scientific purposes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Set the scene. <\/span>What is this desert like?<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a classic sand sea \u2014 imagine large <\/span>dunes like you would see in a movie. <\/span>It\u2019s one of the driest places on Earth. <\/span>There\u2019s no water source, no power, and <\/span>no shelter. You can\u2019t drive vehicles <\/span>through it without getting stuck. <\/span>We walked 25 miles some days, with <\/span>40-pound packs on our backs. That\u2019s <\/span>part of the fun of being an archaeolo<\/span>gist working in these challenging <\/span>environments.<\/span><\/p>\n

What was the goal of the trip?<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m trying to put together the pieces of <\/span>human evolution. What information <\/span>can we draw out of the artifacts we <\/span>find? And what can we learn about the <\/span>individuals and their lives in that time <\/span>period? If we can understand how our <\/span>ancestors occupied those environ<\/span>ments, we can start to understand how <\/span>we may adapt culturally to today\u2019s <\/span>climate changes.<\/span><\/p>\n

How did early humans even live there <\/span>if there was no water?<\/span><\/p>\n

We know that about 100,000 years ago, <\/span>a river broke through that part of the <\/span>desert. On our trek, we discovered <\/span>about 55 new archaeological sites. <\/span>We found thousands of stone tools and <\/span>animal fossils. We know that early <\/span>hominids could live anywhere there <\/span>was water, vegetation, and large <\/span>grazing animals.<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s next?<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m letting my research interests guide <\/span>me, so I\u2019m starting to look at some <\/span>more pockets of places in Namibia, <\/span>up in the north, outside of the desert. <\/span>I might go up into Angola.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014 Kara Pothier<\/span><\/p>\n

Watch George Leader talk about his research on YouTube<\/a>:<\/p>\n