Marina Elliott Explained

Marina Elliott
Nationality:	Canadian
Fields:	biological anthropology^[1] palaeoanthropology
Workplaces:	University of the Witwatersrand
Education:	Simon Fraser University University of the Witwatersrand
Known For:	Discovery of Homo naledi^[2]

Marina Elliott is a Canadian biological anthropologist, who is known for being one of the six Underground Astronauts of the Rising Star Expedition.^[3]

Eliott has a Master's degree and PhD in biological anthropology from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada.^[4] Elliott has participated in excavations at Lake Baikal in southern Siberia, and at the northernmost archaeological site in the USA: Nuvuk on Point Barrow, Alaska.^[5]

While working on her PhD in 2013, Eliott was chosen to be part of a small team of scientists to excavate the Rising Star Cave near Johannesburg, South Africa.^[6] Her background in archaeology, caving experience and the ability to squeeze through narrow spaces made Elliott an ideal match for the select team.

She is currently a researcher at the Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, working on excavations at and around the Rising Star Cave.^[7] Elliott's research focuses on the archaeology and anatomy of the human skeleton, forensic anthropology and the archaeology of death and burial.

Awards

In 2016, Elliott was awarded the National Geographic Society Emerging Explorer Award. "The program recognizes and supports uniquely gifted and inspiring scientists, conservationists, storytellers and innovators who are making a difference early in their careers."

Selected publications

• Berger. LR. Elliott. M. Hawks. J. Dirks. PH. Roberts. EM. 1. Homo naledi and Pleistocene hominin evolution in subequatorial Africa.. eLife. 2017. 9. 6. 10.7554/eLife.24234. 28483041. 5423770 . free .
• Elliott. Marina. Kurki. Helen. Weston. Darlene. Collard. Mark. 1. Estimating body mass from postcranial variales: an evaluation of current equations using a large known-mass sample of modern humans. Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences. 2015. 8. 4. 689–704. 10.1007/s12520-015-0251-6. 126828739 .
• Elliott. Marina. Collard. Mark. Kurki. Helen. Weston. Darlene. 1. Estimating fossil hominin body mass from cranial variables: an assessment using CT data from modern humans of known body mass.. American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 2014. 154. 2. 201–214. 10.1002/ajpa.22493. 24615366.
• Elliott. Marina. Collard. Mark. FORDISC and the determination of ancestry from cranial measurements.. 2827999. Biology Letters. 2009. 5. 6. 849–852. 10.1098/rsbl.2009.0462. 19586965.

See also

• Dawn of Humanity

Notes and References

1. Web site: Marina Elliott. University of Witwatersrand. 11 December 2017.
2. Web site: Yong. Ed. 6 Tiny Cavers, 15 Odd Skeletons, and 1 Amazing New Species of Ancient Human. The Atlantic. 11 December 2017.
3. News: Feltman. Rachel. Meet the six female 'underground astronauts' who recovered our newest relative. Washington Post. 11 December 2017.
4. Web site: Who are the underground astronauts?. EWN. 15 December 2017.
5. Web site: Marina Elliott. TrowelBlazers. 11 December 2017.
6. Web site: Marina Elliott. Biological Anthropologist. National Geographic. 15 December 2017.
7. Web site: SFU alumna Marina Elliott named 2016 National Geographic Emerging Explorer. Simon Fraser University. 11 December 2017.