MEASURE HISTORY. A NEW TIMELINE OF HUMAN EVOLUTION (Raffaello Cortina Editore)

Sahra Talamo, professor of Chemistry University of Bologna, author of Misurare la storia. La nuova linea del tempo dell'evoluzione umana ("Measuring History. The new timeline of human evolution", Raffaello Cortina Editore)

Fabio Pagan, scientific journalist, collaborator of Il Piccolo di Trieste and RadioRai3

The arrival of Homo sapiens in Europe, the processes that favored their adaptive success, and the causes leading to the extinction of the Neanderthals are pivotal events in human evolutionary history. However, we are still far from reconstructing a clear timeline of this crucial period. Radiocarbon dating, the most commonly used method in archaeology, does not always provide dates that are precise and accurate enough to fully understand some significant developments. The challenge for the author and her research team is to enhance the potential of radiocarbon dating to improve its temporal resolution. Applying this improved method to the study of European archaeological sites could revolutionize the current understanding of these events, allowing us to answer many of the unanswered questions about this critical period in human evolution.