What Does It Mean To Be A Human Ape? With Dr Briana Pobiner | S3E47

Talking Apes

Unraveling the Meaty Mysteries of Human Evolution with Dr. Briana Pobiner

This week on Talking Apes we journey back in time to explore our ancestral roots with Dr. Briana Pobiner. As a distinguished paleoanthropologist, Dr. Pobiner delves deep into the evolution of the human diet and the pivotal role meat played in our development as a species.
Briana, who leads the Smithsonian Human Origins education and outreach initiatives, offers a unique perspective on our shared history with other apes and our progression towards becoming Homo sapiens.
This week we're stepping away from our usual focus on modern apes to explore the dietary habits of our ancient ancestors with Briana as our amazing guide on some key topics:
The Myth of Linearity: Dr. Pobiner shatters the common misconception that human evolution is a linear progression from chimpanzees. Instead, she unveils the intricate web of evolutionary branches that make up our family tree.
The 2% Difference: Dive deep into the significance of the mere 2% difference in DNA that separates us from our closest living relatives. Discover how this small genetic gap holds significance to our unique journey.
'The cool thing about human bodies is we’re this archive of evolution and we share a lot of that evolutionary history with our closest living relatives.' - Dr Pobiner
Meat-Eating in Prehistory: Explore Dr. Pobiner's research spanning up to 2.5 million years ago, focusing on the pivotal role of meat in early human diets. Learn how she deciphers clues in fossilized bones and identifies tooth and butchery marks to reveal the stone tools our ancestors used to process their food and other ideas about how they lived.
Coexisting Hominids: Delve into the intriguing story of how multiple species of humans (hominids) lived concurrently, painting a complex picture of our ancient world.
‘This is actually a very weird time in human evolution because there’s only one type of human on the planet - through most of our evolutionary history there have been multiple lineages, multiple different species of hominids (early humans) that co-existed at the same time - that’s something to give us pause.’ - Dr Pobiner
Scavenging and Survival: Uncover the theory that early humans might have survived by scavenging meat left behind by carnivores.
Modern Paleo Diets: Dr. Pobiner shares her insights on modern paleo diets, offering a bridge between our ancestral past and present dietary trends.
Join us as we journey through time, exploring the rich tapestry of human evolution! This episode promises to leave you with a newfound appreciation for the intricacies of our evolutionary heritage (and maybe a rumbling tummy)!
Click here to visit the Smithsonian's Human Origins Website

Click here to read Briana's articles on human evolution
Click here to see a fascinating diagram depicti

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