Episode list

Becoming Human

Bipedalism

Thu, Oct 27, 2022
Becoming upright was one of the first milestones in becoming human. By freeing up our hands, a whole world of tool use, dexterity, and walking became available to us. It may have also allowed our ancestors' brains to grow. What does the fossil record tell us about how bipedalism first evolved?
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The First Tools

Thu, Nov 10, 2022
Once our ancestors gained the ability to walk upright, suddenly, their hands were free. Free to fist fight, carry things, and most importantly, create tools. The ability to manipulate the environment using external objects isn't entirely unique to our species, but we've taken it much, much further than any other creature. And the fossil record shows us that the evolutionary journey our ancestors took to create the first tools is an incredible one - one that paved the way to the tool-filled world we live in today.
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The Superpower of Sweat
Once the hands of our ancestors became free, running became a part of our locomotion. Many animals are fast, but humans are the planet's best long-distance runners. How is this possible for such a strange gangly ape? The answer lies all over our bodies, in tiny pores unique to us - sweat glands.
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How Humans Started Speaking
Today, humans are (probably) the only species with complex language. Did our hominin ancestors have the same ability? Was the evolution of language gradual in our species, or was it a sudden explosion of ability in a short period of time?
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The United States of BBQ

The United States of BBQ

Civilization may have begun with fire but it grew by barbecue. Smoking meat, sharing stories of life, survival and togetherness is a primal thread of the human experience the world over, and no country on Earth has barbecue running through its veins quite like America. "The United States of BBQ" is really several interlocking stories in one. At its heart, is a tender and simple generational tale of family and tradition embodied in renown pit master Garry Roark and the Ubon's BBQ family of Yazoo City, Mississippi. At first taste, Garry's world may seem like a simple recipe for living, laid back and in the BBQ vernacular, "cooked low and slow", but each successive bite reveals so much more. Soon, the world of BBQ explodes with a rich complexity of flavors both literal and cultural. People, places, smoke and spices, that span North and South and past and present, big city and small town. Following Garry and Ubon's along the fierce and fiery competition BBQ circuit, brings us face-to-face with many of the most famous and celebrated BBQ families from all over the country, each with their own special story and place on the BBQ menu. Compelling tales of struggle, hope, good times and bad roll on the breeze to pull you to the table. Sitting by the fire, you'll even meet some surprising converts to the BBQ life, including the Ubon's new business partners, self described "recovering" Wall Street traders David and Adam Rosen who gave up the fast lane for the low and slow. But make no mistake, where there's smoke, there's fire. Putting North and South together is sometimes a challenge and the competition BBQ circuit maybe a place to trade stories and recipes but it's also the place to battle it out for money, bragging rights and culinary glory. BBQ life is not an easy life, but it's remarkably real life. But when all the cooking and competing are done, something truly special emerges through the smoke. "The United States of BBQ" is about the preservation of a critical thread in our American tapestry, our sense of family and community. It's a story that reminds us that we built this land from a great recipe, a blend of people, cultures, ingredients, histories and stories, baptized in fire and cooked slowly until tender - ultimately, served at a common table.

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