Shows
Origin StoriesThe Shanidar Cave NeanderthalsShanidar Cave is a unique archaeological site in Kurdistan where scientists found the remains of 10 Neanderthal men, women, and children. Some of these individuals had survived serious injuries, and one seemed to have been buried with flowers beneath his body. The discoveries at Shanidar challenged long-standing ideas of who Neanderthals were and what separates our species from theirs. Now, more than 50 years after the original excavations, scientists have returned to Shanidar to answer lingering questions about the Neanderthals who lived and died there. Double your impact Support Origin Stories with a one-time or monthly donation...2025-04-2933 min
The Common Descent PodcastSpotlight 2024 - Meredith Johnson, Origin StoriesWelcome to Spotlight 2024! In this series, we’re sitting down with our fellow paleo-podcasters to discuss Science Communication.
This episode, another returning guest: Meredith Johnson, host of Origin Stories, the Leakey Foundation podcast!
Find Origin Stories here:
https://leakeyfoundation.org/learn/originstories/
Connect with Common Descent: https://linktr.ee/common_descent
Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast
Got a topic you want to hear about? Submit your episode request here: https://commondescentpodcast.com/request-a-topic/
We’re a...2024-08-071h 12
Origin StoriesUnderstanding NeanderthalsEarly prehistorians had little more than stones and bones to work with as they tried to piece together the story of the Neanderthals, but today’s researchers work in ways that early prehistorians could never have imagined. Archaeologist and author Rebecca Wragg Sykes' new book Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Love, Art, and Death synthesizes more than a century of research on Neanderthals – from the first Neanderthal fossil discovered, to the most up to date and cutting edge research - revealing a vivid portrait of one of our most intriguing and misunderstood relatives. Links Kindred: Neanderthal Life...2024-06-0643 min
The Paleo Post PodcastThe World of Rock Art, Caves, and the Womb of the EarthHello friends and family of the World of Paleoanthropology! Woohoo! Your Paleo Post is here!
Welcome all Rock Art and Anthropology enthusiasts! You have found the right place, on this episode of our awesome podcast we will be discussing some astonishing rock art that we cant reveal where it is just yet, some of of the oldest megalithic structures in the world, as well as more about why Clovis First is DEAD! Learn about our shared human past in this episode as hosts Seth and George take us through the millennia of our ancient history.
George has a new...2024-05-201h 04
An Intro to Anthro with 2 HumansEpisode 39: And It Stoned Me Just Like Jelly Roll, The Mind-Blowing Genius of Prehistoric Stone ToolsThe Two Humans get totally stoned as they travel back in time to see what made prehistoric toolmakers so brilliant. Safety glasses and leather gloves required!
Episode 39: And It Stoned Me Just Like Jelly Roll, The Mind-Blowing Genius of Prehistoric Stone Tools
An Intro to Anthro with 2 Humans
Human Number One, John McCray, and Human Number Two, John Lehr, re-assess what it means to be human.
http://www.intro2anthro.podbean.com
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093893313542
IG @introtoanthrowith2humans
Resources:
...2024-03-121h 20
Origin StoriesCustodian of the AncestorsWhat is it like to be responsible for the safekeeping of the ancestors of everyone in the world? In this episode, we travel to the National Museum of Ethiopia to see our most famous fossil relative – Lucy – and meet Yared Assefa, the person who takes care of her and all of our Ethiopian fossil ancestors and relatives. If you love fossils, you won't want to miss this episode! Special thanks Thanks to Yared Assefa, Dr. Berhane Asfaw, and Dr. Mulugeta Feseha, who hosted The Leakey Foundation at the National Museum of Ethiopia. Qua...2024-02-2732 min
Origin StoriesThe New MetabolismHow do human bodies use energy? In this episode, Leakey Foundation grantee Dr. Herman Pontzer shares groundbreaking research that upends our understanding of metabolism, calories, and the history of our species. Origin Stories is hosted by Meredith Johnson, produced and sound designed by Ray Pang, and edited by Audrey Quinn. Support this show and the science we talk about. leakeyfoundation.org/donate Links: Burn by Herman Pontzer, PhD Pontzer Lab The energetics of uniquely human subsistence strategies 2023-03-0127 min
The Common Descent PodcastEpisode 158 – Charles R. KnightHappy Darwin Day!
You’ve seen his artwork. And if you somehow haven’t, you’ve seen lots of art inspired by his artwork. Charles R. Knight might be the most influential paleoartist of all time, inspiring a century’s worth of artists, scientists, and ancient-animal-enthusiasts around the world with his skillful and scientifically-informed works. In this episode, we explore who Knight was, how he became a renowned paleoartist, and his extraordinary role in ushering in the modern world of paleontology.
In the news: Arctic primate-cousins, oldest caecilians, diving bird evolution, and Jehol bird preservation.
Ti...2023-02-051h 53
Origin StoriesTop Human Origins Discoveries of 20222022 was another exciting year in human origins research! New fossil discoveries and ancient DNA research expanded our understanding of the past. We learned something surprising about the evolution of human speech, and new methodologies and showed promising potential to improve the future of medicine. In this episode, four Leakey Foundation scientists shared their favorite human evolution discoveries from the past year. Our guests Carol Ward, University of Missouri Sofia Samper Carro, Australian National University Kevin Hatala, Chatham University Megan Henriquez, City University of New York Links to learn more Evolutionary loss of complexity in...2023-01-3135 min
Discovering UsSecrets of the Orangutan CycleThere are only five kinds of great apes alive today. Chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos, orangutans, and us. Among the non-human apes, orangutans are unique. Orangutans live only in Asia - in the forests of Sumatra and Borneo. They’re intelligent, solitary animals that feed mostly on fruit. There is a lot we can learn from them - but it’s not an easy job.Further learningCheryl Knott's orangutan researchErin Vogel's orangutan research Lunch Break Science episode on how orangutans learnOrigin Stories podcast with Biruté Mary GaldikasAbout The Leakey FoundationThe Leakey Foundation is a n...2022-09-2610 min
Discovering UsBorn and Evolved to RunOne of the enduring mysteries in human evolution is the question of how and when humans evolved our unusually large brains. Another mystery is how and why we started moving around on two legs. This episode of Discovering Us explores both of these questions by exploring the human ability to run over long distances.Further readingAbout The Leakey FoundationThe Leakey Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding human origins research and sharing discoveries. The Foundation was established in 1968 to fund work at the forefront of fossil and primate studies and...2022-09-2607 min
Discovering UsThe HobbitIn this episode, Ashley Judd tells the story of a startling discovery on the island of Flores. Deep inside a remote, limestone cave with a high, arched ceiling, researchers uncovered fossils of an ancient human species unlike any other. This discovery added a new member to the human family tree and shook up our understanding of human evolution.Further reading:Homo floresiensis - SmithsonianMaking sense of the small-bodied fossils from FloresAbout The Leakey FoundationThe Leakey Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding human origins research and sharing discoveries. The Foundation...2022-09-2610 min
Discovering UsThe Pit of BonesIt takes a special kind of detective work to figure out the story of how we became human. This episode takes us to a unique fossil site in Spain where scientists go back through time - finding clues in a rich fossil record that stretches over hundreds and thousands of years. They are uncovering a story with twists and turns that are more dramatic and mysterious than an Agatha Christie novel.Further reading (and listening)Origin Stories: Detective of the DeadAtapuerca, UNESCO World Heritage SiteAbout The Leakey FoundationThe Leakey Foundation is...2022-09-2608 min
Discovering UsUnexpected ArdiIn this episode, Ashley Judd tells the story of the discovery of a fascinating fossil of a female that lived 4.4-million-years ago. This unexpected find opened up a new window into the very early evolution of the human species.Further readingArdipithecus ramidus - SmithsonianArdipithecus ramidus - Science About The Leakey FoundationThe Leakey Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding human origins research and sharing discoveries. The Foundation was established in 1968 to fund work at the forefront of fossil and primate studies and provide opportunities for a global community of scientists. L...2022-09-2607 min
Discovering UsThe African Milk TrailThere are some mysteries about human evolution that can’t be answered by looking at fossils or our closest living primate relatives. In this episode, you’ll learn how scientists used genetic research to explain how humans came to be the only mammals who continue to drink milk - even after we’re grown.Further readingMilk tolerance evolved more than onceAbout The Leakey FoundationThe Leakey Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding human origins research and sharing discoveries. The Foundation was established in 1968 to fund work at the forefront of fos...2022-09-2608 min
Discovering UsAmbush at the LakeIn this episode of Discovering Us, Ashley Judd takes you to Ice Age Europe, where a stunning discovery paints a picture of how early humans survived in a harsh and highly competitive landscape. About The Leakey FoundationThe Leakey Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding human origins research and sharing discoveries. The Foundation was established in 1968 to fund work at the forefront of fossil and primate studies and provide opportunities for a global community of scientists. Learn more at leakeyfoundation.org.Discovering Us: 50 Great Discoveries in Human OriginsIn 50 li...2022-09-2608 min
Discovering UsThe Lion ManOne thing that’s special about humans is the way we express ourselves through art and music. Ancient humans were no different. The art they left on cave walls and carved in stone lives on. It gives us a profound connection to our ancestors and their creative, complex lives. In this episode, Ashley Judd explores some of the earliest art ever discovered.Further reading:The Lion Man: An Ice Age MasterpieceAbout The Leakey FoundationThe Leakey Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding human origins research and sharing discoveries. The Foundation wa...2022-09-2608 min
Discovering UsThe People of the RockNeanderthals lived from around 400,000 years ago to around 40,000 years ago. Scientists are still working to understand how and why Neanderthals went extinct. This episode takes you to the island of Gibraltar–where researchers think the very last surviving population of Neanderthals lived and died.Further reading (and listening):Gorham's Cave - UNESCO World Heritage SiteOrigin Stories: NeanderthalsOrigin Stories: Understanding NeanderthalsAbout The Leakey FoundationThe Leakey Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding human origins research and sharing discoveries. The Foundation was established in 1968 to fund work at the forefront of fossil an...2022-09-2610 min
Discovering UsInside Baboon MindsWhy are humans such social creatures? In this episode, Ashley Judd explores the origins of social behavior by taking you inside the minds of a troop of baboons living in Botswana’s Okovango Delta.Further reading (and listening)Baboon Metaphysics: The Evolution of a Social MindOrigin Stories - Being a Nice Animal -podcast episodeLunch Break ScienceAbout The Leakey FoundationThe Leakey Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding human origins research and sharing discoveries. The Foundation was established in 1968 to fund work at the forefront of fossil and primate studies and pr...2022-09-2610 min
Discovering UsChimpanzee HuntingThis installment of Discovering Us tells the story of an unusual group of chimpanzees that live on the grassy plains of Fongoli, Senegal where temperatures reach over 110 degrees. Water is scarce, and wildfires sweep through every year - burning the leaves from the trees and baking the soil. These chimpanzees have adapted to their environment in surprising ways that can shed light on the evolution of our own species. Further reading:Fongoli Savanna Chimpanzee ProjectOpen-access research paper on tool-assisted hunting in chimpanzeesAbout The Leakey FoundationThe Leakey Foundation is a nonprofit organization d...2022-09-2606 min
Discovering UsBonobos' Powerful SisterhoodBonobos are close cousins of humans, known for their highly active sex lives and peaceful female-centered social structure. In this episode, Ashley Judd shares how researchers studying bonobos are unlocking the secrets of female friendship.Further reading:Dr. Liza Moscovice - Leakey Foundation Grantee SpotlightOpen-access research on bonobo interactionsRare bonobo behavior photographed at LuiKotaleAbout The Leakey FoundationThe Leakey Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding human origins research and sharing discoveries. The Foundation was established in 1968 to fund work at the forefront of fossil and primate studies and provide opportunities...2022-09-2608 min
Discovering UsPrologueIn this series, actor Ashley Judd tells the stories behind some of the most important human origins discoveries of the past 50 years. This prologue explores the fossil find that launched the scientific saga of the Leakey family and the quest to uncover humanity’s origins.About The Leakey FoundationThe Leakey Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding human origins research and sharing discoveries. The Foundation was established in 1968 to fund work at the forefront of fossil and primate studies and provide opportunities for a global community of scientists. Learn more at leakeyfoundation.org....2022-09-2604 min
Origin StoriesFirst Steps at Laetoli In this episode, we explore five strange fossilized footprints found by Mary Leakey at the site of Laetoli in Tanzania. Decades after their original discovery, these footprints have revealed a new story about our ancient ancestors that expands our understanding of how hominins moved and interacted. ThanksThanks to Dr. Ellison McNutt and Dr. Charles Musiba for sharing their work. Thanks as well to Jim Carty and Pat Randall for generously sponsoring this episode. Jim is a long-time Leakey Foundation supporter who actually volunteered to work at Laeotli in the 1980s to help figure out a...2022-05-1827 minOrigin StoriesDiscovering UsIn this episode, we talk with Evan Hadingham, senior science editor for the PBS program NOVA. His new book, Discovering Us: 50 Great Discoveries in Human Origins, highlights the thrilling fossil finds, groundbreaking primate behavior observations, and important scientific work of Leakey Foundation researchers. Want to win your own copy of the book? Take our listener survey for a chance to win one of three giveaway copies! Discovering Us is also available for sale anywhere you buy books, but when you buy it through bookshop.org, 10% of the proceeds go to support our work. Origin Stories is a project of...2022-02-2523 minThe Common Descent PodcastEpisode 132 - Mary and Louis LeakeyEpisode 132 – Mary and Louis Leakey
Happy Darwin Day!
Mary and Louis Leakey are two of the biggest names in the history of paleoanthropology and human evolution, and they’re one of history’s most impressive scientific duos. In this episode, our special guest takes us through the tales of the Leakey’s most important scientific work, their personal lives, and the ongoing impact they’ve had on modern science.
Our guest this episode is Meredith Johnson, Communications Director at the Leakey Foundation and host of Origin Stories!
Learn more here: https://leakeyfoundation.org/catego...2022-02-062h 17
Origin StoriesBiruté Mary Galdikas - 50 Years with OrangutansAs a young girl, Biruté Mary Galdikas dreamed of going to the forests of Southeast Asia to study the least-known of all the great apes, the elusive orangutan. People told her it would be impossible. But, in 1971, she traveled to Borneo and started what is now the longest ongoing study of orangutans in the history of science. This is her story. She was the third in the group of now world-famous scientists known as the Trimates—Jane Goodall in Tanzania, Dian Fossey in Rwanda, and Biruté Mary Galdikas in Borneo. The Trimates were the first women to esta...2021-11-0933 min
Origin StoriesEntre Chien et Loup: How Dogs BeganScientists agree that dogs evolved from wolves, but exactly how and when that happened is hotly contested. In this episode, Origin Stories contributor Neil Sandell examines the evolution of the relationship between dogs and humans, and explores the journey from wolf to dog. This story was originally produced for the CBC program IDEAS. Click here for a transcript of this episode. Guests in this episode: (in order of appearance) Angela Perri is an archaeologist at Durham University, U.K. Sebastian Dicenaire is a French playwright and audio producer living i...2021-10-0554 min
Origin StoriesShort and SweatLearn about the evolution of our extraordinary ability to cool ourselves down. Biological anthropologist Andrew Best discusses the past, present, and future of sweat in this special bonus episode. About our guest Dr. Andrew Best is a biological anthropologist at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts who studies metabolism, endurance, and the evolution of sweat. Visit his website to learn more about him and his research. Click here for a one-minute video about his Leakey Foundation-supported research project on the evolution of sweat glands. Episode Transcript Google Doc Transcript PDF...2021-09-2917 min
Origin StoriesMonkeys Get CreativeProducer and scientist Kevin McLean travels to an island off the coast of Panama where researchers have found an isolated group of monkeys with a creative approach to surviving in a challenging environment. Links These tiny monkeys have entered their Stone Age with a bang First report of habitual stone tool use by Cebus monkeys Habitual Stone-Tool Aided Extractive Foraging in White-Faced Capuchins, Cebus Capucinus Video of capuchins using tools Research presentation on social learning by Leakey Foundation grantee Brendan Barrett Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute2021-07-0722 min
Origin StoriesThe Obstetrical DilemmaThe widely-held idea known as the “obstetrical dilemma” is a hypothesis that explains why babies are so helpless, and why childbirth is so difficult for humans compared to other animals. The obstetrical dilemma suggests that babies are born early so their big brains can fit through the mother’s pelvis, which can’t get any wider due to our method of bipedal locomotion. This problem, the idea says, is solved by an evolutionary tradeoff that increases risks to pregnant mothers who must struggle to birth bigger and bigger-brained babies through narrow birth canals. On this episode, L...2021-06-0434 minOrigin StoriesSleep and the MoonSleep is one of the defining traits of human life. It's also one of the most mysterious. Dr. Horacio de la Iglesia is a neurobiologist who's on a quest to understand how patterns of human sleep evolved. His new research shows an unexpected connection between sleep and the cycles of the moon. Links de la Iglesia Lab Moonstruck Sleep It's not just the pandemic. The moon may be messing with your sleep, too The de la Iglesia Lab Sleep and Homelessness Project Science and Evolution of Sleep | Ask a Biologist 2021-05-0728 min
Origin StoriesHow to Study an Endangered SpeciesWhat is it like to study an endangered species like chimpanzees, knowing they may go extinct within your lifetime? Leakey Foundation grantee Dr. Zarin Machanda is a co-director of the Kibale Chimpanzee Project, a long-term field study in Uganda. This study was started by primatologist Richard Wrangham in 1987, and project members have collected daily records of the chimps there ever since. These notes hold the life stories of around 150 chimpanzees, and this long-term data is a powerful way for scientists to understand chimpanzees–and ourselves. The Leakey Foundation Origin Stories is a...2021-03-2728 min
Origin StoriesThe Teeth RememberYour life story is hidden in your teeth. The days, weeks, years, and stressful events of your life are recorded in tiny timelines that can be read by scientists like Leakey Foundation grantee Dr. Tanya Smith. She and her colleagues used fossil teeth to tell a detailed and intimate story about the lives of two Neanderthal children and the changing world they lived in. Links The Tales Teeth Tell What teeth can tell about the lives and environments of ancient humans and Neanderthals Wintertime stress, nursing, and lead exposure in Neanderthal c...2021-03-0220 min
Origin StoriesUnderstanding NeanderthalsEarly prehistorians had little more than stones and bones to work with as they tried to piece together the story of the Neanderthals, but today’s researchers work in ways that early prehistorians could never have imagined. Archaeologist and author Rebecca Wragg Sykes' new book Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Love, Art, and Death synthesizes more than a century of research on Neanderthals – from the first Neanderthal fossil discovered, to the most up to date and cutting edge research - revealing a vivid portrait of one of our most intriguing and misunderstood relatives. Links Kindred: Neanderthal Life...2021-02-0143 min
Origin StoriesExerciseIf exercise is healthy, why do so many people avoid doing it? If we're born to be active, why is it so hard to keep your New Year's resolutions about exercise? On this episode, learn about the powerful instincts that cause us to avoid exercise even though we know it’s good for us. Dan Lieberman, author of the new book Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding, tells the story of how we never evolved to do voluntary physical activity for the sake of health, and helps us think about exercise in...2020-12-3136 min
Origin StoriesAncestor (rerelease)In 2017, Dr. Isaiah Nengo announced the discovery of a 13 million-year-old fossil ape found in Kenya. This remarkable fossil, nicknamed Alesi, was from a time period where there’s a big blank spot in the fossil record of our family tree. Alesi tells us something new about the early evolution of apes and shows what the common ancestor of humans and all the other living apes might have looked like. In this episode, Dr. Nengo tells the story behind the discovery. This episode was originally released in 2017. We're revisiting it now because Isaiah Nengo will be featured on ou...2020-11-2725 min
Origin StoriesSkinVariation in human skin color has fascinated and perplexed people for centuries. As the most visible aspect of human variation, skin color has been used as a basis for classifying people into “races.” In this lecture, Leakey Foundation grantee Dr. Nina Jablonski explains the evolution of human skin color and discusses some of the ways that harmful color-based race concepts have influenced societies and impacted social well-being. Links Nina Jablonski's website Video - "The Evolution and Meaning of Human Skin Color" Skin, A Natural History Skin We Are In Finding Your Roots curriculum and activities Bill Nye...2020-11-031h 07
Origin StoriesDetective of the DeadAtapuerca is a place that holds the mystery of human evolution in Europe from 1.2 million years ago through recent times. You can find, in one place, the oldest human in Europe, the first murder in the archaeological record, and fossils that tell a range of stories from disturbing and grisly to tender and heartwarming. María Martinón-Torres is a Leakey Foundation grantee who is sometimes called a "detective of the dead" because she pieces together clues to learn about the lives and deaths of the people who once inhabited northern Spain. Special thanks Thanks to...2020-08-2840 min
Origin StoriesCustodian of the AncestorsWhat is it like to be responsible for the safekeeping of the ancestors of everyone in the world? In this episode, we travel to the National Museum of Ethiopia to see our most famous fossil relative – Lucy, and meet Yared Assefa, the person who takes care of her and all of our Ethiopian fossil ancestors and relatives. If you love fossils, you won't want to miss this episode! Special thanks Thanks to Yared Assefa, Dr. Berhane Asfaw, and Dr. Mulugeta Feseha, who hosted The Leakey Foundation at the National Museum of Ethiopia. ...2020-07-3033 min
Origin StoriesWe Eat BugsHave you ever considered how profoundly food has shaped who we are as a species? Julie Lesnik is a paleoanthropologist who studies the evolution of the human diet. Her special focus is on insects as food in the past, present, and future. Additional Information Read more about Julie Lesnik's work and check out her book Edible Insects and Human Evolution. Follow her on Twitter: @JulieLesnik Want to try some edible insects? Here are a few places we recommend: Don Bugito Entomo Farms Looking for r...2020-05-2928 min
Origin StoriesThe Cave PunanDeep in the forests of Borneo, lives a society of hunter-gatherers who speak a language never before shared with outsiders. Until now. The Cave Punan are the last surviving hunter-gatherers in Indonesia and they have reached out for help to save their forest home and their culture. In 2018, Leakey Foundation grantee Steve Lansing was invited by the elected leader of the Punan in Borneo to meet the Cave Punan. He soon learned of the Cave Punan's unique song language and their urgent need to protect their forest from illegal palm oil plantations. They asked for...2020-04-0834 min
Sci GuysThe TrimatesCharlie’s Angels, The Powerpuff Girls, Destiny’s Child - three amazing groups of women. This week, we’re talking about a trio that trumps them all (at least in primatology). In this triptych, we tell the stories of three women who pushed their field farther than anyone else in history. This is the story of the Trimates - Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birutė Galdikas
You can WATCH the podcast over on our YouTube channel:
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If you would like to support the podcast, please donate to our Patreon:
http://patreon.com/Sci...2020-04-0649 min
Origin StoriesThe DenisovansA mysterious new human relative was discovered ten years ago from a pinky bone found in a Siberian cave. They're called the Denisovans, and people around the world carry their DNA today. Until just a few months ago, the sum total of all the fossils the Denisovans left behind could fit in the palm of your hand. Now new research is unlocking more of their secrets. Thanks Thanks to Bence Viola and Viviane Slon for sharing their work. Dr. Viola also wants to give a shoutout to his colleagues, including Anatoly Derevyanko over m...2019-11-2831 min
Origin StoriesPiltdown ManIn this episode, we explore the story of Piltdown Man – one of the most notorious hoaxes in history. When Piltdown Man was discovered in a gravel pit outside a small English village in 1912, it was celebrated as a "missing link." The find captured the public's imagination and became world-famous. The problem was that Piltdown Man was a complete fraud. The purported fossils were actually made up of modern human bones and an orangutan mandible. The Piltdown hoax suspects have included Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of Sherlock Holmes, and the philosopher Teilhard de Chardin. Now, mor...2019-10-3137 minOrigin StoriesFrom the Archive - Louis LeakeyIn the final installment of our "From the Archive" series, Kenyan paleoanthropologist Louis S.B. Leakey shares the story of his life and work in a never-before-released interview recorded in 1969. The Leakey Foundation was formed 1968 in honor of Louis Leakey and we are proud to carry on his mission of increasing scientific knowledge, education, and public understanding of human origins, evolution, behavior, and survival. You can help carry on Louis Leakey's legacy by donating to The Leakey Foundation. Every donation will be doubled! leakeyfoundation.org/donate2019-08-0731 min
Origin StoriesFrom the Archive - Mary LeakeyMary Leakey was called the "grand dame" of archaeology. She was a methodical and exacting scientist who made some of the world's most significant archaeological discoveries. In this lecture from The Leakey Foundation archive, Mary Leakey tells the story of Olduvai Gorge, the place where she found fossils that completely changed our understanding of human origins. Want to support Origin Stories? All donations are being matched 4:1. Give today at leakeyfoundation.org/originstorieschallenge2019-06-1446 min
Origin StoriesFrom the Archive - Tepilit Ole SaitotiTepilit Ole Saitoti was a Maasai warrior, author, and natural resources expert. In this lecture from The Leakey Foundation archive, Saitoti tells his life story, discusses Maasai culture, and explores the challenges faced by the Maasai people. Learn more and see photos on our blog. Want to support Origin Stories? All donations are being matched 4:1. Give today at leakeyfoundation.org/originstorieschallenge2019-03-1456 min
Origin StoriesFrom the Archive - Raymond DartRaymond Dart was getting dressed for a wedding when he was given two boxes of rocks and fossils. Inside the boxes, he found the first evidence of humanity’s African origins. This episode tells the story of the 1924 discovery of the Taung Child through a never-before-released lecture by Dr. Raymond Dart. Show Notes The Leakey Foundation is celebrating its 50th anniversary by sharing rare, previously unreleased lectures from the Foundation’s archive. The fourth lecture in this "From the Archive" series is by Dr. Raymond Dart, a neuroanatomist, discoverer of the Taung Child, and...2019-02-1431 min
Origin StoriesFrom the Archive - Margaret MeadIn this never-before-released archival lecture from 1974, anthropologist Margaret Mead discusses the lives of women from prehistoric through modern times. Show Notes The Leakey Foundation is 50 years old this year, and we’re celebrating this milestone by sharing rare, previously unreleased lectures from the Foundation’s archive. These talks are like a time capsule that lets you hear from scientists in their own words and in their own voices - as they were making the discoveries that made them famous. The third lecture in this "From the Archive" series is by Margaret Mead, the worl...2019-01-1051 min
Origin StoriesFrom the Archive - Dian FosseyIn this never-before-released archival lecture from 1973, the legendary primatologist Dian Fossey tells the story of the early years of her groundbreaking mountain gorilla research. Show Notes The Leakey Foundation is 50 years old this year, and we’re celebrating this milestone by sharing rare, previously unreleased lectures from the Foundation’s archive. These talks are like a time capsule that lets you hear from scientists in their own words and in their own voices - as they were making the discoveries that made them famous. The second lecture in this "From the Archive" seri...2018-12-1354 min
Origin StoriesFrom the Archive - Carl SaganCarl Sagan explores the evolution of human intelligence from the big bang, fifteen billion years ago, through today in this never-before-released archival lecture. Show Notes The Leakey Foundation is 50 years old this year, and we’re celebrating this milestone by sharing rare, previously unreleased lectures from the Foundation’s archive. These talks are like a time machine that lets you hear from scientists in their own words and in their own voices - as they were making the discoveries that made them famous. The first lecture in this "From the Archive" series is by Carl...2018-11-2948 min
Origin StoriesThe Four Year WarA scientist solves the mystery of the only known chimpanzee civil war...thus far. In 1960, Louis Leakey sent Jane Goodall to start her study of chimpanzees at Gombe National Park, Tanzania. Her first decade of research led her to think that chimpanzees were like nicer versions of humans. But in the early 1970s, the Gombe chimp community split in two and deadly violence erupted. The cause has remained a mystery until now. A new study by Leakey Foundation grantee Joseph Feldblum reveals similarities between the ways chimpanzee and human societies break down. Thanks: 2018-11-1526 minOrigin StoriesWhat They Left Behind (Rebroadcast)The stories and songs of prehistoric people are lost. Their art and artifacts are all that remain of their culture. The painted caves of Ice Age Europe are the world's most famous examples of prehistoric art. What does this art reveal about the people who made it? Why did they paint those images on cave walls? What do the images mean? Jean Clottes is one of the world's preeminent prehistorians and a leading expert on prehistoric art. He has devoted his life to asking these big questions, and his insights have challenged popular assumptions about...2018-06-0638 min
Origin StoriesRewriting Our StoryFor a long time, scientists have been searching for the first Homo sapiens in the Great Rift Valley of Ethiopia. The story we've been telling about the origin of our species has gone something like this: Around 200,000 years ago in East Africa, the first Homo sapiens emerged, splitting off from an ancestral species, possibly Homo erectus. We had big brains and a knack for tool making. We spread out across the world from there. We adapted, and we alone survived. Now a scientific discovery made by Leakey Foundation grantee Jean-Jacques Hublin and colleagues has challenged the story we...2017-11-0723 min
Origin StoriesWhat They Left BehindThe stories and songs of prehistoric people are lost. Their art and artifacts are all that remain of their culture. The painted caves of Ice Age Europe are the world's most famous examples of prehistoric art. What does this art reveal about the people who made it? Why did they paint those images on cave walls? What do the images mean? Jean Clottes is one of the world's preeminent prehistorians and a leading expert on prehistoric art. He has devoted his life to asking these big questions, and his insights have challenged popular assumptions about...2017-09-2838 min
Origin StoriesOut of Eden the Long WayOne of the big questions in the study of human evolution is the question of how our ancestors spread across the world. Our species evolved in Africa and migrated around the world from there. Most people on earth today are mixed descendants of multiple migrations to different places. Somewhere in almost everyone’s family history, whether it was last year or thousands of years ago, there was someone who left the place they were born and set out into the unknown, looking for a new life somewhere else. For most of humankind’s time on this...2017-09-2131 min
Origin StoriesRising Star - Homo nalediIt's not every day you see a Facebook post that changes your life, but that's exactly what happened to Leakey Foundation grantee Alia Gurtov. Gurtov was checking her Facebook feed one morning and saw a post from paleoanthropologist Lee Berger. He was looking for archaeologists who were "...skinny and preferably small. They must not be claustrophobic, they must be fit, they should have some caving experience, climbing experience would be a bonus. They must be willing to work in cramped quarters, have a good attitude and be a team player." Gurtov had never seen a job description that fit h...2017-09-1439 min
Origin StoriesStones and How to Use ThemThe paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey described stone tools as “fossilized human behavior.” These rocks, shaped by our human ancestors and found in archaeological sites around the world, can give us clues about how ancient people lived. Archaeologist and Leakey Foundation grantee John Shea of Stony Brook University says you can learn even more by making and using stone tools yourself. Thanks to John Shea of Stony Brook University for sharing his work. His new book is Stone Tools in Human Evolution: Behavioral Differences among Technological Primates. Learn more about Dr. Shea's work on his website. The Leakey Foundation Origin...2017-09-0723 min
Origin StoriesAltruismWhy do people risk their own lives to save a stranger? Why do we share food or give money to charity? The human capacity for altruism has been a puzzle for scientists since Darwin. In this episode of Origin Stories, primatologist Joan Silk explores the evolution of altruism and cooperation. In our Being Human Bonus segment, we share a story of human kindness from Erika Lantz and WBUR’s Kind World. Origin Stories is a project of The Leakey Foundation. You can support this show and the science we talk about by making a tax-deductible do...2017-04-0721 min
Origin StoriesFollow the Leader?Every animal that lives in groups has to make decisions as a group. Even a seemingly simple decision like "where should we go for dinner?" can be complicated to negotiate. Is there a simple rule behind how humans and other animals make group decisions? Margaret Crofoot is a primatologist and Leakey Foundation grantee whose research on baboons suggests there is a rule, and it's not what you might think. You can read more about Margaret Crofoot's research and see a video of her GPS data on our blog! Links Margaret Crofoot's Lab Shared decision-making drives collective movement in wild baboons Sponsor...2017-03-0820 min
Origin StoriesDid Cooking Make Us Human (Re-release)Humans have evolved very differently from other primates. Is there one thing responsible for humans becoming human? Some evolutionary biologists think that the way we process our food, namely cooking it, could explain why our species developed so differently from others. Did cooking make us human? Dr. Richard Wrangham of Harvard University and Dr. Rachel Carmody of UCSF and Harvard discuss the impact that cooked food has had on human evolution. This episode of Origin Stories was produced by Briana Breen and edited by Audrey Quinn. Music by Henry Nagle. Thanks to Richard Wrangham and...2016-12-3125 min
Origin StoriesEmpathyEmpathy has long been considered a uniquely human trait, but it's an ability that has also been observed in apes and other animals. Primatologist Frans de Waal says that examples of empathy in non-human primates and other mammals suggest that empathy has a long evolutionary history in humans. Frans de Waal is the C.H. Candler Professor of Psychology at Emory University where he directs the Living Links Center for the Advanced Study of Ape and Human Evolution. He’s the author of several books including The Age of Empathy, and most recently, Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smar...2016-08-2625 min
Origin StoriesHow to Document a Society (Re-release)Every day for 55 years a dedicated group of researchers, students, and field assistants have spent their days crawling through thorns and vines as they follow chimpanzees to observe their behavior. They write everything down in notes and on maps and checksheets. This episode continues the story of Jane Goodall's pioneering Gombe chimpanzee research study. Thanks to Anne Pusey, director of the Jane Goodall Institute Research Center at Duke University, and to Emily Boehm, Joseph Feldblum and Kara Walker from Duke University. Origin Stories is a project of The Leakey Foundation. The Leakey Foundation is p...2016-08-1317 min
Origin StoriesNeanderthalsPeople have been fascinated with Neanderthals since they were first discovered in the mid-1800s. For a long time, they have been seen as dumb, brutish cavemen. As more discoveries have been made in the past few decades, our picture of who Neanderthals were and how they lived has shifted dramatically. In this episode we talk with Shara Bailey, a Leakey Foundation grantee and professor at New York University, about our closest extinct relatives. Who were the Neanderthals? And why did they disappear? Links The Makers of the Protoaurignacian and implications for Neanderthal extinction 2016-07-0123 min
Origin StoriesThe Grandmother HypothesisWhen Kristen Hawkes first started to research the foraging habits of the Hadza hunter-gatherers, she noticed that the older women in the society were spending their time collecting food and sharing it with their grandchildren. She started to wonder if this type of contribution from grandmothers might explain why humans have such long lives. Her grandmother hypothesis suggests that grandmothering may have led to many of the things that make humans different from other great apes. Thanks to Kristen Hawkes of the University of Utah for sharing her work with us. Dr. Hawkes is a member of...2016-05-2813 min
Origin StoriesThe Origins of TuberculosisTuberculosis is the world's leading cause of death by infectious disease, and it has been plaguing humanity for a very long time. In the first episode of a two-part series on infectious disease and human evolution, Dr. Anne Stone of Arizona State University investigates a mysterious case of tuberculosis in ancient Peruvian mummies and finds surprising new evidence in the search for the origins of TB.
Thanks to Anne Stone for sharing her work. Her lab is on Twitter @StoneLab and online.
Here's a link to Stone's Nature paper.
Origin Stories is a...2016-03-2518 min
Origin StoriesFace MitesThe bad news is that everybody has face mites. The good news is that these tiny cousins of spiders and ticks seem to be harmless for the vast majority of us.
In this episode, entomologist and evolutionary biologist Michelle Trautwein describes how she and her colleagues collected face mite DNA from a variety of volunteers for a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The results of the study were surprising and further confirmed our current understanding of human migration through time.
Listen as we explore the lives of these close persona...2016-02-2619 min
Origin StoriesBeing Human with Alison GopnikAlison Gopnik is a professor of psychology and affiliate professor of philosophy at the University of California at Berkeley. Her research focuses on how babies and young children learn about the world. She’s the author of over 100 journal articles and several books including The Scientist in the Crib and The Philosophical Baby.
This episode is part of the Being Human event series, presented by The Leakey Foundation with support from the Baumann Foundation.
Thanks to Alison Gopnik for sharing her work. You can learn more about her research at alisongopnik.com.
The Lea...2016-01-2038 min
Origin StoriesBeing Human with Robert SapolskyThis episode of Origin Stories was recorded live in San Francisco as part of the Bay Area Science Festival. It was the first of The Leakey Foundation and the Baumann Foundation’s new “Being Human” event series. Our speaker was Robert Sapolsky, a professor of biology and neurology at Stanford University and a MacArthur “Genius” Fellow. He gave a fascinating and funny talk about human behavior and the ways we are the same as, and different from, other animals.
You can hear more from Dr. Sapolsky on the Inquiring Minds podcast. Host Indre Viskontas interviewed Sapolsky about his work a...2015-12-0538 min
Inquiring Minds113 Robert Sapolsky - Being HumanRobert Sapolsky is a MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, a professor of biology and neurology at Stanford University, and a research associate with the Institute of Primate Research at the National Museum of Kenya. We talked to Sapolsky about what it means to be human, what we humans can learn from other species, and why he—despite being a self-described pessimist—feels optimistic about our prospects as a species. This week’s episode was recorded live in San Francisco for the 2015 Bay Area Science Festival and was produced in collaboration with The Leakey Foundation and their podcast Origin Sto...2015-12-041h 07
Origin StoriesDiscovery at Ledi-GeraruHave you ever wondered what it's like to make a major fossil discovery? Arizona State University graduate student Chalachew Seyoum and professor Kaye Reed tell us their exciting story.
Seyoum was working as part of a team co-directed by Reed. While searching for hominid fossils at a site called Ledi-Geraru in the Afar region of Ethiopia, he found a fossil jaw sticking out of the 2.8 million year old sediment. That jaw turned out to be the earliest known fossil from our genus Homo. It was around 400,000 years older than any Homo fossil found before. The discovery was publishe...2015-08-2615 min
Origin StoriesHow to Document a SocietyEvery day for 55 years a dedicated group of researchers, students, and Tanzanian field assistants have spent their days crawling through thorns and vines as they follow chimpanzees to observe their behavior. They write everything down in notes and on maps and checksheets. It adds up to an impressive amount of data.
This episode tells the story of the evolution of data collection at Gombe, what it's like to collect it, and what we can learn from it.
Thanks to Anne Pusey, director of the Jane Goodall Institute Research Center at Duke University, and to Emily Bo...2015-08-0516 min