Origin Stories
- Episódios
- 95
- Publicação
- irregular
- Último episódio
- 28 out 2026
Sobre o podcast
Explore human evolution one story at a time. This award-winning show blends storytelling with science that will change your understanding of who we are.
Episódios 95
The White Sands Footprints
Around 23,000 years ago, people walked along an ancient lakeshore in what is now White Sands National Park, New Mexico. The tracks they left behind have pushed back the dates of known human occupation of the …
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Around 23,000 years ago, people walked along an ancient lakeshore in what is now White Sands National Park, New Mexico. The tracks they left behind have pushed back the dates of known human occupation of the Americas by thousands of years. In this episode, scientists from the White Sands team share the story of how these Paleolithic prints were discovered, identified, and dated.
Part two will explore what the White Sands footprints can tell us about life at the peak of the last Ice Age.
Origin Stories is a project of the Leakey Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to funding human origins research and sharing discoveries. If you can, please give to support the show. Your donation will be matched!
This episode was generously sponsored by Leakey Foundation Trustee Naoma Tate. Origin Stories is made possible by our listener-supporters. Additional support comes from Jeanne Newman, Camilla and George Smith, and the Joan and Arnold Travis Education Fund.
Links to learn more:
White Sands National Park - Fossilized Footprints White Sands National Park - website Evidence of humans in North America during the Last Glacial Maximum, 2021 - Open Access Independent age estimates resolve the controversy of ancient human footprints at White Sands, 2023 - Open Access Paleolake geochronology supports Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) age for human tracks at White Sands, New Mexico, 2025 - Open Access Berkeley Geochronology Center Video of researchers working on the trackways at White Sands
Special thanks to our friends at the Berkeley Geochronology Center and White Sands National Park.
This episode was reported, produced, and sound designed by Ray Pang, hosted by Meredith Johson, our editor is Audrey Quinn. Music by Blue Dot Sessions, additional music by Lee Roservere.
What Should We Eat? Evolution, Diet, and Health
What does evolutionary science tell us about what we should eat? In this episode, Harvard paleoanthropologist and author Daniel Lieberman joins us to discuss food, health, human evolution, and his new book …
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What does evolutionary science tell us about what we should eat? In this episode, Harvard paleoanthropologist and author Daniel Lieberman joins us to discuss food, health, human evolution, and his new book, "Fed Up: What Evolution Reveals About Food, Diet, Health, and Eating Well."
Origin Stories is a project of The Leakey Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to funding human origins research and sharing discoveries. Support our work and this show at leakeyfoundation.org/originstories
Book Giveaway
Enter your name by October 12 for a chance to win a copy of Fed Up! Winners will be drawn at random on October 13. No donation necessary to win!
Links to learn more
- Leakey Foundation events calendar
- "Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution" -Read the 1973 essay by geneticist and biologist Theodosius Dobzhansky. - full PDF
- US FDA FoodData Central – Look up official, comprehensive nutritional data and macronutrient breakdowns for thousands of foods.
- Lieberman et al, Comparing measured dietary variation within and between tropical hunter-gatherer groups to the Paleo Diet
- How the World Does Beans and Rice...in 16 Recipes, allrecipes.com
- 73 Best Rated Dishes with Peanuts, tasteatlas.com
- The PREDIMED Study (NEJM) – The landmark clinical trial from Spain proving that a Mediterranean diet rich in extra-virgin olive oil or nuts reduces the risk of major cardiovascular events (like heart attacks and strokes) by roughly 30%. (Note: This is the updated, re-analyzed 2018 version that corrected a prior 2013 randomization issue).
- The PREDIMED-Plus Study (Official Site) – The newer, ongoing follow-up trial evaluating how combining a calorie-restricted Mediterranean diet with physical activity impacts long-term weight loss and type 2 diabetes prevention.
The Not So Naked Ape: The Origins of Clothing
Humans are the only animals that get dressed every day. Clothing is one of our most important inventions, yet we rarely even think about it as a technology. Nina Jablonski joins us to explore when and why our …
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Humans are the only animals that get dressed every day. Clothing is one of our most important inventions, yet we rarely even think about it as a technology. Nina Jablonski joins us to explore when and why our ancestors started wearing clothes, and what that decision meant for our survival, our migration across the planet, and our sense of self.
Origin Stories is a project of The Leakey Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to funding human origins research and sharing discoveries. Please support our work at leakeyfoundation.org/originstories.
Links to learn more:
Nina Jablonski's website Nina Jablonski lecture on "The Evolution and Meaning of Human Skin Color" The Oldest Sewn Hide Origins of Clothing Lice Blombos Cave Awls Sewing Needles Reveal the Roots of Fashion
Biruté Mary Galdikas - A Life Among Orangutans
Biruté Mary Galdikas passed away on March 24, 2026, at the age of 79. She spent more than 50 years studying orangutans in Borneo and fighting to protect them. Before she began her work, orangutans were the …
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Biruté Mary Galdikas passed away on March 24, 2026, at the age of 79. She spent more than 50 years studying orangutans in Borneo and fighting to protect them. Before she began her work, orangutans were the least understood of the great apes. She changed that. Her research formed the foundation of what we now know about orangutans. She was the first to learn what they ate, how they lived, how they moved, their long interbirth intervals, and so much more. Including the many threats to their survival. Her lifelong dedication inspired generations to care about orangutans and their forests, and to pursue careers in the field she helped shape.
I had the honor and privilege of interviewing Birute Galdikas in 2021, on the fiftieth anniversary of her study. We're re-releasing this episode in her honor.
Links: Orangutan Foundation International Ways to get involved In Memory of Dr. Biruté Marija Filomena Galdikas: A remembrance by primatologist Erin Vogel
Origin Stories is a project of The Leakey Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding human origins research and outreach. Support this show and the science we talk about. Your donations will be matched by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation. leakeyfoundation.org/donate
Credits: Produced by Ray Pang and Meredith Johnson. Sound design by Ray Pang. Our editor is Audrey Quinn. Thanks to Talain Blanchon for audio of Dr. Galdikas in the field and for recording our interview with Dr. Galdikas in his studio. And special thanks to Marcus Foley and Emily Patton for all their help.
Archival lecture audio is from The Leakey Foundation archive.
Music by Henry Nagle and Lee Roservere.
Top Human Origins Discoveries of 2025
2025 was another exciting year in human origins research! In this episode, four scientists and Leakey Foundation grantees (and one podcast host) share their picks for the top discoveries of the year. Support …
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2025 was another exciting year in human origins research! In this episode, four scientists and Leakey Foundation grantees (and one podcast host) share their picks for the top discoveries of the year.
Support this show and the science we talk about. Your tax-deductible gift to The Leakey Foundation will be matched! Click here to donate.
Want more science between podcast episodes? Join our monthly newsletter for human origins news and updates from Origin Stories and The Leakey Foundation.
Links to learn more
All research articles are open-access and free to read
New research reveals the hand of Paranthropus boisei
Earliest evidence of making fire
Complete sequencing of ape genomes
Denisovan mitochondrial DNA from dental calculus of the >146,000-year-old Harbin cranium
Origin Stories x The Science Podcast
This episode features two stories from the Science Podcast. First, Science writer Ann Gibbons tells the story of three ancient hominin species that lived side-by-side in South Africa's Cradle of Humankind …
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This episode features two stories from the Science Podcast. First, Science writer Ann Gibbons tells the story of three ancient hominin species that lived side-by-side in South Africa's Cradle of Humankind. Then, anthropologist Melanie Beasley discusses her new study on why chemical signals in Neanderthal teeth and bones make them look like hypercarnivores. Her research suggests they were just eating a lot of maggots!
Origin Stories is a project of The Leakey Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to funding human origins research and sharing discoveries.
The Science podcast is a weekly show from the journal Science and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Search for Science Magazine in any podcasting app to subscribe. Learn more at https://www.science.org/podcasts
Origin Stories is audience-supported. Additional support comes from Jeanne Newman, the Anne and Gordon Getty Foundation, and the Joan and Arnold Travis Education Fund.
Can a Human Outrun a Horse?
This is a story about sweat, survival, speed, and the peculiar ways running may have shaped us as humans. Armed with a hydration vest, a dream, and paleoanthropologist Daniel Lieberman's endurance running …
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This is a story about sweat, survival, speed, and the peculiar ways running may have shaped us as humans. Armed with a hydration vest, a dream, and paleoanthropologist Daniel Lieberman's endurance running hypothesis, filmmaker Nicole Teeny set out to push the limits of her own endurance. Nicole's mission takes her from the Kalahari Desert to Kansas to see if humans really did evolve to run. Along the way, she discovers humans' unusual superpower and asks, can a human outrun a horse?
This episode was written and produced by Nicole Teeny. Sound designed and produced by Ray Pang. Edited by Audrey Quinn. Our host and executive producer is Meredith Johnson.
Want more of this story? Listen to Nicole's four-episode series on ESPN's 30 for 30 podcast!
Support our show and the science we talk about! Until August 31, all donations to Origin Stories and The Leakey Foundation will be quadruple-matched by Leakey Foundation trustee Nina Carroll and the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.
The Origin Story of Origin Stories - 10th Anniversary
After 10 years of exploring the stories behind breakthrough science, it's time to tell our own origin story! In this special anniversary episode, we're flipping the script to share how Origin Stories began …
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After 10 years of exploring the stories behind breakthrough science, it's time to tell our own origin story! In this special anniversary episode, we're flipping the script to share how Origin Stories began. Join us behind the scenes, revisit three milestone episodes, and get an exciting update on the Punan Batu community's fight for their ancestral lands in Borneo.
Here's to our listeners who've made this decade of science and storytelling possible, and to many more stories ahead.
Links to learn more:
Support science:
In honor of 10 years of Origin Stories, please consider donating $10 per month to support the show and the science we talk about! Your donation will be matched, doubling your impact!
Donate at leakeyfoundation.org/originstories
Origin Stories is a project of The Leakey Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding human origins research and education.
This episode was generously sponsored by Don Dana. Origin Stories is also sponsored by our community of listeners, along with Jeanne Newman, the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, and the Joan and Arnold Travis Education Fund.
Origin Stories is produced by Meredith Johnson and Ray Pang. Our editor is Audrey Quinn. Theme music by Henry Nagle. Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions and Lee Roservere.
The Shanidar Cave Neanderthals
Shanidar 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 …
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Shanidar 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.
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Support Origin Stories with a one-time or monthly donation. Your gift will be matched, and every dollar helps make this show possible. Go to leakeyfoundation.org/originstories to donate.
Links to learn more
The Shanidar Cave Project Ralph Solecki's excavations Ralph S. and Rose L. and Solecki Papers at the Smithsonian Shanidar Z: 75,000-year-old face revealed More about Shanidar Z Shanidar Cave location New Shanidar research on cooking Revisiting the flower burial Shanidar: The First Flower People (pdf of book by Ralph Solecki)
Sponsors
Origin Stories is a project of The Leakey Foundation, a donor-supported nonprofit dedicated to funding human origins research and sharing discoveries to advance public understanding of science.
This episode is generously sponsored by Dub and Ginny Crook. Dub and Ginny are long-time Leakey Foundation Fellows who directly support scientific research and science communication projects. They are passionate about human origins research and making science accessible for all. We are deeply grateful for their support.
Are you interested in sponsoring a future episode? Email [email protected] to learn more!
Origin Stories is listener-supported. Additional support comes from Jeanne Newman, the Anne and Gordon Getty Foundation, and the Joan and Arnold Travis Education Fund.
Credits
This episode was produced and written by Ray Pang and Meredith Johnson. Sound design by Ray Pang. Our editor is Audrey Quinn. Michael Gallagher helped record the interviews at Cambridge. Our theme music is by Henry Nagle with additional music by Blue Dot Sessions and Lee Roservere.
Top Human Origins Discoveries of 2024
2024 was another amazing year in human origins research. In this episode, three Leakey Foundation grantees (and one podcast host) share their picks for the most exciting discoveries of the year. Support this …
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2024 was another amazing year in human origins research. In this episode, three Leakey Foundation grantees (and one podcast host) share their picks for the most exciting discoveries of the year.
Support this show and the science we talk about. Your tax-deductible gift to The Leakey Foundation will be quadruple-matched through midnight on December 31! Click here to donate.
Want more science between podcast episodes? Join our monthly newsletter for human origins news and updates from Origin Stories and The Leakey Foundation.
Links to learn more
All research articles are open-access and free to read
On the genetic basis of tail-loss evolution in humans and apes
Why don't humans have tails? Scientists find answers in an unlikely place
Long genetic and social isolation in Neanderthals before their extinction
Meet Thorin: A cave-dwelling population of Neanderthals isolated for 50,000 years
Recurrent evolution and selection shape structural diversity at the amylase locus
How early humans evolved to eat starch
Footprint evidence for locomotor diversity and shared habitats among early Pleistocene hominins
Fossilized footprints reveal two extinct hominin species living side by side 1.5 million years ago
Lucy
In this episode, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the discovery of Lucy, one of the most iconic and important scientific discoveries ever made. Paleoanthropologist Don Johanson tells the story of his early …
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In this episode, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the discovery of Lucy, one of the most iconic and important scientific discoveries ever made. Paleoanthropologist Don Johanson tells the story of his early scientific career and the pivotal moment when he discovered 3.2 million-year-old hominin fossils in Ethiopia's Afar region. It's a story that connects us to our deepest roots and shows how one remarkable fossil changed our view of what it means to be human.
Links to learn more:
Lucy and the Taung Child: A Century of Science - from The Leakey Foundation
Institute of Human Origins Lucy 50—A Year for Human Origins
Lucy 50th Anniversary Video Playlist from the Institute of Human Origins
How the Famous Lucy Fossil Revolutionized the Study of Human Origins - Scientific American
Quadruple your impact:
Through December 31 all donations will be quadruple-matched! Donate now to quadruple your impact on human origins science and education. Your tax-deductible donation will be matched 4x!
Click to donate to The Leakey Foundation today!
Sponsors
This episode is generously sponsored by the Leis family in honor of Jorge Leis, who has served on The Leakey Foundation board of trustees since 2017.
Jorge and his siblings grew up in a family where curiosity, exploration, learning, and science were the most valued of human endeavors. His family members are proud of Jorge's dedication to helping keep scientific organizations such as The Leakey Foundation relevant and growing.
Special thanks to Dianne and Joe Leis, Donna, and Art Leis for sponsoring this tribute to Jorge.
Origin Stories is listener-supported. Additional support comes from the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, Jeanne Newman, Camilla Smith, and the Joan and Arnold Travis Education Fund.
Credits
This episode was produced by Ray Pang and Meredith Johnson, sound design by Ray Pang. Our editor is Audrey Quinn. Music by Henry Nagle, Blue Dot Sessions, and Lee Roservere.
Ape Medicine
Are humans the only animals that practice medicine? In this episode, two scientists share surprising observations of orangutans and chimpanzees treating wounds–their own and others'–with plants and insects …
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Are humans the only animals that practice medicine? In this episode, two scientists share surprising observations of orangutans and chimpanzees treating wounds–their own and others'–with plants and insects. These discoveries challenge ideas about uniquely human behaviors and offer insights into animal intelligence, empathy, and the evolutionary roots of medicine.
Origin Stories is a project of The Leakey Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding human origins research and outreach. Sign up for our monthly newsletter to learn more about our work!
Videos
Rakus doing a long call after being wounded
Chimp applying insect to wound
Caroline Schuppli on Lunch Break Science
Links to learn more
Ozouga Chimpanzees (where Alessandra studies chimpanzee behavior)
Research papers
Application of insects to wounds of self and others by chimpanzees in the wild (pdf)
Credits
Origin Stories is a listener-supported show. Additional support comes from Jeanne Newman, , Camilla and George Smith, the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, and the Joan and Arnold Travis Education Fund.
Origin Stories is produced by Ray Pang. Our editor is Audrey Quinn. Theme music by Henry Nagle. Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions and Lee Roservere.
The First Story
Over 50,000 years ago on what is now the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, someone climbed a towering rock formation and painted a mysterious image on a cave ceiling. The painting shows three half-human …
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Over 50,000 years ago on what is now the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, someone climbed a towering rock formation and painted a mysterious image on a cave ceiling. The painting shows three half-human, half-animal figures and a large wild pig. The image, dated to 51,200 years old, is now the oldest known visual story in the world. In this episode, archaeologist Adam Brumm shares the story of this incredible discovery.
Help make more Origin Stories. We're $3,000 short of our quadruple-match fundraising goal and our deadline is August 31! Please donate today and your gift will be quadruple-matched! Click here to 4x your donation!
Origin Stories is a project of The Leakey Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding human origins research and outreach.
Links to learn more:
- Google Arts and Culture virtual tour of the cave art site
- Narrative cave art in Indonesia by 51,200 years ago Nature, July 2024
- Adam Brumm's website
- Blog post by Adhi Oktaviana
Episode produced by Meredith Johnson and Ray Pang Sound design by Ray Pang Edited by Audrey Quinn
Theme music by Henry Nagle. Ending credit music by Lee Roservere. Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.
Hungry for more science?
Lunch Break Science is The Leakey Foundation's web series featuring short talks and interviews with Leakey Foundation grantees. Episodes stream on the third Thursday of every month.
Understanding Neanderthals
Early 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 …
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Early 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, Love, Death, and Art by Rebecca Wragg Sykes
- Rebecca Wragg Sykes' website
- Kindred bibliography with 61 pages of Neanderthal research papers
- Leakey Foundation grantee Carolina Mallol's Neanderthal Fire Project
The Leakey Foundation
Origin Stories is a project of The Leakey Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding human origins research and outreach.
Support The Leakey Foundation
Support this show and the science we talk about. leakeyfoundation.org/donate
The Story of Human Hair
Why do humans have most of our hair on our heads, not our bodies? Why do we have so many varieties of hair color, thickness, and curliness? Dr. Tina Lasisi is a biological anthropologist whose work explores …
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Why do humans have most of our hair on our heads, not our bodies? Why do we have so many varieties of hair color, thickness, and curliness? Dr. Tina Lasisi is a biological anthropologist whose work explores these evolutionary mysteries. In this episode, she shares her research into why humans have scalp hair as well as her insights on why curly hair is uniquely human.
Links to learn more:
- Dr. Tina Lasisi's website
- Why Am I Like This? - PBS Terra series
- Dr. Lasisi's AMNH/Leakey Foundation SciCafe lecture
- Why Care About Hair? Leakey Foundation event
- Quantifying variation in human scalp hair - research paper
Origin Stories is a project of The Leakey Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to human origins research and education.
Donate to support the show. Your gift will be quadruple-matched! Click here to give!
This episode was produced by Ray Pang. Our editor is Audrey Quinn. Theme music by Henry Nagle, additional music by Blue Dot Sessions and Lee Roservere.
The Musical Ape
Music is universal in all human cultures, but why? What gives us the ability to hear sound as music? Are we the only musical species–or was Darwin right when he said every animal with a backbone should be able …
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Music is universal in all human cultures, but why? What gives us the ability to hear sound as music? Are we the only musical species–or was Darwin right when he said every animal with a backbone should be able to perceive, if not enjoy music? Professor Henkjan Honing is on a mission to find out.
Learn more
- Henkjan Honing's website
- Music Cognition Group Blog
- The Evolving Animal Orchestra - Henkjan Honing
- What makes us musical animals - Henkjan Honing lecture
- Henkjan Honing TedX Amsterdam
- Snowball dancing to the Backstreet Boys
- Ronan the sea lion
- Songs to make the forest happy
- It turns out we were born to groove - beat perception study
Support the show
All monthly or one-time donations will be quadruple-matched! Click here to turn $10 into $40 or $25 into $100!
Credits
This episode was written and produced by Ray Pang and Meredith Johnson. Sound design, mixing, and scoring by Ray Pang. Our editor is Audrey Quinn. Theme music by Henry Nagle, additional music by Blue Dot Sessions and Lee Roservere.
This episode uses many sounds from Freesound.org, including:
Neon Dreams: A Retro-Futuristic Synthwave Track - Instrument 02 by Robbnix - License: Attribution 4.0
Music Box, Happy Birthday.wav - by InspectorJ - License: Attribution 4.0
Custodian of the Ancestors
What 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 …
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What 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.
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Support the show! Your donation will be quadruple-matched! Leave a note and let us know if you'd like a shoutout on the next episode.
Click here to donate! ---> https://leakeyfoundation.donorsupport.co/page/originstories
Links to learn more
President Obama's speech to the African Union Lucy: A marvelous specimen Top ten human evolution discoveries in Ethiopia Rare 3.8 million-year-old fossil skull recasts origins of iconic Lucy Ethiopia is top choice for the cradle of Homo sapiens
The Leakey Foundation
Origin Stories is a project of The Leakey Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding human origins research and outreach.
Funding provided by the Foundation has made many of the fossil hominin discoveries in Ethiopia possible. In addition, Our Baldwin Fellowship program has been building scientific capacity in Ethiopia and other countries since 1978. We also have a new program called the Francis H. Brown African Scholarship Fund that provides up to $25,000 for East African students or early career researchers in botany and geology. Learn about all of our grant programs at leakeyfoundation.org/grants
Lunch Break Science
Lunch Break Science is The Leakey Foundation's online series featuring short talks and interviews with Leakey Foundation grantees. Feed your brain with Lunch Break Science every third Thursday at 11 am Pacific on Facebook, YouTube, and leakeyfoundation.org/live.
Credits
Host and Producer: Meredith Johnson Editor: Audrey Quinn Theme Music: Henry Nagle
Additional Music:
Lee Rosevere "Tech Toys" and music from Blue Dot Sessions.
Sponsors
Origin Stories is made possible by support from Jeanne Newman, the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, the Joan and Arnold Travis Education Fund, and donors like you!
A Brief History of Bling
Travel through 50,000 years of human history following clues hidden inside beads made from ostrich eggshells. In this episode, researchers Jennifer Miller and Yiming Wang share how these tiny artifacts reveal a …
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Travel through 50,000 years of human history following clues hidden inside beads made from ostrich eggshells. In this episode, researchers Jennifer Miller and Yiming Wang share how these tiny artifacts reveal a sweeping story of ancient social networks, cultural connections, and human adaptability.
Support the show
Help us make more episodes! All tax-deductible donations to Origin Stories will be quadruple-matched!
>>>> Please click here to make a one-time or monthly donation.
Guests
Links to learn more
- Ostrich eggshell beads reveal 50,000-year-old social network in Africa (open access)
- An ancient social safety net in Africa was built on beads
- Are these snail shells the world's oldest known beads?
- Zambezi basin (Wikipedia)
- Paleoclimatology info and interactive paleoclimate map (National Centers for Environmental Education
Sponsors and credits
This episode was generously sponsored by Leakey Foundation Fellow Eddie Kislinger in honor of his wife, jewelry designer Cathy Waterman. Her designs are inspired by nature and influenced by her study of and connection with ancient human history. We are grateful to them for making this episode possible.
Additional support comes from Jeanne Newman, the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, the Joan and Arnold Travis Education Fund, and our listener-supporters.
Origin Stories is produced by Ray Pang. Our editor is Audrey Quinn. Theme music by Henry Nagle. Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions and Lee Roservere.
Top Human Origins Discoveries of 2023
2023 was another exciting year in human origins research! Fossil discoveries and long-term primate studies expanded our understanding of what makes us human. In this episode, four Leakey Foundation scientists …
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2023 was another exciting year in human origins research! Fossil discoveries and long-term primate studies expanded our understanding of what makes us human. In this episode, four Leakey Foundation scientists shared their favorite human evolution discoveries from the past year.
Help us make more episodes! All tax-deductible donations to Origin Stories will be quadruple-matched!
>>>> Please click here to make a one-time or monthly donation.
Guests
Links to learn more
- Top 13 Discoveries in Human Evolution, 2023 Edition
- Hunting and processing of straight-tusked elephants 125,000 years ago: Implications for Neanderthal behavior (open-access research paper)
- Neanderthals lived in groups big enough to eat giant elephants
- Evidence for the earliest structural use of wood at least 476,000 years ago (open-access research paper
- Early Homo erectus lived at high altitudes and produced both Oldowan and Acheulean tools (open-access research paper)
- The surprising toolbox of the early Homo erectus
- Demographic and hormonal evidence for menopause in wild chimpanzees (open-access research paper)
- Wild chimpanzees experience menopause
- Chimpanzee menopause revealed ft. Melissa Emery Thompson (Lunch Break Science on YouTube)
Sponsors and credits
Origin Stories is sponsored by Jeanne Newman, the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, and the Joan and Arnold Travis Education Fund.
Origin Stories is produced by Ray Pang. Our editor is Audrey Quinn. Theme music by Henry Nagle. Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions and Lee Roservere.
Siblings
Sibling relationships can include everything from love and support–to tension, competition, and conflict. They might also play a fundamental role in the evolution of our species. In the final installment of our …
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Sibling relationships can include everything from love and support–to tension, competition, and conflict. They might also play a fundamental role in the evolution of our species. In the final installment of our three-part series on family relationships, researchers Karen Kramer, Cat Hobaiter, and Rachna Reddy explore surprising new science about the role of siblings in primate and human evolution.
Links to learn more:
Support Origin Stories and help us explore human evolution one story at a time.
Your tax-deductible gift makes our show possible. Click here to donate!
Credits:
This episode was produced by Leo Hornak. Sound design and production by Ray Pang. Host and executive producer, Meredith Johnson. Our editor is Audrey Quinn. Theme music by Henry Nagle, additional music by Lee Roservere and Blue Dot Sessions.
Sponsors:
Dana LaJoie and Bill Richards, Jeanne Newman, the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, and the Joan and Arnold Travis Education Fund.
Fatherhood
Humans invest enormous amounts of time and energy into bringing up our babies. This unique investment is a fundamental part of what it means to be human. In this episode, the second in a three-part series on …
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Humans invest enormous amounts of time and energy into bringing up our babies. This unique investment is a fundamental part of what it means to be human. In this episode, the second in a three-part series on family relationships, researchers Lee Gettler, Stacy Rosenbaum, and Sonny Bechayda explore how our species' approach to fatherhood may have shaped some of the most important traits that set us apart from other mammals. Leo Hornak produced this episode. Sound design by Ray Pang. Host and executive producer, Meredith Johnson. Our editor is Audrey Quinn. Theme music by Henry Nagle, additional music by Lee Roservere and Blue Dot Sessions. Sounds effects provided by Kevin Luce by way of freesound dot org Support the show! Every donation makes a difference and helps us create new episodes. Click to make a tax-deductible donation today! This episode was generously sponsored by father and daughter Bill Richards and Dana Lajoie. Additional support from the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, Jeanne Newman, and the Joan and Arnold Travis Education Fund. Links to learn more:Motherhood
Humans invest enormous amounts of time and energy into bringing up our babies. This unique investment is a fundamental part of what it means to be human. In this episode, the first in a three-part series on …
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Humans invest enormous amounts of time and energy into bringing up our babies. This unique investment is a fundamental part of what it means to be human. In this episode, the first in a three-part series on family relationships, researchers Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, Stacy Rosenbaum, and Amy Scott explore how our species' approach to motherhood may hold the key to some of the most important traits that set us apart from other mammals.
Links to learn more:
- Sarah Blaffer Hrdy - Childrearing in Evolution (video)
- Sarah Blaffer Hrdy - Mothers and Others (article)
- Citrona Walnut Farm
- Grantee Spotlight: Amy Scott
- Stacey Rosenbaum - Gorilla group structure
- Stacey Rosenbaum - Gorillas, humans, and early life adversity
- The Birth Bliss Academy
Support Origin Stories
Origin Stories needs your support. Your donation helps bring the untold stories and latest research in human evolution to thousands of curious minds worldwide. Your gift, no matter the amount, makes a big difference! Click here to support the show.
Credits:
This episode was produced by Leo Hornak. Sound design by Ray Pang. Host and executive producer, Meredith Johnson. Our editor is Audrey Quinn. Recording assistance Catherine Monahon. Theme music by Henry Nagle, additional music by Lee Roservere and Blue Dot Sessions.
Sponsors:
Dana LaJoie and Bill Richards, Jeanne Newman, the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, and the Joan and Arnold Travis Education Fund.
Boomplaas Cave - Bonus Interview
How did climate change impact ancient human behavior? This is one of the questions Justin Pargeter and his team are investigating at a site called Boomplaas Cave in South Africa. This site has a unique record …
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How did climate change impact ancient human behavior? This is one of the questions Justin Pargeter and his team are investigating at a site called Boomplaas Cave in South Africa. This site has a unique record of human presence over the past 80,000 years or so. Importantly, the site is helping researchers piece together the story of how humans adapted to rapidly shifting climates in the past.
Origin Stories producer Ray Pang interviews Leakey Foundation grantee Justin Pargeter, an archaeologist and professor at NYU about his work at the site, the history and importance of the cave, and why African-led research is critical for the future of science.
Links to learn more:
- Justin Pargeter, NYU
- Drone tour of the Boomplaas Cave area
- Human Origins Migration and Evolution Research Group (HOMER)
- Joan Cogswell Donner Field School Scholarship
- Boomplaas Cave (Wikipedia)
- New ages from Boomplaas Cave, South Africa, provide increased resolution on late/terminal Pleistocene human behavioural variability
Support Origin Stories
Origin Stories needs your support. Your donation helps bring the untold stories and latest research in human evolution to thousands of curious minds worldwide. Your gift, no matter the amount, makes a big difference! Click here to support the show.
Credits:
This episode was produced by Ray Pang. Our editor is Audrey Quinn. Theme music by Henry Nagle, additional music by Lee Roservere.
Field School Diaries
This special episode takes you inside the world of archaeology students at Boomplaas Cave, one of South Africa's flagship human evolution research sites. Led by Dr. Justin Pargeter, the students chronicle their …
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This special episode takes you inside the world of archaeology students at Boomplaas Cave, one of South Africa's flagship human evolution research sites. Led by Dr. Justin Pargeter, the students chronicle their field school journey through personal audio diaries, offering a candid look at the joys, thrills, and challenges of archaeological fieldwork.
Thanks to Justin Pargeter, Monique Niekerk, Asi Ntsodwa, Bacara Spruit, and all the students at Boomplaas Cave field school.
Learn more:
- Justin Pargeter, NYU
- Drone tour of the Boomplaas Cave area
- Human Origins Migration and Evolution Research Group (HOMER)
- Joan Cogswell Donner Field School Scholarship
- Boomplaas Cave (Wikipedia)
- New ages from Boomplaas Cave, South Africa, provide increased resolution on late/terminal Pleistocene human behavioural variability
Credits:
Produced by Ray Pang, Meredith Johnson, and Taylor Cook. Sound design by Ray Pang. Edited by Audrey Quinn
Support the show:
Love Origin Stories? Here's your chance to double the impact! Every dollar you donate helps us explore and explain our shared human origins, and right now, every donation will be matched! Click here to donate!
The Hobbit
In this episode, we explore the fascinating tale of the Hobbit, an unexpected fossil find that shook the world's understanding of human evolution. Join researcher Matt Tocheri as he shares how this tiny hominin …
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In this episode, we explore the fascinating tale of the Hobbit, an unexpected fossil find that shook the world's understanding of human evolution. Join researcher Matt Tocheri as he shares how this tiny hominin revolutionized the human story and transformed his life.
Links:
From the Field: Matt Tocheri Homo floresiensis Can rat bones solve an island mystery?
Love Origin Stories? Here's your chance to double the impact! Every dollar you donate helps us explore and explain our shared human origins, and right now, every donation will be matched! Click here to donate!
A Giganto Mystery
Dr. Kira Westaway is part of an international research team working to solve the mystery of Gigantopithecus, the largest ape that ever walked the earth. In this episode, we explore how this massive primate …
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Dr. Kira Westaway is part of an international research team working to solve the mystery of Gigantopithecus, the largest ape that ever walked the earth. In this episode, we explore how this massive primate lived, why it disappeared, and what it can tell us about extinctions happening now.
Learn more:
Origin Stories is a project of The Leakey Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding human origins research and outreach. Click here to support this show and the science we talk about. Your donation will be matched by Jeanne Newman.
This episode was generously sponsored by Jeanne Newman, the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation and the Joan and Arnold Travis Education Fund.
Origin Stories is produced and sound designed by Ray Pang. Our editor is Audrey Quinn. Theme music by Henry Nagle. Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions and Lee Roservere.
The New Metabolism
How 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 …
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How 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:
Top Human Origins Discoveries of 2022
2022 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 …
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2022 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 human vocal anatomy as an adaptation for speech
- When less is more in the evolution of language
- The face of the first European found in Atapuerca
- Europe's oldest fossil named after Pink Floyd
- Meet the first Neanderthal family
- Genetic insights into the social organization of Neanderthals
- Population genetics study of Strongyloides fuelleborni
The Leakey Foundation
Origin Stories is a project of The Leakey Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing human origins research and outreach. Want to support the show? Your donation will be matched by Leakey Foundation President Jeanne Newman who is matching up to $5,000 in gifts from Origin Stories listeners. Every dollar helps! leakeyfoundation.org/originstories23
Sponsors and credits
This episode was generously sponsored by Diana McSherry and Pat Poe. Origin Stories is also sponsored by Jeanne Newman, the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, Camilla and George Smith, and the Joan and Arnold Travis Education Fund. Thanks as well to the Benevity Community Impact Fund for their support of the show.
Origin Stories is produced by Ray Pang. Our editor is Audrey Quinn. Theme music by Henry Nagle. Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions and Lee Roservere.
Join us for these events
February 8, 6 pm Pacific - Where is the love?: Secrets of Chimpanzee Relationships - click to register
February 16, 11 am Pacific - Lunch Break Science with Tom Plummer - click to watch
Origin Stories is back!
We've been hard at work on a new season of stories about how we became human. Origin Stories returns on January 31 with monthly episodes!
First 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 …
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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 way to preserve the Laetoli footprints. Learn more Footprint evidence of early hominin locomotor diversity at Laetoli, Tanzania Charming video of Dr. McNutt coaxing a baby bear to walk upright Dr. Charles Musiba's website Dr. Ellison McNutt's website The Kilham Bear Center Conservation of the Laetoli Footprints - a talk by Dr. Charles Musiba The Ngorongoro Conservation Area Unesco World Heritage SiteSurvey and Discovering Us giveaway Click here to take our short audience survey, and you could win one of three free copies of Discovering Us: 50 Great Discoveries in Human Origins by Evan Hadingham.
Origin Stories is a project of The Leakey Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding human origins research and educational outreach. Support this show and the science we talk about. Your donations will be matched by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.
Lunch Break Science is The Leakey Foundation's web series featuring short talks and interviews with Leakey Foundation grantees. Episodes stream on the first and third Thursdays of every month.
This episode was produced and sound designed by Ray Pang. Our editor is Audrey Quinn. Theme music by Henry Nagle. Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions and Lee Roservere.
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