Richard Potts

Richard Potts

Director of the Human Origins Program, Smithsonian Institution

Richard Potts is a paleoanthropologist studying early human evolution, who founded and directs the Human Origins Program at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC. Richard leads ongoing excavations at field sites in southern and western Kenya. After receiving a PhD in biological anthropology at Harvard University in 1982, Richard taught at Yale before joining the Smithsonian in 1985. Richard is also the curator of the Smithsonian’s Hall of Human Origins and of the exhibit “Exploring Human Origins.” Richard is the author of many publications for scientific audiences and educators, including "What Does It Mean To Be Human?"

Articles by: Richard Potts

Drilling 139 meters down to volcanic rock provided scientists with a million-year environmental record.

Turbulent environment set the stage for leaps in human evolution 320,000 years ago

By Richard Potts published

People thrive all across the globe, at every temperature, altitude and landscape. How did human beings become so successful at adapting to whatever environment we wind up in?