What processes mediate change in human technologies over time? How does technological change impact upon our cultural and cognitive evolution? ANU graduate student, Ross Pain, and postdoctoral fellow, Dr Anton Killin, travelled to the University of Pittsburgh to consider these questions and more as part of the “Retuning Cognition With a Pair of Rocks: Culture, Evolution, Technology” Conference in late March. Presenting on “Tools, Minds & Culture: Cognitive Archaeology and the Evolution of Language” (Killin) and “Inferring Minds from Material Remains: What is the Relationship Between Technological Change and Cognitive Evolution?” (Pain), they both did a tremendous job representing the ANU School of Philosophy at the internationally renowned Pittsburgh Centre for Philosophy of Science.

Stay posted for some events on similar topics here at ANU’s own Centre for Philosophy of the Sciences with a visit from the Director of Pitt’s CPS, Prof. Edouard Machery, and a workshop on “Material Evidence and Cognitive Evolution” all happening this coming visitor season.