Dr. Medler describes his theories on the crucial, and often overlooked, role that fire played in human evolution. He provides some ideas as to how early humans may have ‘mastered’ fire, and what that meant to our physiology.

Dr. Michael J. Medler received a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Arizona in 1997. He has served as chair of the Department of Environmental Studies at Western Washington University and as President of the Association for Fire Ecology. He was also the founding editor of the Journal Fire Ecology, and he has testified about wildfires and climate before the U.S. House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. Currently he is teaching at Huxley College of the Environment. He is also the director of the WWU Spatial Institute. Before graduate school, Dr. Medler worked for a variety of federal agencies on trialcrews and firecrews as well as working as a ranger. These experiences shaped his interest in using spatial technology to help map and understand both the physical and cultural issues surrounding wildfire as well as other natural processes.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx