Becca Peixotto
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- University of Alabama in Huntsville (B.A.)
- University of Amsterdam (M.A.)
- American University (Ph.D.) [1]
Archaeology
Becca Peixotto | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Education |
|
| Known for | Discovery of Homo naledi[2] |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Anthropology Archaeology |
| Institutions | American University |
| Thesis | Against the Map: Resistance Landscapes of the Great Dismal Swamp |
| Doctoral advisor | Dr. Daniel O. Sayers |
Rebecca (Becca) Peixotto is an American archaeologist who is best known for her contribution to the Rising Star Expedition as one of the six Underground Astronauts, a group of scientists tasked with excavating the Rising Star Cave System.[3] She has also participated in the Great Dismal Swamp Landscape Study and is an experienced wilderness educator.[4]
Peixotto received her Ph.D. in Anthropology, Archaeology Specialization, in 2017 from American University with her dissertation Against the Map: Resistance Landscapes of the Great Dismal Swamp.[5] Peixotto obtained a B.A. in Slavic Area Studies and Mathematics from the University of Alabama in Huntsville.[1] She pursued further studies abroad at the University of Amsterdam, obtaining an M.A. in Discourse and Argumentation Studies.[citation needed] She returned to the U.S. to attend the American University in Washington, DC, where she earned a M.A. in Public Anthropology, Archaeology Specialization, in 2013.[citation needed]
Rising Star Expedition
In October 2013, Peixotto and five others were chosen to be part of a specialized excavation team for the Rising Star Expedition.[6] The purpose of the 21-day expedition, sponsored by The National Geographic Society and the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, was to excavate fossils which had been recently found in a deep cave complex in the Rising Star Cave System, near Johannesburg, South Africa.[7]
The critical skills and physical attributes sought for the excavation team by lead scientist and University of the Witwatersrand professor Lee Berger were a "master's degree or higher in palaeontology, archeology or an associated field; caving experience; and the ability to fit through an 18-centimeter (about 7-inch) space."[8] The six women scientists were crucial in the successful "excavation of arguably one of the most important fossil finds in human history – a new species referred to as Homo naledi."[9]
Peixotto, Hannah Morris, Marina Elliott, Alia Gurtov, K. Lindsay Eaves, and Elen Feuerriegel, along with a team of sixty international scientists, excavated "one of the richest collections of hominin fossils ever discovered—some 1,550 fossil fragments, belonging to at least 15 individual skeletons."[6]
Since this expedition, Peixotto has continued to work with a team to learn more about Homo naledi.[10] As of 2021, this team has discovered two dozen naledi individuals and evidence that suggests this cave system might have served as burial grounds for Homo naledi.[10]
Publications (selected)
- 2021. Montgomery, A, and Peixotto, B. Explore Paleoanthropology Fieldwork: A Virtual Expedition to Rising Star Cave (South Africa) with DinalediVR. American Biology Teacher, in press.
- 2021. Peixotto, B, Klehm, C, Eifling, K. Rethinking Field Sites as Wilderness Activity Sites. Advances in Archaeological Practice special issue Health and Wellness in Archaeology: Improving Wellness and Response, in press.
- 2020. Peixotto, B, Elliot MC. Meet Neo: Your Ancient Cousin. Frontiers for Young Minds 7:155. doi: 10.3389/frym.2019.00155.[11]