Charles M Musiba, Professor

Dr. Charles Musiba is a Professor of Biological Anthropology at Duke University in the department of Evolutionary Anthropology. He is also a research professor at the Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, and the Human Evolution Research Institute (HERI) at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. Charles Musiba is a Montgomery and Carnegie African Diaspora fellow with research focus on human origins in eastern Africa. His work covers the following areas: taphonomy and paleoecology of Laetoli, evolution of upright posture and bipedalism, hominin behavior ecology at Olduvai Gorge, conservation of hominin footprints and animal trackways at Laetoli, and the evolution of the genus Homo in Eastern and Southern Africa (Laetoli, Isimila and Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, and the Rising Star Cave in South Africa). Charles Musiba is interested in reconstructing past environments (4 million years ago to 250,000 years ago) using multiple proxy data and he is actively involved in conservation efforts and sustainable use of paleoanthropological resources in Tanzania through education and cultural exchange programs. Charles Musiba has extensively worked on the evolution of upright posture and bipedal gait in humans with emphasis on the interpretation of the 3.6 million years old fossil hominin footprints from Laetoli in northern Tanzania. 

Contact Info:

Office Location:
Office Phone:	(919) 684-4124
Email Address:

Teaching (Fall 2025):

• EVANTH 220.01, HUMAN EVOLUTION Synopsis

  Bio Sci 041, MW 11:45 AM-01:00 PM

Office Hours:

Fall 2025:
Mondays - Thursdays 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Education:

Ph.D.

The University of Chicago

1999

Keywords:

Anthropology • Paleoanthropology • Paleoecology--Pleistocene • Paleoecology--Pliocene

Recent Publications   (More Publications)   (search)

1. Madupe, PP; Koenig, C; Patramanis, I; Rüther, PL; Hlazo, N; Mackie, M; Tawane, M; Krueger, J; Taurozzi, AJ; Troché, G; Kibii, J; Pickering, R; Dickinson, MR; Sahle, Y; Kgotleng, D; Musiba, C; Manthi, F; Bell, L; DuPlessis, M; Gilbert, C; Zipfel, B; Kuderna, LFK; Lizano, E; Welker, F; Kyriakidou, P; Cox, J; Mollereau, C; Tokarski, C; Blackburn, J; Ramos-Madrigal, J; Marques-Bonet, T; Penkman, K; Zanolli, C; Schroeder, L; Racimo, F; Olsen, JV; Ackermann, RR; Cappellini, E, Enamel proteins reveal biological sex and genetic variability in southern African Paranthropus., Science (New York, N.Y.), vol. 388 no. 6750 (May, 2025), pp. 969-973, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) [doi]  [abs]
2. Roksandic, M; Musiba, C; Radović, P; Lindal, J; Wu, X-J; Figueiredo, E; Smith, GF; Roksandic, I; Bae, CJ, Change in biological nomenclature is overdue and possible., Nature ecology & evolution, vol. 7 no. 8 (August, 2023), pp. 1166-1167 [doi]
3. Bergstrom, K; Lawrence, AB; Pelissero, AJ; Hammond, LJ; Maro, E; Bunn, HT; Musiba, CM, Corrigendum: Aerial map demonstrates erosional patterns and changing topography at Isimila, Tanzania, South African Journal of Science, vol. 118 no. 1/2 (January, 2022), Academy of Science of South Africa [doi]  [abs]
4. McNutt, EJ; Hatala, KG; Miller, C; Adams, J; Casana, J; Deane, AS; Dominy, NJ; Fabian, K; Fannin, LD; Gaughan, S; Gill, SV; Gurtu, J; Gustafson, E; Hill, AC; Johnson, C; Kallindo, S; Kilham, B; Kilham, P; Kim, E; Liutkus-Pierce, C; Maley, B; Prabhat, A; Reader, J; Rubin, S; Thompson, NE; Thornburg, R; Williams-Hatala, EM; Zimmer, B; Musiba, CM; DeSilva, JM, Footprint evidence of early hominin locomotor diversity at Laetoli, Tanzania., Nature, vol. 600 no. 7889 (December, 2021), pp. 468-471 [doi]  [abs]
5. Ruff, CB; Wunderlich, RE; Hatala, KG; Tuttle, RH; Hilton, CE; D’Août, K; Webb, DM; Hallgrímsson, B; Musiba, C; Baksh, M, Body mass estimation from footprint size in hominins, Journal of Human Evolution, vol. 156 (July, 2021), pp. 102997-102997, Elsevier BV [doi]