Zeresenay 'Zeray' Alemseged

Zeresenay 'Zeray' Alemseged studies the origin of early human ancestors and the environmental factors that influenced their evolution. His objective is to unearth and analyze clues to their biology and behavior and to identify milestone evolutionary events that ultimately led to the emergence of modern Homo sapiens.

While leading the Dikika Research Project in Ethiopia, Prof. Alemseged reported the discovery of the almost-complete fossilized remains of a 3.3-million-year-old child of the species Australopithecus afarensis. Now known as “Selam” and “the world’s oldest child,” it is the most complete skeleton of a human ancestor discovered to date and represents a major advancement in the understanding of human and pre-human evolution.