#1326 Christian Tryon: The Evolution of Homo Sapiens, and the Middle to Later Stone Age Transition
RECORDED ON MARCH 10th 2026.
Dr. Christian Tryon is Professor of Anthropology at the University of Connecticut. He specializes in the archaeology of human evolution, and he is particularly interested in reconstructing those ancient social and natural environmental contexts in which behavioral change occurred. He is a specialist in the analysis of stone tools and volcanic ashes, which in some parts of the world such as the Rift Valley of East Africa, are widespread, bury archaeological sites, and provide a means to date them.
In this episode, we start by talking about the Middle to Later Stone Age transition in technology and sociality. We discuss whether our species evolved in subdivided populations across Africa, and a possible additional Asian origin. Finally, we talk about the archaeological, evolutionary, environmental and geological context of early Homo sapiens.
Time Links:
Intro
The Middle to Later Stone Age transition
Did our species evolve in subdivided populations across Africa?
A possible Asian origin for H. sapiens?
The archaeological, evolutionary, environmental and geological context of early Homo sapiens
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Faculty page: https://tinyurl.com/3nraxcha
ResearchGate profile: https://tinyurl.com/29ycnydj