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Dr. Richard Potts, Ph.D., heads the Human Origins Program at the
Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. After
teaching anthropology at Yale University, he moved to the Smithsonian
in 1985 to develop international collaboration among scientists interested
in the ecological aspects of human evolution. His research interests span
the evolution of early apes to the origin of modern humans. Potts leads
excavations at early human sites in the East African rift valley, including
the handaxe site of Olorgesailie, Kenya, and Kanam near Lake Victoria,
Kenya. He also directs a project in southern China, devoted to comparing
evidence of early human behavior and environments from eastern Africa
to eastern Asia. His recent research focuses on the effects of past environmental
instability on human origins. Among his research publications is the book
Early Hominid Activities at Olduvai (1988), and his writings for
a general audience include Humanity's Descent: The Consequences of
Ecological Instability (1996).
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