PBS
The Missing Link That Wasn’t
The myth of the Missing Link--the idea that there must be a specimen that partly resembles an ape but also partly resembles a modern human--is persistent. But the reality is that there is no missing link in our lineage, because that’s...
SciShow
Anthropology’s Greatest Hoax
Scientists are sometimes deemed objective observers of the world in which we live, but that’s not entirely true. They’re still human and can find themselves victim to fraudsters just like the lot of us.
TED Talks
TED: Help discover ancient ruins -- before it's too late | Sarah Parcak
Sarah Parcak uses satellites orbiting hundreds of miles above earth to uncover hidden ancient treasures buried beneath our feet. There's a lot to discover; in the egyptian Delta alone, Parcak estimates we've excavated less than a...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Kay Almere Read: The Aztec myth of the unlikeliest sun god
Nanahuatl, weakest of the Aztec gods, sickly and covered in pimples, had been chosen to form a new world. There had already been four worlds, each set in motion by its own "Lord Sun," and each had been destroyed. For a new world to be...
TED Talks
Spencer Wells: A family tree for humanity
All humans share some common bits of DNA, passed down to us from our African ancestors. Geneticist Spencer Wells talks about how his Genographic Project will use this shared DNA to figure out how we are -- in all our diversity -- truly...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Why do humans have a third eyelid? | Dorsa Amir
You know that little pink thing nestled in the corner of your eye? It's actually the remnant of a third eyelid. In humans, it's vestigial, meaning it no longer serves its original purpose. There are several other vestigial structures in...
TED Talks
Danny Hillis: Back to the future (of 1994)
From deep in the TED archive, Danny Hillis outlines an intriguing theory of how and why technological change seems to be accelerating, by linking it to the very evolution of life itself. The presentation techniques he uses may look...
TED Talks
Bonnie Bassler: How bacteria "talk"
Bonnie Bassler discovered that bacteria "talk" to each other, using a chemical language that lets them coordinate defense and mount attacks. The find has stunning implications for medicine, industry -- and our understanding of ourselves.
TED Talks
Tara Djokic: This ancient rock is changing our theory on the origin of life
Exactly when and where did life on Earth begin? Scientists have long thought that it emerged three billion years ago in the ocean -- until astrobiologist Tara Djokic and her team made an unexpected discovery in the western Australian...
TED Talks
Zeresenay Alemseged: The search for humanity's roots
Paleoanthropologist Zeresenay Alemseged looks for the roots of humanity in Ethiopia's badlands. Here he talks about finding the oldest skeleton of a humanoid child -- and how Africa holds the clues to our humanity.
TED Talks
Ella Al-Shamahi: The fascinating (and dangerous) places scientists aren't exploring
We're not doing frontline exploratory science in a huge portion of the world -- the places governments deem too hostile or disputed. What might we be missing because we're not looking? In this fearless, unexpectedly funny talk,...
TED Talks
Nina Jablonski: Skin color is an illusion
Nina Jablonski says that differing skin colors are simply our bodies' adaptation to varied climates and levels of UV exposure. Charles Darwin disagreed with this theory, but she explains, that's because he did not have access to NASA.
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Claws vs. nails | Matthew Borths
Consider the claw. Frequently found on animals around the world, it's one of nature's most versatile tools. Bears use claws for digging as well as defense. An eagle's needle-like talons can pierce the skulls of their prey. Even the...
TED Talks
Yuval Noah Harari: What explains the rise of humans?
Seventy thousand years ago, our human ancestors were insignificant animals, just minding their own business in a corner of Africa with all the other animals. But now, few would disagree that humans dominate planet Earth; we've spread to...
TED Talks
Louise Leakey: A dig for humanity's origins
Louise Leakey asks, "Who are we?" The question takes her to the Rift Valley in Eastern Africa, where she digs for the evolutionary origins of humankind -- and suggests a stunning new vision of our competing ancestors.
TED Talks
TED: Nationalism vs. globalism: the new political divide | Yuval Noah Harari
How do we make sense of today's political divisions? In a wide-ranging conversation full of insight, historian Yuval Harari places our current turmoil in a broader context, against the ongoing disruption of our technology, climate, media...
TED Talks
The hidden history found in your teeth | Carolyn Freiwald
Your teeth carry secrets: centuries of history about your ancestors, from where they lived to what they ate and where they traveled. Bioarchaeologist Carolyn Freiwald traces the story of human migration across the Americas -- from Mayan...
TED Talks
Juliet Brophy: How a new species of ancestors is changing our theory of human evolution
In 2013, a treasure trove of unusual fossils were uncovered in a cave in South Africa, and researchers soon realized: these were the remains of a new species of ancient humans. Paleoanthropologist Juliet Brophy takes us inside the...
Curated Video
Uncovering Mysteries of Early Humans in the Atapuerca Mountains
The discovery of ancient hominin bones in Northern Spain's Atapuerca Mountains has significantly pushed back the timeline for human arrival in Europe to about 1.2 million years ago, predating previous estimates by around 500,000 years....
Curated Video
Reconsidering the Story of Our Earliest Ancestors
The Little Foot skeleton, discovered in South Africa in the 1990s and dating back approximately 3.67 million years, represents one of the most complete ancient hominin fossils ever found. This discovery has sparked controversy,...
Curated Video
The Origins of Human Creativity and Symbolic Thought
Scientists have discovered decorated artifacts from Tanzania and South Africa, dating back between 40,000 and 75,000 years, indicating that humans developed the capacity for symbolic thought much earlier than previously believed. These...
Neuro Transmissions
The Stoned Ape Theory is bad
Is it possible that psychedelics brought about human language, our huge brains, and essentially all elements of our modern culture? Well, I made a video recently about what psychedelics do in the brain, but a lot of you felt bothered by...
Next Animation Studio
Modern human origin traced to northern Botswana
New research published in the journal Nature suggests that modern humans descended from the region south of the Zambezi River, spanning northern Botswana into parts of Namibia and Zimbabwe, in southern Africa.
Science360
Archaeologist Curtis Marean - ScienceLives
Curtis Marean received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley in 1990 and is now a member of the Institute of Human Origins and School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University. In addition to...