Until very recently, Homo sapiens - our species - was only one of several varieties of humans on this planet. As our ancestors spread outward from Africa in their great migration, they encountered those other species. The results of those encounters left us a genetic legacy that is still with us today.
If you'd like to see some visuals of the things in this ... Show More
Today
Listen Now: American Scandal | The West Memphis Three
<p>On May 5, 1993, three 8-year-old boys were brutally murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas. The tiny local police department launches an investigation but finds little physical evidence to lead them to a suspect. Eventually, outside pressure pushes them to charge someone with the ... Show More
7m 49s
Nov 21
Patrick's New History Show, Past Lives, Launches December 3rd!
<p>From Patrick Wyman (host of Fall of Rome and Tides of History) comes Past Lives, a brand new podcast! Every week, we’ll focus on the lived experiences of real people from the past, bringing their stories to life.</p><p>The first season of Past Lives is available December 3rd! ... Show More
2m 37s
Feb 2019
Neanderthals: Death of a Human Species
Mo welcomes his friend Michael Ian Black – comedian, author, podcaster, and, as it turns out, Neanderthal (we’ll explain). Mo talks to Michael and the world’s leading researchers about why our extinct human cousins Neanderthals have gotten such a bad rap for so many many years, a ... Show More
41m 23s
Aug 2018
Revolution | The Populist | 6
<p>Millions immigrated to the United States after its founding, entranced with the promise of a better life. But the country they found was rough and tumble, less developed than the land they left, and had some serious issues. Last week we looked at slavery, and today we'll go in ... Show More
37m 28s
May 2018
History Through Innovation | Interview with Steven Johnson | 7
<p>The phone in your hand is more powerful than all of the computers that put a man on the moon, combined. In the age of supercomputers, driverless cars, and mail-order DNA testing it’s easy to forget that the journey to these incredible innovations was a lot of surprising moment ... Show More
40m 41s
Apr 2022
Our Mysterious Planet: Humans
What was life like for our earliest ancestors? Which of our qualities are uniquely human, and which are just... primal? From the discoveries of paleoanthropologists, to the experiments of evolutionary biologists, today we’re examining the mysteries of our species — and what exact ... Show More
39m 10s