IPHES-CERCA photographer Maria D. Guillén wins first prize at FOTCIENCIA21 with the image “Genesis”
IPHES-CERCA photographer Maria D. Guillén has been awarded first prize in the general category of the FOTCIENCIA21 competition, one of the most prestigious scientific photography contests in Spain, promoted by the CSIC and FECYT. The winning image is entitled Genesis.
The photograph captures the precise moment when a quartzite hammerstone strikes a block of flint, an apparently simple gesture that carries a deep scientific and symbolic meaning. As explained by the author herself, in this blow “there is no chance: there is intention, foresight and purpose”. The scene evokes the origin of the first technology, when early humans began to transform stone into tools, turning thought into action.
Genesis is directly connected to experimental archaeology, a key research discipline for understanding how our ancestors mastered flint knapping — a process that required planning, skill and the transmission of knowledge. This transformation of matter marks the beginning of material culture and represents a fundamental step towards the innovation that defines our species.
The entire IPHES-CERCA team warmly congratulates Maria D. Guillén on this achievement, which highlights the essential role of scientific photography as a tool for research, outreach and communication, capable of making key processes in human evolution visible and bringing scientific research closer to society with rigour and visual sensitivity.