Virtual Dig Site

If you have always thought about digging for fossils and artifacts but never really got off to enrolling in an archeological expedition, you will enjoy visiting the virtual lab at africanfossils.org. The website showcases a number of finds from the Lake Turkana region in East Africa.

As the website explains, “the digital collection of animals, human ancestors, as well as ancient stone tools offers a unique tool for scholars and enthusiasts to explore and interact with the collection online. It also provides an opportunity to download models for 3-D printing as well as to comment and share images of your favorite printed fossil objects on our forum.”

The 3D models of fossils are quite interesting in their digital form. As a visitor you can sort them into fossils of hominids, animals and tools. There is even an age filter that you can use to get fossils from a specific time period. If looking at digital images of fossils is not exciting enough, consider visiting the virtual excavation sites.

A time lapse collection of photographs allows you to see just how a dig proceeded. You can watch the tools of our ancestors being unearthed as well as some bone of people who used them. This is one science project that allows you to participate from the comfort of your own home.