AAAS Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion

Biography

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).