Homo erectus, one of modern humans’ direct ancestors, was a wandering bunch. After the species dispersed from Africa about two million years ago, it colonized the ancient world, which included Asia and possibly Europe. But about 400,000 years ago, Homo erectus essentially vanished. The lone exception was a spot called Ngandong, on the Indonesian island of Java. But scientists were unable to agree on a precise time period for the site—until now.

Mack is currently working on her honors thesis in Anthropology, exploring cost-effective and accurate methods to gather stomach pH from primates. She hopes that comparative analysis of stomach pH will give evidence to how early humans obtained meat sources - scavenging or hunting. Mack plans to pursue a PhD in biological anthropology, where she can combine her knowledge of anatomical data with primate behavior and genetics to study the primate brain and sensory evolution.