Ileret

Key takeaways

Ileret belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Ileret to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Ileret from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Ileret (also spelled Illeret) is a village in Marsabit County, Kenya. It is located in Northern Kenya, on the eastern shore of Lake Turkana, north of Sibiloi National Park and near the Ethiopian border. Numerous hominin fossils have been found near Ileret, including Homo erectus footprints dating back to about 1.5 million years ago, making them the second oldest hominin footprints ever found after those at Laetoli, Tanzania.

Hominin fossils found near Ileret Besides the Homo erectus footprints, numerous other fossils have been found near the Ileret site. In 2012–2013, a team of researchers from Stony Brook University found new hominin fossils near Ileret, in two sites within the Kolom Odiet area. The fossils were representative of three different individuals, composing of two partial skeletons – KNM-ER (Kenya National Museum – East Rudolf) 64061 and KNM-ER 64062 – and an almost entirely completed mandible, KNM-ER 64060. KNM-ER 64060 and KNM-ER 64061 date back to 2.02 to 2.03 Ma, and KNM-ER 64062 goes back 1.82 to 1.86 million years ago. The KNM-ER 64060 mandible is only missing the right central incisor. The KNM-ER 64061 partial skeleton includes most of both humeral shafts, a partial right ulna and right clavicle, and a right shoulder blade. Its longer bones appeared to be slender, yet thick in its cross-sections. The KNM-ER 64062 skeleton possesses parts of a distal right humerus and scaphoid, and parts of a right foot with both primitive and derived features. These three individuals most likely represent members of early Homo, the mandible being from Homo habilis and the partial skeletons being from Homo erectus.

Homo erectus footprints at Ileret Fossilized footprints of Homo erectus were found in Ileret, Kenya. Science reported that there were multiple trails of footprints found at the Ileret site: “two trails of two prints each, one of seven prints and a number of isolated prints.” These footprints reveal that these early hominins most likely traveled in groups—evidence which researchers see as a sign of social behavior. Certain social behaviors distinguish humans from other primate species. Researchers attempt to find evidence of similar behaviors in the fossil or footprint records, however, it is difficult because this kind of fossil evidence is lacking. Homo erectus fossils were discovered in 1.5 million-year-old layers of sediment. These fossils supplied information about soft-tissue and foot structure. Unlike the fossils, the footprints provide researchers with information about early foot anatomy. Moreover, other Homo erectus fossils have been found in nearby areas and are the approximately the same age as the footprints found at Ileret.

Homo erectus compared to other hominins Differences have been found between these footprints and common apes. According to Rutgers University, “the big toe is parallel to the other toes, unlike that of apes where it is separated in a grasping configuration useful in the trees.” The arch of the footprint is also human-like and the toes are much shorter than those of an ape. Short toes are a sign of “upright bipedal stance.” Additionally, relevant observations point to similarities between H. erectus and modern humans. The footprints reveal comparable body weights, strides and gaits. These early hominins are the first to have such similar body proportions to modern humans (Homo sapiens).

Evidence of bipedalism Bipedalism is a characteristic of modern humans. Fossil evidence reveals that hominins walked on two feet as early as 6 to 7 million years ago. It can be difficult to reconstruct gait evolution due to the inadequacy and scarcity of the fossil record. Often, fragments of bones are discovered and offer little information about hominins’ walking manners. Additionally, the hominin fossil record does not provide information concerning the social patterns of modern humans and other primates—patterns which drove evolution. The Ileret footprints provide significant evidence that Homo erectus was a bipedal hominin. The footprints provide evidence for a “modern human-like weight transfer” and support earlier discussions of Homo erectus’ arched foot.

Researchers The footprints were discovered in 2007 by John W. Harris, BG Richmond, and David R. Braun.

See also Koobi Fora, a fossil site and field research camp Laetoli Footprints Trachilos footprints Footprints in Greece

References

External links Human Timeline (Interactive) – Smithsonian, National Museum of Natural History (August 2016).

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Ileret

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Ileret claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Ileret before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Ileret ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Ileret

In research: Ileret appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Ileret in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Ileret is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Archaeological sites in Kenya, Lake Turkana, Paleoanthropological sites, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Ileret outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Ileret in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Ileret means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Ileret out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ileret in simple terms?

Ileret (also spelled Illeret) is a village in Marsabit County, Kenya. It is located in Northern Kenya, on the eastern shore of Lake Turkana, north of Sibiloi National Park and near the Ethiopian border.

Why does Ileret matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Ileret?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Ileret.