Discovering Us

Latest Episodes:

Secrets of the Orangutan Cycle Sep 26, 2022

There are only five kinds of great apes alive today. Chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos, orangutans, and us. Among the non-human apes, orangutans are unique. Orangutans live only in Asia - in the forests of Sumatra and Borneo. They’re intelligent, solitary animals that feed mostly on fruit. There is a lot we can learn from them - but it’s not an easy job.

Further learning

About The Leakey Foundation

The Leakey Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding human origins research and sharing discoveries. The Foundation was established in 1968 to fund work at the forefront of fossil and primate studies and provide opportunities for a global community of scientists. Learn more at leakeyfoundation.org.

Discovering Us: 50 Great Discoveries in Human Origins

In 50 lively and up-to-the-minute essays illustrated with full-color photographs, Discovering Us: 50 Great Discoveries in Human Origins presents stories of the most exciting and groundbreaking surprises revealed by human origins research.

Prepared in consultation with leading experts and written by Evan Hadingham, senior science editor for NOVA, Discovering Us features stunning photographs, some taken at the actual moment that groundbreaking discoveries were made. The book presents a highly accessible account of the latest scientific insights into the ultimate question of humanity’s origins. Discovering Us was published by Signature Books.

Find Discovering Us at your local library, bookstore, or amazon.com.

Show Credits:

Narrated by Ashley Judd
Hosted by Meredith Johnson
Written by Evan Hadingham
Script edits by Sharal Camisa Smith and Meredith Johnson
Recorded and mixed by Dave Hagen, Dark Horse Recording
Host recording by Kerry Fogarty
Trailer produced by Ray Pang
Cover art by Élisabeth Daynes
Cover design by Jason Francis, Signature Books
Music “Ode to Seven” by Our Many Stars licensed from Marmoset Music

Discovering Us was made possible by generous support from Camilla and George Smith, the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, and the Joan and Arnold Travis Education Fund.

Born and Evolved to Run Sep 26, 2022

One of the enduring mysteries in human evolution is the question of how and when humans evolved our unusually large brains. Another mystery is how and why we started moving around on two legs. This episode of Discovering Us explores both of these questions by exploring the human ability to run over long distances.

Further reading

About The Leakey Foundation

Discovering Us: 50 Great Discoveries in Human Origins

Find Discovering Us at your local library, bookstore, or amazon.com.

Show Credits:

Narrated by Ashley Judd
Hosted by Meredith Johnson
Written by Evan Hadingham
Script edits by Sharal Camisa Smith and Meredith Johnson
Recorded and mixed by Dave Hagen, Dark Horse Recording
Host recording by Kerry Fogarty
Trailer produced by Ray Pang
Cover art by Élisabeth Daynes
Cover design by Jason Francis, Signature Books
Music “Ode to Seven” by Our Many Stars licensed from Marmoset Music

Discovering Us was made possible by generous support from Camilla and George Smith, the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, and the Joan and Arnold Travis Education Fund.

The Hobbit Sep 26, 2022

In this episode, Ashley Judd tells the story of a startling discovery on the island of Flores. Deep inside a remote, limestone cave with a high, arched ceiling, researchers uncovered fossils of an ancient human species unlike any other. This discovery added a new member to the human family tree and shook up our understanding of human evolution.

Further reading:

About The Leakey Foundation

Discovering Us: 50 Great Discoveries in Human Origins

Find Discovering Us at your local library, bookstore, or amazon.com.

Show Credits:

Narrated by Ashley Judd
Hosted by Meredith Johnson
Written by Evan Hadingham
Script edits by Sharal Camisa Smith and Meredith Johnson
Recorded and mixed by Dave Hagen, Dark Horse Recording
Host recording by Kerry Fogarty
Trailer produced by Ray Pang
Cover art by Élisabeth Daynes
Cover design by Jason Francis, Signature Books
Music “Ode to Seven” by Our Many Stars licensed from Marmoset Music

Discovering Us was made possible by generous support from Camilla and George Smith, the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, and the Joan and Arnold Travis Education Fund.

The Pit of Bones Sep 26, 2022

It takes a special kind of detective work to figure out the story of how we became human. This episode takes us to a unique fossil site in Spain where scientists go back through time - finding clues in a rich fossil record that stretches over hundreds and thousands of years. They are uncovering a story with twists and turns that are more dramatic and mysterious than an Agatha Christie novel.

Further reading (and listening)

About The Leakey Foundation

Discovering Us: 50 Great Discoveries in Human Origins

Find Discovering Us at your local library, bookstore, or amazon.com.

Show Credits:

Narrated by Ashley Judd
Hosted by Meredith Johnson
Written by Evan Hadingham
Script edits by Sharal Camisa Smith and Meredith Johnson
Recorded and mixed by Dave Hagen, Dark Horse Recording
Host recording by Kerry Fogarty
Trailer produced by Ray Pang
Cover art by Élisabeth Daynes
Cover design by Jason Francis, Signature Books
Music “Ode to Seven” by Our Many Stars licensed from Marmoset Music

Discovering Us was made possible by generous support from Camilla and George Smith, the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, and the Joan and Arnold Travis Education Fund.

Unexpected Ardi Sep 26, 2022

In this episode, Ashley Judd tells the story of the discovery of a fascinating fossil of a female that lived 4.4-million-years ago. This unexpected find opened up a new window into the very early evolution of the human species.

Further reading

About The Leakey Foundation

Discovering Us: 50 Great Discoveries in Human Origins

Find Discovering Us at your local library, bookstore, or amazon.com.

Show Credits:

Narrated by Ashley Judd
Hosted by Meredith Johnson
Written by Evan Hadingham
Script edits by Sharal Camisa Smith and Meredith Johnson
Recorded and mixed by Dave Hagen, Dark Horse Recording
Host recording by Kerry Fogarty
Trailer produced by Ray Pang
Cover art by Élisabeth Daynes
Cover design by Jason Francis, Signature Books
Music “Ode to Seven” by Our Many Stars licensed from Marmoset Music

Discovering Us was made possible by generous support from Camilla and George Smith, the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, and the Joan and Arnold Travis Education Fund.

The African Milk Trail Sep 26, 2022

There are some mysteries about human evolution that can’t be answered by looking at fossils or our closest living primate relatives. In this episode, you’ll learn how scientists used genetic research to explain how humans came to be the only mammals who continue to drink milk - even after we’re grown.

Further reading

Milk tolerance evolved more than once

About The Leakey Foundation

Discovering Us: 50 Great Discoveries in Human Origins

Find Discovering Us at your local library, bookstore, or amazon.com.

Show Credits:

Narrated by Ashley Judd
Hosted by Meredith Johnson
Written by Evan Hadingham
Script edits by Sharal Camisa Smith and Meredith Johnson
Recorded and mixed by Dave Hagen, Dark Horse Recording
Host recording by Kerry Fogarty
Trailer produced by Ray Pang
Cover art by Élisabeth Daynes
Cover design by Jason Francis, Signature Books
Music “Ode to Seven” by Our Many Stars licensed from Marmoset Music

Discovering Us was made possible by generous support from Camilla and George Smith, the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, and the Joan and Arnold Travis Education Fund.

Ambush at the Lake Sep 26, 2022

In this episode of Discovering Us, Ashley Judd takes you to Ice Age Europe, where a stunning discovery paints a picture of how early humans survived in a harsh and highly competitive landscape.

About The Leakey Foundation

Discovering Us: 50 Great Discoveries in Human Origins

Find Discovering Us at your local library, bookstore, or amazon.com.

Show Credits:

Narrated by Ashley Judd
Hosted by Meredith Johnson
Written by Evan Hadingham
Script edits by Sharal Camisa Smith and Meredith Johnson
Recorded and mixed by Dave Hagen, Dark Horse Recording
Host recording by Kerry Fogarty
Trailer produced by Ray Pang
Cover art by Élisabeth Daynes
Cover design by Jason Francis, Signature Books
Music “Ode to Seven” by Our Many Stars licensed from Marmoset Music

Discovering Us was made possible by generous support from Camilla and George Smith, the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, and the Joan and Arnold Travis Education Fund.

The Lion Man Sep 26, 2022

One thing that’s special about humans is the way we express ourselves through art and music. Ancient humans were no different. The art they left on cave walls and carved in stone lives on. It gives us a profound connection to our ancestors and their creative, complex lives. In this episode, Ashley Judd explores some of the earliest art ever discovered.

Further reading:

The Lion Man: An Ice Age Masterpiece

About The Leakey Foundation

Discovering Us: 50 Great Discoveries in Human Origins

Find Discovering Us at your local library, bookstore, or amazon.com.

Show Credits:

Narrated by Ashley Judd
Hosted by Meredith Johnson
Written by Evan Hadingham
Script edits by Sharal Camisa Smith and Meredith Johnson
Recorded and mixed by Dave Hagen, Dark Horse Recording
Host recording by Kerry Fogarty
Trailer produced by Ray Pang
Cover art by Élisabeth Daynes
Cover design by Jason Francis, Signature Books
Music “Ode to Seven” by Our Many Stars licensed from Marmoset Music

Discovering Us was made possible by generous support from Camilla and George Smith, the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, and the Joan and Arnold Travis Education Fund.

The People of the Rock Sep 26, 2022

Neanderthals lived from around 400,000 years ago to around 40,000 years ago. Scientists are still working to understand how and why Neanderthals went extinct. This episode takes you to the island of Gibraltar–where researchers think the very last surviving population of Neanderthals lived and died.

Further reading (and listening):

About The Leakey Foundation

Discovering Us: 50 Great Discoveries in Human Origins

Find Discovering Us at your local library, bookstore, or amazon.com.

Show Credits:

Narrated by Ashley Judd
Hosted by Meredith Johnson
Written by Evan Hadingham
Script edits by Sharal Camisa Smith and Meredith Johnson
Recorded and mixed by Dave Hagen, Dark Horse Recording
Host recording by Kerry Fogarty
Trailer produced by Ray Pang
Cover art by Élisabeth Daynes
Cover design by Jason Francis, Signature Books
Music “Ode to Seven” by Our Many Stars licensed from Marmoset Music

Discovering Us was made possible by generous support from Camilla and George Smith, the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, and the Joan and Arnold Travis Education Fund.

Inside Baboon Minds Sep 26, 2022

Why are humans such social creatures? In this episode, Ashley Judd explores the origins of social behavior by taking you inside the minds of a troop of baboons living in Botswana’s Okovango Delta.

Further reading (and listening)

About The Leakey Foundation

Discovering Us: 50 Great Discoveries in Human Origins

Find Discovering Us at your local library, bookstore, or amazon.com.

Show Credits:

Narrated by Ashley Judd
Hosted by Meredith Johnson
Written by Evan Hadingham
Script edits by Sharal Camisa Smith and Meredith Johnson
Recorded and mixed by Dave Hagen, Dark Horse Recording
Host recording by Kerry Fogarty
Trailer produced by Ray Pang
Cover art by Élisabeth Daynes
Cover design by Jason Francis, Signature Books
Music “Ode to Seven” by Our Many Stars licensed from Marmoset Music

Discovering Us was made possible by generous support from Camilla and George Smith, the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, and the Joan and Arnold Travis Education Fund.

Chimpanzee Hunting Sep 26, 2022

This installment of Discovering Us tells the story of an unusual group of chimpanzees that live on the grassy plains of Fongoli, Senegal where temperatures reach over 110 degrees. Water is scarce, and wildfires sweep through every year - burning the leaves from the trees and baking the soil. These chimpanzees have adapted to their environment in surprising ways that can shed light on the evolution of our own species.

Further reading:

About The Leakey Foundation

Discovering Us: 50 Great Discoveries in Human Origins

Find Discovering Us at your local library, bookstore, or amazon.com.

Show Credits:

Narrated by Ashley Judd
Hosted by Meredith Johnson
Written by Evan Hadingham
Script edits by Sharal Camisa Smith and Meredith Johnson
Recorded and mixed by Dave Hagen, Dark Horse Recording
Host recording by Kerry Fogarty
Trailer produced by Ray Pang
Cover art by Élisabeth Daynes
Cover design by Jason Francis, Signature Books
Music “Ode to Seven” by Our Many Stars licensed from Marmoset Music

Discovering Us was made possible by generous support from Camilla and George Smith, the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, and the Joan and Arnold Travis Education Fund.

Bonobos' Powerful Sisterhood Sep 26, 2022

Bonobos are close cousins of humans, known for their highly active sex lives and peaceful female-centered social structure. In this episode, Ashley Judd shares how researchers studying bonobos are unlocking the secrets of female friendship.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Discovering Us

Related Podcasts

1

2

3

4

5

6