The Observatory
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
Common sense is contested terrain.
Colin Greer, Eric Laursen
Human Bridges
Politics, Social Justice, Human Rights, Immigration, History, Women’s Rights
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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.
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.
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.
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 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
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.
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.
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.
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 Rock Art Podcast
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
- 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
Affiliates and Sponsors
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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
- Dr Joakim Goldhahn’s Biography
- Introduction to Scandinavian Rock Art
- Kakadu National Park Rock Art
- ‘This is my father’s painting': a first hand account of the creation of the most iconic rock art in Kakadu National Park
Contact
Dr. Alan Garfinkel
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
Affiliates and Sponsors
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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
- 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
Affiliates and Sponsors
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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
- Dr. Maria Guagnin
- Dr Ceri Shipton
- Monumental rock art illustrates that humans thrived in the Arabian Desert during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition
- 12,000-year-old rock art marked ancient water sources in Arabia’s desert
Contact
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
Affiliates and Sponsors
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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
Affiliates and Sponsors
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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
- 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
Affiliates and Sponsors
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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
Links
Contact
Dr. Alan Garfinkel
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
Affiliates and Sponsors
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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
- 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
Affiliates and Sponsors
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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
- 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
Affiliates and Sponsors
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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
- Stephen Townley Bassett’s Website
- Stephen Townley Bassett’s artist profile
- Stephen’s Sapien’s article on ‘Re-imaginging Rock Art in Southern Africa’
- Stephen Townley Bassett: Saving African Cave Art - Painted Dog Gallery
Contact
Dr. Alan Garfinkel
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
Affiliates and Sponsors
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