Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35857764›Full record

ArticlePloS one2022

Tufas indicate prolonged periods of water availability linked to human occupation in the southern Kalahari.

Jessica von der Meden, Robyn Pickering, Benjamin J Schoville, Helen Green, Rieneke Weij, John Hellstrom, Alan Greig, Jon Woodhead, Wendy Khumalo, Jayne Wilkins

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Paleolakes and socioecological implications of last glacial "greening" of the South African interior.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2023
    Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Jessica von der MedenDepartment of Geological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0003-3957-5824
Robyn PickeringDepartment of Geological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa.
Benjamin J SchovilleHuman Evolution Research Institute, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0002-0124-7959
Helen GreenSchool of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Rieneke WeijDepartment of Geological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa.
John HellstromSchool of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Alan GreigSchool of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Jon WoodheadSchool of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Wendy KhumaloDepartment of Geological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa.
Jayne WilkinsHuman Evolution Research Institute, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Detailed, well-dated palaeoclimate and archaeological records are critical for understanding the impact of environmental change on human evolution. Ga-Mohana Hill, in the southern Kalahari, South Africa, preserves a Pleistocene archaeological sequence. Relict tufas at the site are evidence of past flowing streams, waterfalls, and shallow pools. Here, we use laser ablation screening to target material suitable for uranium-thorium dating. We obtained 33 ages covering the last 110 thousand years (ka) and identify five tufa formation episodes at 114-100 ka, 73-48 ka, 44-32 ka, 15-6 ka, and ~3 ka. Three tufa episodes are coincident with the archaeological units at Ga-Mohana Hill dating to ~105 ka, ~31 ka, and ~15 ka. Based on our data and the coincidence of dated layers from other local records, we argue that in the southern Kalahari, from ~240 ka to ~71 ka wet phases and human occupation are coupled, but by ~20 ka during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), they are decoupled.

Indexed as

ArchaeologyWaterAged, 80 and overBotswanaFossilsHumansOccupationsThoriumThoriumWater

Identifiers

PMID35857764
PMCPMC9299332

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.