VIDEO

The Birth of Technology: Inside the Stone

From stones to cell phones, technology requires the complex mental processes of which humans are uniquely capable.

Grades

6 - 12+

Subjects

Biology, Geography, Human Geography, Physical Geography

This video clip, from the film Bones of Turkana, takes place in the area around ancient Lake Turkana, Kenya. This area is known as a cradle of human life. There is evidence that hominids lived here as far back as 4.2 million years ago.

Dr. Hélène Roche is an archaeologist at the Turkana Basin Institute. She has worked at Lake Turkana for more than two decades, uncovering and piecing back together valuable tools used by ancient hominids. This video gives insight into the beginnings of technology created by hominids and the correlation between brain size and technology.

Website

Turkana Basin Institute African Fossils: An Initiative of Louise Leakey

Credits

Media Credits

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Writer

Hannah Herrero

Editors

National Geographic Society

Elizabeth Wolzak, National Geographic Society

Expert Reviewer

Jill Wertheim, National Geographic Society

Producers

J.J. Kelley

Alison Michel

other

Last Updated

October 19, 2023

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