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2026-02-18 20:02:23

Political, religious, and cultural polarization has allowed urgent societal problems, such as climate change and wealth inequality, to become existential dangers. To reverse our policy paralysis, people should learn the dynamics that produce a widening or narrowing of the we.

Colin Greer, Eric Laursen

Human Bridges

politics, social justice, united states of america, history, economy

2026-01-30 22:55:49

Common sense is contested terrain.

Colin Greer, Eric Laursen

Human Bridges

Politics, Social Justice, Human Rights, Immigration, History, Women’s Rights

2026-01-30 22:40:19

The attraction to luster is rooted in our evolutionary history and has persisted among prehistoric artifacts, ancient civilizations, and consumer culture.

Irina Matuzava

Human Bridges

history, social science, art, africa, africa/south africa, climate change, europe/france, europe/italy, opinion, beauty, aesthetics, neuroscience, nature, biology

2025-12-18 22:44:26

We are wired to find faces everywhere, and this instinct reveals how our perception and our environment can influence each other.

Irina Matuzava

Human Bridges

Social Science, History, Art, Psychology, Europe, Spain

2025-12-12 19:56:54

A survey of the parameters of post-mortuary practices recorded from animal behavior, the human archaeological record from the Lower Pleistocene to the Iron Age, and ethnographic/ethological research.

Cherene de Bruyn

Human Bridges

animals, grief, social science, archaeology

2025-12-02 18:45:32

This is a visual guide to two journeys through South Africa created by the Cradle of Human Culture.

Irina Matuzava

Human Bridges

africa/south africa, map, culture, human origins, archaeology

2025-12-01 21:41:22

This is a guide to notable prehistoric and ecological sites in France, as well as the museums and supplemental media you can use to learn more about them.

Alexia Angeli, Mathilde Lépine, Irina Matuzava

Human Bridges

2025-12-01 19:10:19

This is a guide to notable prehistoric and ecological sites in Costa Rica and the museums and supplemental media you can use to learn more about them.

Irina Matuzava

Human Bridges

Art, Central America/Costa Rica, History, Social Science, The New Grand Tour, archaeology

2025-11-13 05:35:42

In Georgian Britain, Edward Jenner’s smallpox vaccine sparked panic over “beastly” side effects, exposing how new science can collide with old beliefs.

Erica X Eisen

Human Bridges

history, vaccine, England, health, disease, anti-vax, anti-vaxxer, medicine, virology, culture, smallpox, Edward Jenner

2025-10-22 19:19:40

Exclusionary social movements rise in polarized societies, fueled by economic, political, and social factors. Can inclusive movements find a way forward?

Colin Greer, Eric Laursen

Human Bridges

social movements, identity politics, democracy, politics

Origin Stories Podcast

2025-12-31 00:50:00

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

Highly selective cannibalism in the Late Pleistocene of Northern Europe reveals Neandertals were targeted prey

Denisovan mitochondrial DNA from dental calculus of the >146,000-year-old Harbin cranium

2025-09-05 17:59:00

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.

 

2025-08-06 07:24:00

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.

2025-06-24 19:09:00

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.

 

 

2025-04-29 20:00:00

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.

Double your impact

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 media@leakeyfoundation.org 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. 

2024-12-24 20:28:00

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

 

2024-11-27 03:25:00

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.

2024-10-08 22:14:00

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 and his wound

Rakus doing a long call after being wounded

Chimp applying insect to wound

Caroline Schuppli on Lunch Break Science 

Links to learn more

SUAQ Orangutan Program

Ozouga Chimpanzees (where Alessandra studies chimpanzee behavior)

Research papers

Active self-treatment of a facial wound with a biologically active plant by a male Sumatran orangutan (open access)

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2024-08-30 01:56:00

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:

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.

Click here to watch!

2024-06-06 10:00:00

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

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 Rock Art Podcast

2026-02-27 09:00:00

In this episode, Alan welcomes back Dr George Harold Nash to the podcast to discuss his article on Serra da Capivara National Park, one of the most important archaeological regions in South America. Together, they explore the park’s extraordinary rock art, controversial early dates, and what the evidence might mean for long-standing models of migration into the Americas.

Transcripts

For a rough transcript head over to: https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/rockart/160

Links

Contact

Dr. Alan Garfinkel

ArchPodNet

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2026-02-13 09:00:00

In this episode, Alan speaks with Dr Joakim Goldhahn about his journey through archaeology and rock art, from Scandinavia to Australia. Together, they explore the cosmology of Scandinavian burials linked to rock art, as well as the living traditions of rock art in Kakadu National Park and the lifeways of Indigenous Australians. Central to the discussion is a reflection on archaeological responsibility: how working outside these cultural traditions requires humility, accountability, and a commitment to building genuine, impactful relationships with Indigenous peoples and communities.

Transcripts

For a rough transcript head over to: https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/rockart/159

Links

Contact

Dr. Alan Garfinkel

ArchPodNet

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2026-01-30 09:00:00

Episode 158 of the Rock Art Podcast steps beyond rock art to explore “obsidian conveyance systems”—how volcanic glass moved through travel, trade, and social ties, and what that reveals about prehistoric lifeways. Host Dr. Alan Garfinkel is joined by co-host Chris Webster for a conversation on obsidian sourcing, chemical fingerprints, and why big datasets can reconstruct connections even when stratigraphy is mixed. Alan draws from a major post-wildfire cultural project in southern Oregon’s North Umpqua River Basin, where cleared forests exposed dense artifact scatters and a surprising pattern: heavy reliance on obsidian despite sources 100+ miles away, including biface caches dated to around 4,000 years ago.

Transcripts

For a rough transcript head over to: https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/rockart/158

Contact

Dr. Alan Garfinkel

ArchPodNet

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2026-01-16 09:00:00

In this episode, Alan is joined by Dr. Maria Guagnin (Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology) and Dr. Ceri Shipton (Australian National University) to explore how human societies adapted to environmental change during the Pleistocene–Holocene transition. Maria and Ceri examine prehistoric settlement, mobility, and monumental rock art in northern Arabia, showing how symbolic expression and landscape use offer insight into survival, innovation, and cultural continuity. Their research demonstrates the resilience and creativity of early human societies.

Transcripts

For a rough transcript head over to: https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/rockart/157

Links

Contact

ArchPodNet

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2026-01-02 09:00:00

As the APN takes a break this holiday season we are taking this opportunity to make you aware of other great shows on the network. This episode is from the Ethnocynology Podcast with David Ian Howe.

Ethnocynology Podcast Ep 15: Direwolf Science with Dr. Shield-Chief Gover

In this episode of Ethnocynology, David chats with friend, colleague, and former A Life in Ruins host, Dr. Carlton Shield Chief Gover.

David and Carlton do a brief catch up before diving right into the recent paper released by Colossal Biosciences and a team of researchers regarding newly researched direwolf genetics.

David and Carlton discuss the ethics of release the un-peer reviewed paper only after the huge media push, as well as Carlton gives a an analysis of the statistics in the paper.

Ethnocynology Podcast on the APN

Links

Dire wolves were the last of an ancient New World canid lineage

On the ancestry and evolution of the extinct dire wolf

ArchPodNet

APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com

APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet

APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet

APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet

APN Shop

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Motion


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2025-12-05 09:00:00

In this episode, Alan is joined by Dr. James Dodd, a researcher at Aarhus University and board member of the Scandinavian Society for Prehistoric Art. James uses digital tools such as GIS and high-performance computing to document and analyse rock art across Scandinavia. His work reveals how prehistoric communities expressed ideas through imagery and symbolism and how modern technology can uncover patterns and connections hidden across the landscape.

Transcripts

For a rough transcript head over to: https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/rockart/156

Links

Contact

ArchPodNet

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2025-11-21 09:00:00

In this episode, Alan is joined by Joseph Williams, founder of Seven Fires Corporation, to explore how Indigenous knowledge, AI, and 3D imaging intersect in the study of rock art. They discuss applications from Göbekli Tepe to Native American sites, and examine the House of the Sun pictographs in Southern California, exploring how they reflect Native American cosmology and celestial traditions.

Transcripts

For a rough transcript head over to: https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/rockart/155

Transcript

Links

Contact

Dr. Alan Garfinkel

Dr. Alan Garfinkel’s Website

ArchPodNet

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2025-11-07 09:00:00

In this episode, Alan is joined by Douglas Beauchamp, an arts consultant and photographer based in Oregon, whose work explores the enduring power of rock art in shaping cultural landscapes. Douglas examines how ancient engravings and visual imagery continue to speak to contemporary audiences, bridging archaeology, public art, and the study of visual memory. Through his photography and field documentation, he illuminates the ways ancient art interacts with the landscape and modern viewers.

Transcripts

For a rough transcript head over to: https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/rockart/154

Links

Contact

ArchPodNet

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2025-10-25 08:00:00

On today’s show, Chris Webster joins Dr. Alan Garfinkel to deconstruct a fascinating rock drawing panel at Portuguese Bench near Little Lake in western California. There is so much going on with this panel that they only discuss a few of the more prominent elements and possible a few that you might not notice. Follow along by downloading the images and figure out what you can see and what you think it means.

Transcripts

For a rough transcript head over to: https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/rockart/153

Contact

Dr. Alan Garfinkel

ArchPodNet

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2025-10-10 08:00:00

In this episode, Alan is joined by Stephen Townley Bassett, a forensic artist dedicated to preserving and recreating San rock art with striking accuracy. Using natural materials like ochre, charcoal, and egg shell, Stephen reconstructs ancient paintings in the same way they were originally made—millimeter by millimeter.

With decades of field experience across Southern Africa, his work highlights the intersection of art, archaeology, and conservation, offering a powerful visual record of a fragile cultural legacy under threat.

Transcripts

For a rough transcript head over to: https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/rockart/152

Links

Contact

Dr. Alan Garfinkel

ArchPodNet

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