An Unusual Ape: The Deep Origins of Our Human Oddities ~ Dean Falk
Podcast: On HumansPublished On: Wed Apr 02 2025
Description: The story continues! In part 2 of the Origins of Humankind, we trace the first steps of our ancestors after they left the chimpanzee lineage.To get humanity going, our ancestors had to wander through millions of years of what anthropologist Dean Falk has called the Botanic Age. It's a time shrouded in mist, yet it may hold the key to some of humanity’s most defining traits — from language and music to our clumsy toes and our large brains.On this walk through the mysteries of the Botanic Age, our guide is Dean Falk herself. She is a Distinguished Professor of Anthropology and the world's leading expert on human brain evolution. Together, we try to make sense of topics such as:The common ancestor between humans and chimpanzeesAgainst “Man the Toolmaker”: Tool use in other apesThe walking ape: how bipedalism shaped our ancestorsOrigins of languageOrigins of musicSize matters, but… The early evolution of the human brainAs always, we finish with the guest’s reflections on humanity.MORE LINKSMore stuff (including written highlights): OnHumans.Substack.com/OriginsSupport the show: Patreon.com/OnHumansFree lectures on human origins: CARTADean Falk’s book: The Botanic AgeWHAT'S NEXTOrigins of Humankind #3: What Is a Human?The stage has been set. It is time for humanity to enter. But what is a human? What makes a skeleton fall into the Genus "Homo"? And why did this puzzling genus evolve?Key questions: Why did humans evolve? And how do modern humans differ from Neanderthals or other extinct humans?Our guide: Chris Stringer is an iconic figure in the field, best known for his groundbreaking work towards the widely accepted Out of Africa -theory of human evolution. His career at London’s Natural History Museum stretches across five decades. When: April 9th, 2025KEYWORDSAnthropology | Primatology | Human evolution | Human origins | Homo Erectus | Australopithecine | Australopithecus africanus | Brain evolution | Paleoneurology | Apes | Great apes | Chimpanzees | Bonobos | Gorillas | LSA | Cognitive evolution | Cognitive archaeology | Baby slings | Motherse | Parentese | Baby talk | Putting the baby down -hypothesis | Radiator theory | Biology | Honinins | Hominoids | Palaeolithic Palaeoanthropology |
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