Discovering Us

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
Cheryl Knott's orangutan research
Erin Vogel's orangutan research 
Lunch Break Science episode on how orangutans learn
Origin Stories podcast with Biruté Mary Galdikas
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.

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
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.

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:
Homo floresiensis - Smithsonian
Making sense of the small-bodied fossils from Flores
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.

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)
Origin Stories: Detective of the Dead
Atapuerca, UNESCO World Heritage Site
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.

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
Ardipithecus ramidus - Smithsonian
Ardipithecus ramidus - Science 
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.