Human Origins Part 1 with Briana Pobiner (Big Questions and Little Bones)

Episode 20

This week, we welcome paleoanthropologist Dr Briana Pobiner as we begin to explore our own evolution. Dr Pobiner is the head of education and outreach for the Smithsonian Natural History Museum's Human Origins Program. We talk about how we know what we know about early humans, where we came from, what caused us to advance so quickly, and what that means for our self-identity today. If you're into saber-tooth cats, pumpkin spice crickets, and hope for humanity, then make sure you listen to this one!

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produced by Zack Jackson
music by Zack Jackson

 

Show Notes

Dr Briana Pobiner's bio and publications
https://anthropology.columbian.gwu.edu/briana-l-pobiner

 

The "Teaching Evolution through Human Examples" (TEtHE) three-year exploratory research and development project was funded by National Science Foundation Discovery Research K-12 grant #1119468. The project has created four curriculum units for Advanced Placement (AP) Biology classes, aligned to the learning objectives, using human case studies to teach core evolutionary principles. The curriculum units are: (1) Adaptation to Altitude, (2) Malaria, (3) Evolution of Human Skin Color, and (4) What Does It Mean To Be Human?. The project has also created a CRS (Cultural and Religious Sensitivity) Teaching Strategies Resource to help teachers create a comfortable and supportive classroom environment for teaching evolution.
http://humanorigins.si.edu/education/teaching-evolution-through-human-examples

 

 

The Expensive Tissue Hypothesis
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4312921/

 

Edible Insects and Human Evolution by Julie Lesnik
https://amzn.to/2N4vN2k

 

Interview with Julie Lesnik on the amazing but somewhat NSFW podcast "Ologies"
https://www.alieward.com/ologies/entomophagy-anthropology

 

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