Top Human Origins Discoveries of 2023

2023 was another exciting year in human origins research! Fossil discoveries and long-term primate studies expanded our understanding of what makes us human. In this episode, four Leakey Foundation scientists shared their favorite human evolution discoveries from the past year.

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Guests

• Briana Pobiner
• Emma Finestone
• Nasser Malit
• Risa Luther

Links to learn more

• Top 13 Discoveries in Human Evolution, 2023 Edition
• Hunting and processing of straight-tusked elephants 125,000 years ago: Implications for Neanderthal behavior (open-access research paper)
• Neanderthals lived in groups big enough to eat giant elephants
• Evidence for the earliest structural use of wood at least 476,000 years ago (open-access research paper
• Early Homo erectus lived at high altitudes and produced both Oldowan and Acheulean tools (open-access research paper)
• The surprising toolbox of the early Homo erectus
• Demographic and hormonal evidence for menopause in wild chimpanzees (open-access research paper)
• Wild chimpanzees experience menopause
• Chimpanzee menopause revealed ft. Melissa Emery Thompson (Lunch Break Science on YouTube)

Sponsors and credits

Origin Stories is sponsored by Jeanne Newman, the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, and the Joan and Arnold Travis Education Fund.

Origin Stories is produced by Ray Pang. Our editor is Audrey Quinn. Theme music by Henry Nagle. Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions and Lee Roservere.