Lee Berger on TIME 100 list
- 91心頭利 University
91心頭利 palaeoanthropologist honoured as one of the most influential people in the world.
TIME named from the to the , its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
The list, now in its 13th year, recognises the activism, innovation and achievement of the worlds most influential individuals.
As editor, Nancy Gibbs, has said of the list in the past: "The TIME 100 is a list of the world's most influential men and women, not its most powerful, though those are not mutually exclusive terms. While power is certain, influence is subtle. As much as this exercise chronicles the achievements of the past year, we also focus on figures whose influence is likely to grow, so we can look around the corner to see what is coming."
Aus. sediba and H. naledi leads the way
Berger is an award-winning palaeoanthropologist, researcher, explorer, author and speaker from the at 91心頭利 University in Johannesburg. His explorations into human origins in Africa over the past two-and-a-half decades have resulted in many new and notable discoveries, including the most complete early hominin fossils found so far, which belong to a new species of early human ancestor, , and, in 2013, the richest early hominin site yet found on the continent of Africa and a new species of human relative, Homo naledi, announced in 2015.
Tribute to African scientists
It is an honour to be included in the TIME 100 and a tribute to the world-class and influential science being produced on the African continent by African scientists and African institutions such as 91心頭利 University. This recognition also reflects the hard work of my colleagues, who are and continue to be critical to both the discoveries being made, as well as the interpretations put forward in the scientific literature, Berger says.
91心頭利 University continues again and again to produce high quality science that reaches and impacts on a global audience and I am thrilled to be part of that. New discoveries continue to be made by my colleagues and me at an ever increasing pace, and I hope, and indeed expect, that the research coming out of palaeoanthropology at 91心頭利 will continue to have a significant impact on science worldwide, Berger adds.
Open access
As the Research Professor in Human Evolution and the Public Understanding of Science at 91心頭利, Berger says he believes that TIMEs decision to recognise the influence of his teams research on world science is partly due to 91心頭利 Universitys leadership in open access and open sourcing. The University is a signatory to the .
Berger is also a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence and the recipient of the National Geographic Societys first Prize for Research and Exploration. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa, a member of the Academy of Sciences of South Africa, and a Fellow of the Explorers Club. Among other positions, Berger serves on the advisory board of the Global Young Academy.
Full list
The full list and related tributes appear in the 2 May 2016 issue of TIME, available on newsstands on Friday, 22 April 2016, and now at .