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Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Richard Potts

Curator of Biological Anthropology, Peter Buck Chair of Human Origins Director
Department / Division
Anthropology
Education
  • B.A., Temple University
  • Ph.D., Harvard University
Research Interests

Paleoanthropologist Dr. Rick Potts founded and directs the Human Origins Program at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC. In partnership with the National Museums of Kenya, Rick leads ongoing excavations in the Rift Valley of southern Kenya and the Homa Peninsula, Kenya. After receiving his PhD in biological anthropology at Harvard University in 1982, he taught at Yale before joining the Smithsonian in 1985. Rick’s research investigates Earth’s environmental dynamics and the processes that have led to human evolutionary adaptations. His ideas about the significant effect of environmental instability on human evolution have stimulated new studies in Earth sciences, paleontology, and biology. He is also curator of the Smithsonian’s Hall of Human Origins.

Publications
Journal Article

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Book Chapter
  • Potts, Richard. 2023. "Adaptability and the Continuation of Human Origins." In Human Success: Evolutionary Origins and Ethical Implications. 1st ed. Desmond, Hugh and Ramsey, Grant, editors. 248–C11P92. New York: Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190096168.003.0011.
  • Kinyanjui, Rahab N., Meadows, Michael, Gillson, Lindsey, Bamford, Marion K., Behrensmeyer, Anna K., and Potts, Richard. 2021. "Reconstructing vegetation history of the Olorgesailie Basin during the Middle to Late Pleistocene using phytolith data." In Quaternary Vegetation Dynamics – The African Pollen Database. 1 ed. Runge, Jürgen, Gosling, William D., Lézine, Anne-Marie, and Scott, Louis, editors. 85–106. London: CRC Press.
  • Potts, Richard. 2017. "Human uniqueness, human evolution, and the origins of symbolism and culture." In Human Origins and the Image of God. Lilley, C. and Pedersen, D. J., editors. 95–110. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing.
  • Potts, Richard. 2017. "What will it mean to be human?" In Living in the Anthropocene: Humanity in the Age of Humans. Kress, W. John and Stine, J. K., editors. 27–31. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press.
  • Potts, Richard. 2011. "Olorgesailie – Retrospective and Synthesis." In Casting the Net Wide: Papers in Honor of Glynn Isaac and His Approach to Human Origins Research.. Sept, J. and Pilbeam, D., editors. 1–20. Cambridge, MA: American School of Prehistoric Research.
  • Potts, Richard and US Global Change Research Program Strategic Planning Committee. 2011. "Goal 1: Advance Science." In U.S. Global Change Research Program Strategic Plan 2012-2021. 16–44. Washington, DC: U.S. Government.
  • Potts, Richard and Teague, Robin. 2010. "Behavioral and Environmental Background to ‘Out-of-Africa I’ and the Arrival of Homo erectus in East Asia." In Out of Africa I : the first Hominim colonization of Eurasia. Leakey, Richard E., editor. 67–85. Netherlands: Springer. In Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology.
  • Potts, Richard. 2007. "Environmental context of Pliocene human evolution in Africa." In Hominin Environments in the East African Pliocene: An Assessment of the Faunal Evidence. Bobe, R., Alemseged, Z., and Behrensmeyer, Anna K., editors. 25–48. New York: Springer.
  • Brooks, Alison S. and Potts, Richard. 2004. "New research in early human Origins (7-1 million years ago)." In Anthropology Explored. Selig, R., London, M. R., and Kaupp, P. Ann, editors. 64–78. Smithsonian Institution Press.
  • Potts, Richard. 2004. "Paleoenvironments and the Evolution of Adaptability in Apes." In The Evolution of Great Ape Intelligence. Russon, A. and Begun, D. R., editors. Cambridge.: Cambridge University Press.
  • Potts, Richard. 2004. "Sociality and the concept of culture in human origins." In The Origins and Nature of Sociality. Sussman, R. W. and Chapman, A. R., editors. 249–269. Aldine de Gruyter.
  • Selig, R. and Potts, Richard. 2004. "One man's search for human origins." In Anthropology Explored. Selig, R., London, M. R., and Kaupp, P. Ann, editors. 46–63. Smithsonian Institution Press.
  • Potts, Richard. 2003. "Early Human Predation." In Predator-Prey Interactions in the Fossil Record. Kelley, P., Kowalewski, M., and Hansen, T., editors. 359–376. Kluwer Academic/ Plenum Publishers.
  • Potts, Richard. 2003. "Environmental variability and its impact on adaptive evolution, with special reference to human origins." In Evolution on Planet Earth: The Impact of the Physical Environment. Rothschild, L. and Lister, L., editors. 339–354. Academic Press.
  • Behrensmeyer, Anna K., Potts, Richard, Deino, A., and Ditchfield, P. 2002. "Olorgesailie, Kenya: A million years in the life of a rift basin." In Sedimentation in Continental Rifts, SEPM Special Publication. Renaut, R. W. and Ashley, G. M., editors. 97–106. 73
  • Potts, Richard. 2002. "Complexity and adaptability in human evolution." In Probing Human Origins. Goodman, M., Moffat, Anne Simon, and Boyd, Robert, editors. 33–57. Cambridge: American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
  • Potts, Richard. 2001. "Behavioral response to variable Pleistocene landscapes." In In the Mind’s Eye: Multidisciplinary Approaches to the Evolution of Human Cognition. Nowell, April, editor. 137–153. Ann Arbor (Michigan): International Monographs in Prehistory. 13 in International Monographs in Prehistory.
  • Potts, Richard. 2001. "Mid-Pleistocene environmental change and human evolution." In Human Roots: Africa and Asia in the Middle Pleistocene. Barham, Lawrence and Robson-Brown, Kate, editors. 5–21. University of Bristol. Centre for Human Evolutionary Research: Western Academic & Specialist Press.
  • Potts, Richard. 2000. "Flying machines." In Greatest Inventions of the Past 2000 Years. Brockman, J., editor. 37–39. New York: Simon and Schuster.
  • Potts, Richard. 1998. "Toward an Understanding of Current Social Problems." In Reading between the Lines: Toward an Understanding of Current Social Problems. Konradi, Amanda and Schmidt, Martha, editors. 507–515. London: Mayfield. In Humanity’s Descent.
  • Potts, Richard. 1996. "Dénouer le nœud: Évolution du comportement des premiers hommes." In Aux Origines de l’Humanité. Stoczkowski, Wiktor, editor. 323–346. Paris: Pocket.
  • Potts, Richard, Jorstad, Thomas F., and Cole, Daniel G. 1996. "The role of GIS in interdisciplinary investigations at Olorgesailie, Kenya, a Pleistocene archeological locality." In Anthropology, Space, and Geographic Information Systems. Aldenderfer, Mark and Maschner, Herbert D. G., editors. 202–213. New York: Oxford University Press.
  • Potts, Richard, Jorstad, Thomas F., and Cole, Daniel G. 1996. "The Role of GIS in the Interdisciplinary Investigations of Olorgesailie, Kenya, a Pleistocene Archaeological Locality." In Anthropology, Space, and Geographic Information Systems. Aldenderfer, Mark and Maschner, Herbert D. G., editors. 202–213. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Potts, Richard. 1993. "Olduvai Gorge." In Smithsonian Timelines of the Ancient World. Scarre, Christopher, editor. 32–33. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution.
  • Potts, Richard. 1993. "Archeological interpretations of early hominid behavior and ecology." In The Origin and Evolution of Humans and Humanness. Rasmussen, D. Tab, editor. 49–74. Boston: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
  • Potts, Richard. 1992. "Reconstructing early human behaviour." In The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Human Evolution. Jones, S., Martin, R. D., and Pilbeam, D., editors. 325–334. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Potts, Richard and Behrensmeyer, Anna K. 1992. "Late Cenozoic Terrestrial Ecosystems." In Terrestrial Ecosystems Through Time: Evolutionary Paleoecology of Terrestrial Plants and Animals. Behrensmeyer, Anna K., Damuth, J., DiMichele, William A., Potts, Richard, Sues, Hans-Dieter, and Wing, Scott L., editors. 419–541. Chicago: University of Chicago.
  • Wing, Scott L., Sues, Hans-Dieter, Potts, Richard, DiMichele, William A., and Behrensmeyer, Anna K. 1992. "Evolutionary Paleoecology." In Terrestrial Ecosystems Through Time: Evolutionary Paleoecology of Terrestrial Plants and Animals. Behrensmeyer, Anna K., editor. 1–13. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
  • Potts, Richard. 1991. "Untying the knot: Evolution of early human behavior." In Man and Beast Revisited. Robinson, Michael H. and Tiger, Lionel, editors. 41–59. Washington DC: Smithsonian Press.
  • Potts, Richard. 1987. "Paleoanthropological Reconstructions of Early Hominid Socioecology: A Critique of Primate Models." In The Evolution of Human Behavior: Primate Models. Kinzey, Warren G., editor. 28–47. State University of New York Press.
  • Potts, Richard. 1984. "Hominid hunters? Problems of Identifying the Earliest Hunter-gatherers." In Hominid Evolution and Community Ecology. Foley, R., editor. 129–166. London: Academic Press.
  • Potts, Richard. 1983. "Foraging for faunal resources by early hominids at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania." In Hunters and their prey. Clutton-Brock, J. and Grigson, C., editors. 163–163. British Archaeological Reports. 1 in Animals and Archaeology.

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Dataset
Abstract
Book
  • Potts, Richard. 2010. Understanding Climate's Influence on Human Evolution,, National Research Council of the National Academies of Science and Committee on the Earth System Context for Hominin Evolution, editors. Washington DC: National Academies Press.
  • Potts, Richard and Sloan, Christopher. 2010. What Does It Mean To Be Human? Official Companion Book to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History's David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins. Washington, DC: National Geographic.
  • Petraglia, Michael and Potts, Richard. 2004. The Old World Paleolithic and the Development of a National Collection. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press. In Smithsonian Contributions to Anthropology.
  • Petraglia, Michael and Potts, Richard. 2004. Old World Paleolithic and the Development of a National Collection. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. In Smithsonian Contributions to Anthropology, 48. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00810223.48.1.
  • Damuth, J., Behrensmeyer, Anna K., DiMichele, William A., Labandeira, Conrad C., Potts, Richard, and Wing, Scott L. 1997. ETE Database Manual. Evolution of Terrestrial Ecosystems Consortium. Washington, D.C..
  • Potts, Richard. 1996. Humanity’s Descent: The Consequences of Ecological Instability. New York: Morrow.
  • Behrensmeyer, Anna K., Damuth, J., DiMichele, William A., Potts, Richard, Sues, Hans-Dieter, and Wing, Scott L., editors. 1992. Terrestrial Ecosystems Through Time. Chicago: University of Chicago.
  • Potts, Richard. 1988. Early Hominid Activities at Olduvai. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.
Web Page / Electronic Publication
  • Potts, Richard. 2003. Human Evolution. Encarta, Microsoft Online Encyclopedia.
Book Review
  • Potts, Richard. 1985. [Book review] "The Analysis of Animal Bones from Archaeological Sites - Klein,rg." Nature, 316, (6026), 304–304.
Dissertation/Thesis
  • Potts, Richard. 1982. "Lower Pleistocene Site Formation and Hominid Activities at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania." PhD, University Microfilms.