The Origins of the Genus Homo

When did our ancestors look the way we expect them to have looked? When did they behave in the way we expect them to have behaved?

The search for what defines the genus Homo has spanned decades and is still debated among scientists today. In this talk, paleoanthropologist Dr. Bernard Wood will survey the history of attempts to find the earliest members of the genus Homo, including very recent and controversial additions. He will review the complications that arise from defining the genus and discuss how half-a-century of paleontological research has taught him what to look for within the hominin fossil record when searching for the origins of our genus Homo.

Speaker: Dr. Bernard Wood, George Washington University