Chicago Council on Science & Technology presents:

Alesi: The Life, Death, and Discovery of an Ancestor

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The recent discovery of a 13 million-year-old fossil infant ape skull has offered a rare glimpse of what the common ancestor of all living apes and humans may have looked like. The fossil, nicknamed “Alesi,” belongs to a newly named species called Nyanzapithecus alesi. Alesi was discovered in a desolate region of Kenya by John Ekusi, a member of Dr. Isaiah Nengo’s research team. In this talk, Dr. Nengo will share the story of finding this rare fossil and discuss the secrets that cutting-edge technology has uncovered about the life of this ancient infant.

Isaiah Nengo, Ph.D., was born in Nairobi, Kenya. He holds a BS in Zoology and Botany from the University of Nairobi and a PhD in Biological Anthropology from Harvard University. He is an associate director and research professor at the Turkana Basin Institute, Stony Brook University. He was Fulbright Scholar at the National Museums of Kenya and the University of Nairobi in 2012/13. Dr. Nengo’s research focuses on the search for the ancestors of apes and humans in Africa. He is the recipient of five Leakey Foundation Research Grants. 

This program presented in partnership with The Leakey Foundation.

DETAILS: Thursday, October 12, 6:00 p.m., Walter Payton College Prep High School, Auditorium, 1034 N. Wells St., Chicago, IL 60610. This program is free and open to the public, but advanced registration recommended.

Register using the "get tickets" button below. Walter Payton College Prep, a selective enrollment high school that is part of the Chicago Public School system, is located in the Old Town neighborhood, just minutes from Michigan Avenue and downtown Chicago, and is easily accessible via public transportation. 

If you can't join us in person, join us via live stream on our Facebook page, or at your convenience on our YouTube channel, C2ST TV.