Department of Anthropology Fall 2025 Distinguished Scholar David R. Braun Presents "Exploring the Origin of Tool Use"

Join the Department of Anthropology for its Fall 2025 Distinguished Scholar lecture, "Exploring the Origin of Tool Use." The origins of technology--tool use--represent a turning point in human history. It shaped not only the archaeological record but also our evolutionary trajectory. Anthropological research increasingly suggests that technological innovation did not simply accompany biological change, but rather it may have been a catalyst for it. Understanding when and how technological behaviors arose offers insights into the interplay between culture, ecology and biology.

David R. Braun is a paleoanthropologist and professor of anthropology with the George Washington University. Professor Braun directs field research in Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa and is engaged in archaeological projects in Mozambique, Guinea and Thailand. His research focuses on the evolutionary consequences of tool use for the past 3 million years. 

The Department of Anthropology's Distinguished Scholar Program, launched in 2001, has brought dozens of professional anthropologists to campus to share the relevance of anthropological research to contemporary life. In addition to programs for students, the Distinguished Scholar's public lecture is free and open to the public.