Donald C. Johanson
Donald C. Johanson
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BIOGRAPHY

Director of the Institute of Human Origins and Professor of Paleoanthropology, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona.

Primary Contributions (2)
Australopithecus afarensis
Australopithecus, (genus Australopithecus), group of extinct primates closely related to, if not actually ancestors of, modern human beings and known from a series of fossils found at numerous sites in eastern, north-central, and southern Africa. The various species of Australopithecus lived 4.4…
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Publications (6)
Lucy's Legacy: The Quest for Human Origins
Lucy's Legacy: The Quest for Human Origins (June 2010)
By Dr. Donald Johanson, Kate Wong
“Lucy is a 3.2-million-year-old skeleton who has become the spokeswoman for human evolution. She is perhaps the best known and most studied fossil hominid of the twentieth century, the benchmark by which other discoveries of human ancestors are judged.”–From Lucy’s LegacyIn his New York Times bestseller, Lucy: The Beginnings of Humankind, renowned paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson told the incredible story of his discovery of a partial female skeleton that revolutionized the study of...
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From Lucy to Language: Revised, Updated, and Expanded
From Lucy to Language: Revised, Updated, and Expanded (October 2006)
By Blake Edgar, Donald Johanson
In 1974 in a remote region of Ethiopia, Donald Johanson, then one of America's most promising young paleoanthropologists, discovered "Lucy", the oldest, best preserved skeleton of any erect-walking human ever found. This discovery prompted a complete reevaluation of previous evidence for human origins.In the years since this dramatic discovery Johanson has continued to scour East Africa's Great rift Valley for the earliest evidence of human origins. In 1975 this team unearthed the "First...
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Ancestors: In Search of Human Origins
Ancestors: In Search of Human Origins (February 1994)
By Donald Johanson, Lenora Johanson, Blake Edgar
Recounts the world-famous paleoanthropologist's attempts to solve the mystery of human evolution, using evidence uncovered during his recent forays into the fossil-rich regions of Eastern Africa. TV tie-in. 35,000 first printing. $35,000 ad/promo. Tour.
Journey from the Dawn: Life With the World's First Family
Journey from the Dawn: Life With the World's First Family (October 1990)
By Dr. Donald C. Johanson, Kevin O'Farrell
Recounts the story of Lucy, the supposed missing link, describing a day in the life of Australopithecus aferensis--the dangers they faced, what and how they ate, lived, and played
Blueprints: Solving the Mystery of Evolution
Blueprints: Solving the Mystery of Evolution (July 1990)
By Maitland A. Edey, Donald C. Johanson
Explores both the development of the science of evolution and the potentials of new technologies to change future evolution, as well as examining the implications of these developments
Lucy's Child: The Discovery of a Human Ancestor
Lucy's Child: The Discovery of a Human Ancestor (1989)
By Donald C. Johanson, James Shreeve
A famed paleontologist describes his latest find at Tanzania's Olduvai Gorge, a two million-year-old elbow bone, a discovery that raises questions about humankind's evolution