Technological Origins: Environmental and Behavioral Context of the Earliest Tool Users

George Washington University, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

This award supports a three-year paleoanthropological investigation to expand our understanding of hominin behavior and ecology. Specifically, the investigators will analyze evidence of early hominin stone tool use, which is thought to have been a critical behavioral adaptation leading to the appearance of our own genus, Homo. The investigators have identified geological sediments dating from 3.4-2.6 million years ago that have abundant well-preserved fossils and may include indications of the production and use of chipped and pounded stone tools. The research will involve fieldwork and the use of novel techniques for analyzing stone artifacts as well as bones with evidence of butchery. In addition to advancing our knowledge about the origins of our own species, the project will support student training and community science outreach. Activities will include coordinating research activities with a paleoanthropological field school, inclusion of researchers and students from underrepresented groups in STEM fields, and graduate student Public Understanding of Science internships and outreach efforts at the Smithsonian Institution. The paleontological data derived from this project will become part of the Turkana Paleontology Database, an effort initially funded by NSF that makes paleontological data publicly available through the Evolution of Terrestrial Ecosystems Program and the National Museums of Kenya. Humans are unique in their ability to use technology to adapt to diverse ecological scenarios. Yet, the origins of our technological prowess and the ways in which human technological behavior impacted dietary ecology in our hominin ancestors are not fully understood. The investigators will conduct three field seasons of paleoanthropological research at the Koobi Fora Formation in the Turkana Basin of Kenya. The research will involve intensive fieldwork and analyses of stone artifacts, bones with evidence of butchery, and tools that have been used for percussive activities. The investigators have developed new methodologies that can identify artifacts (pounding tools) and cut marked bones even in low-density archeological contexts. The team will also carry out high-resolution stratigraphically delimited surveys to collect paleontological, paleobotanical, and geochemical contextual data. This research has direct impacts on our understanding of how and when our hominin ancestors began to use tools to enhance their fitness and will help to place the earliest stone tool users in a broader climatic context of Pliocene eastern Africa.