While we’re hard at work on some exciting new things, we wanted to start the new year off with one of our favorites from 2017: If These Bones Could Talk. Explorer, scholar and 19th Century Smithsonian darling Robert Kennicott seemed destined to lead a full and adventurous life. Then, at the age of 30, on an expedition to Russian Alaska in 1866, Kennicott was ... Show More
Mar 4
Dark Matter, Bright Mind: How Vera Rubin Saw the Unseen
Something dark and invisible makes up as much as 90 to 95 percent of the universe—and it took a little girl staring out a bedroom window at the night sky to bring it to light. As a child, Vera Rubin built her own telescope. As an adult, she uncovered a problem no telescope could ... Show More
34m 1s
Oct 2024
Unearthed! in Autumn 2024, Part 1
<p>Part one of this edition of Unearthed! is mostly updates - about two-thirds of the episode. The rest is weapons, medicine, and books and letters. </p> <p><strong>Research:</strong></p> <ul> <li>19 News Investigative Team. “Exhumation of Cleveland Torso Killer’s unidentified vi ... Show More
45m 40s
Oct 2025
Unearthed! in Autumn 2025, Part 2
<p>Part 2 of this installment of Unearthed! features animals, swords, art, shoes, shipwrecks, and the miscellany category of potpourri.</p> <p><strong>Research:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Abrams, G., Auguste, P., Pirson, S. et al. Earliest evidence of Neanderthal multifunctional bone ... Show More
39m 15s
Nov 2024
Journey inside Africa's cave of Great Apes to upend your understanding of the human origin story
<p>Lee Berger, National Geographic Explorer in Residence and real-life Indiana Jones with tales of his hominid discoveries, many of which have rewritten the story of palaeoanthropology. (R)</p><p>National Geographic Explorer in Residence, Lee Berger, entered the field of palaeoan ... Show More
51m 30s
Apr 2025
Unearthed! in Spring 2025, Part 2
<p>Part two of the spring 2025 installment of Unearthed! features the potpourri category, plus drones/radar/lidar, books and letters, animals, edibles and potables, shipwrecks, swords (sort of) and cats. </p> <p><strong>Research:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Roque, Nika. “Mar ... Show More
38m 50s
Aug 2024
483. The Mysterious Case of the Ape Man
In Sussex, in 1912, men quarrying in a gravel pit near Piltdown village turned up a human skull. According to Charles Dawson, a lawyer and amateur archeologist with a remarkable track record for finding ancient treasures, it belonged to a palaeolithic man, possibly millions of ye ... Show More
50m 21s