HOT (Human Origins Today) Topic – Ancient Pyrotechnology: The Role of Fire in Human Evolution

Only humans have been able to control and make fire. But how far back in our prehistory does this unique ability go, and how do we know? In this video, Ellery Frahm, research scientist in the Department of Anthropology at Yale University, talks about how the control of fire shaped our evolutionary history and presents some of his own research on this topic. Moderator: Briana Pobiner, paleoanthropologist and educator at Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. This program aired March 17, 2022, as part of the ongoing HOT (Human Origins Today) Topic Series. Learn more about the HOT Topic series and get info about upcoming webinars on the museum’s Events for Adults page: Human Origins website: Human Origins events: