1943-

American Paleoanthropologist

Donald Johanson, born June 28, 1943, is an American paleoanthropologist specializing in the study of human evolution. His discovery in 1974 of the fossil skeleton Lucy dramatically changed our understanding of how human beings may have evolved. He has dedicated the last 25 years to looking for clues to questions that have puzzled scientists since Charles Darwin (1809-1882): What made us human? When and why did we begin to walk upright? Why did we develop such intellectual prowess? By approaching these questions from a variety of directions, incorporating techniques borrowed from molecular biology, archeological excavation, and sociobiological studies of primates and hunter-gatherer societies, Johanson has provided new insight into our human origins.

Johanson was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Swedish immigrants. His father died when he was two years old, and his mother moved to Hartford, Connecticut. He developed an early interest in...