One of the high points of the TBI Field School is the trip to Central Island. We visited the island at the end of the ecology module just over a week ago. Central Island is a unique and stunning volcanic island in the very middle of Lake Turkana. Rising out of the blue-green waters, it [...]
The first week of the Geology module wrapped up with a field excursion to the Lothidok Range. Some outcrops at Lothidok expose Oligocene and Miocene strata and have in the past yielded fossils that are important to understanding primate evolution. Dr. Lepre led the students day hiking across a portion of Lothidok while they surveyed [...]
The Geology module of the Fall 2013 Field School is underway and the students are enthusiastically hard at work. Dr. Chris Lepre of Rutgers University is leading the class through the geologic events that have shaped East Africa and by extension our own evolution. Class discussions have included geologic time, radioisotopes, stratigraphy, hydrology, tectonics and [...]
As part of the Ecology Module we have been exploring the Turkwel River next to the Turkana Basin Institute. Learning about river life by sampling using sieves This involved looking at aquatic life and learning about the food web in the river, as well as that of Lake Turkana. It was refreshing to [...]
A major ecological issue that the students have been learning about is that of invasive species. As humans have moved about the planet and modified the environments, one of the impacts we have had is through introducing plants and animals to habitats where they did not occur naturally and evolve with other species. One of [...]
One of the most fascinating aspects of life around TBI is how different organisms cope with the heat and drought. The main mammal herbivores in this region are goats. Goats are browsers that are very efficient at consuming vegetation. Due to many years of overgrazing, large areas of northern Kenya are referred to as 'goated' [...]
The Turkana Basin Field School for Fall 2013 has begun! The students made their long journey to Kenya from New York and set off on a short safari into the Great Rift Valley to Lake Elementeita, Lake Nakuru and Lake Naivasha. We started at Lake Elementeita in the Rift Valley where we went for a [...]
In Kenya, rain is a blessing. It is something to celebrate if you have rain on your wedding day. If rain is a blessing, then nature wanted to shower the last few days at the Turkana Basin Institute with signs that this was a blessed experience. As Dr. Matt Skinner from University College [...]