SAPIENS: A Podcast for Everything Human

Latest Episodes:

Does Generosity Come Naturally? Nov 19, 2019

Show notes

Until very recently, Colin Turnbull was the only anthropologist who had lived and studied with both the Mbuti people of the Congo region and the Ik of Uganda. Because of his writings, one community became known for its egalitarianism and the other for its selfishness. His observations of the Ik in particular, as “inhuman” and “inhospitable,” led to them being dubbed as “the loveless people.” Then in 2009, Cathryn Townsend earned the chance to live with the Ik to study to generosity. In this episode, she shares her insights on what she found, and what Turnbull may have gotten wrong.

To learn more about Cathryn Townsend's work, follow her on Twitter @CathrynTownsend. This episode is inspired by the SAPIENS.org article “Is a More Generous Society Possible?” Learn more about the Human Generosity Project, of which Cathryn is a part.

SAPIENS: A Podcast for Everything Human is a part of the American Anthropological Association Podcast Library.

Music for this episode includes:

“Hello World,” “Who Were These People,” “Malaria,” “In Transit” by Matthew Simonson.
“As I Was Saying,” “Curiosity,” “Quizitive,” Reflections,” All I have Left Are These Photographs” by Lee Rosevere
“Silver Flame” by Kevin Macleod
“Walking Bells” by Studio D

How Belonging Shapes the Vaccination Crisis Nov 05, 2019

Show notes

Anthropologist Elisa Sobo never wanted to study the issue of vaccination. The topic was too fraught, she says, and she didn't want to touch it. But then she initiated a children’s health study at a school in California. Today her work on vaccine hesitancy offers insights into how those on opposing sides might better understand each other and work through this highly controversial issue.

For more, check out Elisa Sobo’s SAPIENS piece about her work on vaccination: “Beyond the Vaccination Rift.”

For the other vaccination-related SAPIENS article Chip mentions in this episode, see: “Why Eradicating Polio Is More Complicated Than It Seems.”

SAPIENS: A Podcast for Everything Human is part of the American Anthropological Association Podcast Library.

Music for this episode includes:

“Metadata in One Lesson,” “School Daze,” “Museum,” “In Transit” by Matthew Simonson
“Missa Pastoralis Bohemica, Hej, Mistre” by Georg Munzel
“Trusted News V2” by David Fesliyan
“Here’s the Thing,” “Sad Marimba Planet” by Lee Rosevere
“Come As You Were” by Blue Dot Sessions

The Deep Roots of Navajo Country Music Oct 22, 2019

Show notes

What is it about certain musical traditions that cause them to take root in communities far away from where they originated? Anthropologist Kristina Jacobsen leads SAPIENS hosts Jen Shannon and Chip Colwell on a musical journey into the U.S. Southwest to understand the phenomenon that is Navajo country music. In addition to authoring the book The Sound of Navajo Country: Music, Language, and Diné Belonging, Jacobsen is a singer-songwriter. This episode includes one of her songs and a number of others she learned about during her time on the Navajo Nation.

Listen to more music by Dennis Yazzie and the Night Breeze Band here. For more on Navajo country music, read Jacobsen's article at SAPIENS: “Why Navajos Love Their Country Music.”

SAPIENS: A Podcast for Everything Human is part of the American Anthropological Association Podcast Library.

Music for this episode includes:

“Selja Star” by Ken Jacobsen
“El Tajo,” “Moon Bicycle Theme,” “FasterFasterBrighter,” “Villano,” “Waltz for Zacaria” by Blue Dot Sessions
“In Transit,” “Chads Story” by Matthew Simonson
“Room at the Top of the Stairs,” “Wanted Man,” “Made in Japan” by Dennis Yazzie and the Night Breeze Band
“Inez” by Kristina Jacobsen

Are Colors Universal? Oct 08, 2019

Show notes

How do language, biology, and culture shape an individual’s experience of color? A journalist investigates the anthropological debate about whether color is a human universal.

Remember the meme #TheDress? Was it white and gold, or blue and black? With the help of Nicola Jones, a freelance science journalist who writes for Nature and SAPIENS, SAPIENS host Jen Shannon explores the question of color perception to find answers. She learns about the book The World Color Survey, an Amazonian tribe in Peru whose language has no color words, the biology of the human eye.

Nicola Jones is a science reporter and journalist. Follow her on Twitter @nicolakimjones.

Simon Overall is a linguist and guest lecturer at the University of Otago in New Zealand. You can follow him at @ginsengburger.

For more on the debate about color perception, read Jones' article at SAPIENS.org: "Do You See What I See?"

SAPIENS: A Podcast for Everything Human is part of the American Anthropological Association Podcast Library.

Music for this episode includes:

“I’m That Guy,” “Chads Story,” “Cerutti,” “In Transit,” “Museum,” “School Daze” by Matthew Simonson
“Palms Down,” “Soothe,” “Bridgewalker” by Blue Dot Sessions
“Marimba Colors” by Jason Paton

Stringing Together an Ancient Empire’s Stories Sep 24, 2019

Show notes

Anthropologist Sabine Hyland attempts to uncover the secrets held in twisted and colored Andean cords called khipus. Thanks to the collaborative approach of anthropologist Sabine Hyland and local communities, outsiders are finally coming to understand what these khipus mean—for the people of the Andes and for the rest of us.

Sabine Hyland is a professor of anthropology at the University of St. Andrews. Follow her on Twitter @Coyagirl.

For more on khipus, read Hyland’s article about the Collata khipus at SAPIENS.org: “Unraveling an Ancient Code Written in Strings.” The book Chip mentions at the end of this episode is called Wisdom Sits in Places by Keith Basso.

SAPIENS: A Podcast for Everything Human is part of the American Anthropological Association Podcast Library.

Correction: Hyland confirmed for us that the 1783 rebellion was against the Spanish, not the Inca, as she said in one quote in the initial version of this episode. We have since removed the error.

Music for this episode includes:

“Denzel Sprak,” “Weathervane,” “Are We Loose Yet,” “Bidious Transit,” “Borough,” “Gullwing Sailor,” “Cases to Rest” by Blue Dot Sessions
“4,” “Cerutti,” “Ballgames,” “In Transit” by Matthew Simonson
“Hero Down” by Kevin Macleod

Do You Dream What I Dream? Sep 10, 2019

Show notes

Anthropologist Roger Lohmann sees a ghost in a dream while working in Papua New Guinea. Even though he knows it's just a dream, he's scared long after he wakes up. To make sense of his dream, Lohmann explores the role dreams play in our waking life and how different cultures make sense of dream worlds. Do all humans dream the same? Or do the cultures we are immersed in shape our dreams? Lohmann has six cultural dream theories that offer some answers to what dreams are and what they mean.

Roger Lohmann has six cultural dream theories that offer some answers to what dreams are and what they mean. Roger Lohmann is a professor of anthropology at Trent University, where he specializes in religion, cultural change, and cultural dream theory.

Follow him on Twitter @rogerlohmann. Read Lohmann’s article at SAPIENS: “The Night I Was Attacked by a Ghost.” And for more, check out an essay about Islamic dream culture: “Do Dreams Give Voice to the Divine?”

SAPIENS: A Podcast for Everything Human is part of the American Anthropological Association Podcast Library.

Music for this episode includes:

“Thoughtful” by Lee Rosevere
“In Transit,” “Metadata in One Lesson” by Matthew Simonson
“Balti,” “The Provisions” by Blue Dot Sessions

What to Expect When You’re Not Expecting Down Syndrome Aug 27, 2019

Show notes

When Thomas Pearson’s newborn daughter was diagnosed with Down syndrome, it changed the course of his life forever. Pearson joins SAPIENS hosts Jen Shannon and Chip Colwell to talk about his story, how his training in anthropology prepared him for his daughter’s diagnosis, and what he hopes other people can learn from his experience. Pearson is a professor of cultural anthropology at the University of Wisconsin, Stout.

Read more about Pearson’s story and his research into disability studies on SAPIENS: “A Daughter’s Disability and a Father’s Awakening.”

The book Chip recommends at the end of the episode is titled The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down.

SAPIENS: A Podcast for Everything Human is part of the American Anthropological Association Podcast Library.

Music included in this episode are:

Walking Bells - Studio D
Not Alone, Betrayal, Waiting for the Moment That Never Comes, Under Suspicion, Compassion - Lee Rosevere
Cerutti, Who Were These People, School Daze - Matthew Simonson
Gymnopedie No 1 - Kevin Macleod

Where Have All the Denisovans Gone? Aug 13, 2019

Show notes

The Denisovans have long been one of the most elusive ancient human cousins, until now. In May 2019, scientists revealed the first fossil evidence of Denisovans outside of the Denisova Cave in Siberia. As the historical human family tree grows, what are we learning about why we're the only ones left? In this episode, we pose this question to science journalist Carl Zimmer, a columnist for The New York Times and the author of 13 books. Follow him on Twitter @carlzimmer.

We also speak with archaeologist Anna Goldfield about Neanderthals, another close ancient cousin. Goldfield is a columnist at SAPIENS.org, co-host of The Dirt podcast, and the illustrator of The Neanderthal Child of Roc de Marsal: A Prehistoric Mystery.Follow her on Twitter @AnnaGoldfield.

Learn more about Denisovans and Neanderthals.

SAPIENS: A Podcast for Everything Human is part of the American Anthropological Association Podcast Library.

Music in this episode is by:

"Willow and the Light" by Kevin MacLeod https://filmmusic.io
"Honey Bee" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC by (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Music from leerosevere.bandcamp.com "Featherlight" by Lee Rosevere (leerosevere.bandcamp.com) "Curiosity" by Lee Rosevere “Let That Sink In” by Lee Rosevere License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
“In Transit” by Matthew Simonson.
"Summit" by K2 produced by Blue Dot Sessions, purchased with a professional license.

Eating Insects and the Yuck Factor Jul 30, 2019

Show notes

How come some people think eating insects is disgusting? Join SAPIENS hosts Jen Shannon and Chip Colwell as they dine on many-legged delicacies and delve into the world of entomophagy with anthropologist Julie Lesnik, author of the new book Edible Insects and Human Evolution.

Julie is a professor of anthropology at Wayne State University. She tweets @JulieLesnik and her website is at www.entomoanthro.org. Learn more about eating insects at Sapiens.org: [Why Don’t More Humans Eat Bugs?](%20https:/www.sapiens.org/culture/eat-bugs/) SAPIENS: A Podcast for Everything Human is part of the American Anthropological Association Podcast Library.

This episode of Sapiens was produced by Paul Karolyi, and mixed, audio edited and sound designed by Jason Paton. It was hosted by Jen Shannon and Chip Colwell. Sapiens is produced by House of Pod, with contributions from executive producer Cat Jaffee and intern Freda Kreier. Meral Agish is our fact-checker. Matthew Simonson composed our theme. Giancarlos Hernandez performed the excerpt from the diary of Diego Alvarez Chanca. A special thanks this time to Beau and everyone else at Linger, as well as our guest this week, Julie Lesnick. This podcast is funded by the Wenner-Gren Foundation, which has provided vital support through Danilyn Rutherford, Maugha Kenny, and its staff, board, and advisory council. Additional support was provided by the Imago Mundi Fund at Foundation for the Carolinas. Thanks always to Amanda Mascarelli, Daniel Salas, Christine Weeber, Cay Leytham-Powell, and everyone at SAPIENS.org. Sapiens is part of the American Anthropological Association Podcast Library. For this episode, we used the compositions, "Hello World", "4", "Cerutti", "Metadata in one Lesson", "School Daze", and "In Transit" by Matthew Simonson; aand "Thinking Music," and "Umbrella Pants," by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/.

Season 2 is Coming Soon and We Want to Hear From You Jul 16, 2019

Show notes

Hello fellow sapiens!

We’re coming back with new episodes starting on July 30. This season is just a little different, though. SAPIENS hosts Jen Shannon and Chip Colwell are still asking big questions about what it means to be human, but this time they’re jumping off from some of the best stories from Sapiens.org, and culminating in questions... from you!

If you have a query about what it means to be human, we want to hear it!

Send your questions to us on Facebook at Sapiens.org, tweet them at us @sapiens_org with the hashtag #sapienspodcast, or leave us a short voicemail at 970-368-9730. Make sure to include your name so we can thank you when we play your question on the show.

A fun side note: One of the songs in this trailer was composed by Joachim Neander himself. Our editor Matthew Simonson discovered it in the public domain.

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