Latinka Hristova

(Associate Professor Dr)

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Born on 2 September 1968, Sofia
1993 — Master degree in geology, specialisation: palaeontology and stratigraphy
1998—2003 — PhD student, Institute of Geology
From 2005 — palaeontologist at the Palaeontology and Mineralogy Department

Research interests

Palaeontology (taxonomy and evolution of hipparions, cave bears, late cretaceous vertebrates), palaeoecology, biochronology, taphonomy, stratigraphy.

Scientific projects

2003—2007 — Joined research project between NMNHS-BAS and CNRS.

2008—2012 — Search for the Earliest Human Prehistory: Paleontological Investigations in the Locality of the Last Prehuman Hominoids in Europe (Azmaka near Chirpan, Bulgaria, Turolian). Granted by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Additional grants by L.S.B. Leakey Foundation, the Fyssen Foundation and the University of Tübingen.

2009—2011 — Climate dynamics and the extinction of great apes during the late Miocene in Europe 2009—2011. Supported by the Fyssen Foundation (Principal Investigator: Gildas MERCERON, Univ. of Lyon1).

2012—2013 — The Balkan Valley Project (BVP). Granted by America for Bulgaria Foundation. Leading institution: State University of New York at Albany. Team leader Dr David Strait.

2013 — NMNHS project Exhibition Making. Part of the project ‘Creation and popularising of cultural-historical product at Rakitovo municipality, via adaptation of the Palaeontological locality Dorkovo as a touristic attraction and socialising the cultural monument Tsepina fortress’.

2014—2016 — Palaeoenvironment, climate impacts, human dispersal and adaptations during the Pleistocene and Early Holocene in the Balkans. FWO-BAS.

2014—2017 — The mystery of the arranged cave bear skulls: Excavations and research in Mishin kamik cave. Granted by United Bulgarian Bank.

2015—2017 — Creation and maintenance of Palaeobotanical collection at the National Museum of Natural History, Sofia, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

2016—2018 — The Thracians — genesis and development of the ethnicity, cultural identity, civilizational interactions and ancient heritage. Sub-subject 3: The natural environment at the ancient times and origin of the domestication and stock-breeding on the Bulgarian territory and Europe.

2012 and continues — ‘In search of the latest pre-human hominides in Europe and studying their environment’. Granted by United Bulgarian Bank.

2017 and continues — Joined Bulgarian — Macedonian palaeontological excavations near Dolni Disan Village, Negotino vicinity. Partially granted by Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

2017—2019 — ‘Comparison of the Neogene fossil mammals from China and Bulgaria’, International Partnership Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. GJHZ1885).

April 2018—April 2019 — Palaeontological excavations and investigations in search of the Bulgarian dinosaurs. Project of the National Museum of National History; granted by United Bulgarian Bank.

Most recent publications

Nikolov, V., Hristova, L., Markov, G., Bogdanova, R., Spassov, N., 2025. From the dinosaurs to the earliest human ancestors: The vertebrate palaeontology at the National Museum of Natural History-BAS. Part 3. — Geology and Mineral Resources, 32 (4—5): 37—43.

Nikolov, V., Hristova, L., Markov, G., Bogdanova, R., Spassov, N., 2025. From the dinosaurs to the earliest human ancestors: The vertebrate palaeontology at the National Museum of Natural History-BAS. Part 2. — Geology and Mineral Resources, 32 (2—3): 39—44.

Nikolov, V., Hristova, L., Markov, G., Bogdanova, R., Spassov, N., 2025. From the dinosaurs to the earliest human ancestors: The vertebrate palaeontology at the National Museum of Natural History-BAS. Part 1. — Geology and Mineral Resources, 32 (1): 29—34.

Nikolov, V., Simov, N., Vasile, Ş., Csiki-Sava, Z., Dochev, D., Yaneva, M., Bogdanova, R., Hristova, L., 2024. Problematic fossils from the Upper Cretaceous of western Bulgaria might be the first record of Mesozoic insects in the country. — Review of the Bulgarian Geological Society, 85 (3): 73—76. https://doi.org/10.52215/rev.bgs.2024.85.3.73

Nikolov, V., Metodiev, L., Dochev, D., Dimitrov, D., Hristova, L., 2024. New Middle Triassic fossil site with remains of fish and marine reptiles near the village of Tserovo, western Stara Planina Mountain, Bulgaria. — Review of the Bulgarian Geological Society, 85 (3): 69—72. https://doi.org/10.52215/rev.bgs.2024.85.3.69

Hristova, L., Dochev, D., Metodiev, L., Nikolov, V., 2023. Cetacean and hipparion fossils from the upper Miocene near General Marinovo Village, NW Bulgaria. — Review of the Bulgarian Geological Society, 84 (3): 177—180. https://doi.org/10.52215/rev.bgs.2023.84.3.177

Nikolov, V., Hristova, L., Spassov, N., 2022. Preliminary data on the metapodial bone histology of hipparionins from the upper Miocene locality Hadjidimovo, Southwestern Bulgaria. — 6th International Symposium on Palaehistology, Programme and Abstracts, 39.

Nikolov, V., Dochev, D., Metodiev, L., Dimitrov, D., Velyanova, G., Hristova, L., 2021. Triassic marine reptiles and other fossil vertebrates from the area of Godech, Western Bulgaria. — Review of the Bulgarian Geological Society, 82 (3): 118—120. https://doi.org/10.52215/rev.bgs.2021.82.3.118

Yaneva, M., Konyovska, R., Garevska, B., Hristova, L., Spassov, N., 2020. Sedimentary study of the Upper Miocene fossiliferous deposits in the Tikvesh Basin, Republic of North Macedonia. — Comptes rendus de l’Académie bulgare des Sciences, 73 (4): 516—520. https://doi.org/10.7546/CRABS.2020.04.10

Nikolov, V., Yaneva, M., Dochev, D., Konyovska, R., Sergeeva, I., Hristova, L., 2020. Bone histology reveals the first record of titanosaur (Dinosauria; Sauropoda) from the Late Cretaceous Bulgaria. — Palaeontologia Electronica, 23 (1): a10. https://doi.org/10.26879/879

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