logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2000
28m 6s

Human Origins

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the evolution of the human species. Where did we come from - we being Homo Sapiens? Let’s not go back to the Big Bang or in search of Genesis, but sift through the evidence from biology, palaeontology, climatology and anthropology.The story of human evolution is one that stretches back over five million years, and during that time there are reckoned to have been between fifteen and twenty species of hominid to have walked this planet. From the earliest (Genus) Australopithecus (Species) Anamensis through times when there have been several divergent pre-human species existing at once, we have now arrived at a period unique in the history of the earth when a sole human species, Homo Sapiens, is in evidence right across the globe.With Leslie Aiello, Professor of Biological Anthropology, University College, London; Robert Foley, evolutionary ecologist, writer and lecturer in biological anthropology at Cambridge University; Mark Roberts, Field Archaeologist, Project Leader of Boxgrove excavation and the discoverer of ‘Boxgrove Man’.

Up next
Feb 2026
The Mariana Trench
Misha Glenny and guests discuss one of the wonders of the natural world. In 1875 in the western Pacific, the crew of HMS Challenger discovered the Mariana Trench which turned out to be deeper than Everest is high, by two kilometres. Trenches like Mariana form when one tectonic pl ... Show More
58m 4s
Jul 2025
The Evolution of Lungs
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the evolution of lungs and of the first breaths, which can be traced back 400 million years to when animal life spread from rock pools and swamps onto land, as some fish found an evolutionary advantage in getting their oxygen from air rather than w ... Show More
48m 24s
Jun 2025
Lise Meitner
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the decisive role of one of the great 20th Century physicists in solving the question of nuclear fission. It is said that Meitner (1878-1968) made this breakthrough over Christmas 1938 while she was sitting on a log in Sweden during a snowy walk wi ... Show More
57m 22s
Recommended Episodes
May 2022
The Origins of Homo Sapiens
<p>What do we know about the earliest hominins to exist? With a story spanning one million years and counting, we're discovering more about how we came to be every day. </p><br><p>In this episode of The Ancients, we're on location in the Natural History Museum in London as Trista ... Show More
42m 58s
Mar 2023
The First Humans
<p>Where do humans come from? Or, perhaps more interestingly, <em>who</em> did humans evolve from? A question once posed by the likes of Charles Darwin and other early naturalists, the answer has changed throughout history. But now, thanks to advancements in archaeology and devel ... Show More
40m 39s
Aug 2025
Origins of Homo Sapiens
Where do we come from? The origins of modern humans stretch back hundreds of thousands of years, and new discoveries are reshaping how we understand our species’ story. In this episode, recorded on location at London’s Natural History Museum, Tristan Hughes speaks with Professor ... Show More
41m 10s
Dec 2024
Evolutionary Anthropology: Tracing Human Origins
👉 For more chilling details and in-depth resources, click the links below and visit Educator's Treasure Trove! Don't miss out on exclusive insights https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/educators-treasure-trove,Dive into the fascinating journey of humanity with Evolutionary ... Show More
15m 22s
Jun 2023
Human Origins: Australopithecus
<p>For millions of years, Australopithecus thrived in Africa's vast landscapes, laying the groundwork for the emergence of the Homo genus. Later, alongside early members of the Homo genus, Australopithecus played a crucial role in shaping human evolution and our present-day exist ... Show More
43m 1s
May 2022
Homo erectus
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss one of our ancestors, Homo erectus, who thrived on Earth for around two million years whereas we, Homo sapiens, emerged only in the last three hundred thousand years. Homo erectus, or Upright Man, spread from Africa to Asia and it was on the Island ... Show More
51m 3s
May 2022
Homo erectus
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss one of our ancestors, Homo erectus, who thrived on Earth for around two million years whereas we, Homo sapiens, emerged only in the last three hundred thousand years. Homo erectus, or Upright Man, spread from Africa to Asia and it was on the Island ... Show More
51m 3s
Feb 2025
How Humans Became Humans: The Evolution of You and Me
Biological anthropologist "Gutsick Gibbon" walks us through 7 million years...and the evolution of human beings. VIDEO: https://youtu.be/PUZ9p4Ao4K4?si=YnZ7VLjulhys63I2 GUTSICK GIBBON: https://www.youtube.com/@GutsickGibbon Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker ... Show More
1h 52m
Dec 2023
The History of the World podcast Magazine - 25th December 2023
<p>HUMAN ANCESTORS (1) - In this episode we will be going right back to the very beginning, looking into the first upright walkers, then the australopithecines, homo habilis, homo erectus, hand tool construction, fire production and homo heidelbergensis.</p> 
31m 27s