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In 1984, Richard Leakey and his "Hominid Gang" of
fossil hunters discovered fragments of a boy's skull that were more than 1.5 million
years old. They soon unearthed virtually the entire skeleton of what was dubbed
the "Turkana Boy" and recognized as one of the most significant paleoanthropological
discoveries of all time. But while his Turkana Boy caused
a sensation in the media and throughout the world of science, Leakey himself was
restless. Yes, the existing fossil record of our prehistory was impressive. But
there were more elusive matters to consider. For Richard
Leakey the most compelling question is no longer "How did we physically evolve?"
It is, instead, "How did we become human?" For this world-renowned paleoanthropologist
it is a humbling reminder that no matter how complete the skeleton, how perfect
the fossil, there is a gap in our knowledge. Our ancestors evolved from two-legged
scavengers into creatures that create. They learned to make stone tools, to communicate,
to build shelters, and to hunt for food. This realization
sparked Leakey to return to his earlier work -- especially his 1977 book, Origins
-- to poke holes in his previous beliefs and to reflect anew on what makes us
who we are. As he gently admits, considerations like these are usually left to
philosophers, not scientists. But again and again, he is faced with his own guiding
principle: "The past is the key to our future." In
this seminal work, Leakey incorporates ideas from philosophy, anthropology, molecular
biology, and even linguistics, to investigate not only how we evolved anatomically,
but how we acquired the qualities that make us human -- consciousness, creativity,
and culture. Richard Leakey is the world's foremost
living paleoanthropologist. He recently resigned from his position as chairman
of the National Museums of Kenya when Kenya's President, Daniel arap Moi, appointed
him to head the Kenya Wildlife Service. Roger
Lewin coauthored Origins with
Richard Leakey and is the successful author of several prize-winning science books. |
