Prologue: The (Very Simple) Story of the Human Brain ~ Suzana Herculano-Houzel
I'm excited to announce that On Humans is launching a new series this fall! This one will explore the wonders of the human brain. The new episodes will drop throughout September and early October. To ...
28 Aug 202550min
The Great Question of History: India, Britain, and the Fates of Nations | Live at the British Academy
Why did the great powers of Asia stagnate whilst Europe was rising? This question—often called the Great Divergence—is one of the most defining questions of modern history.Few case studies illuminate ...
16 Aug 202526min
Encore | Why Agriculture? Climate Change and the Origins of Farming ~ Andrea Matranga
Climate. Weathers. History.Here's an encore episode to wrap up the mini-series on these themes!This episode on the puzzling origins of farming is one of my all-time favourites on the show. I thought i...
6 Aug 202558min
Climate, Water, and the Origins of Colonialism ~ Tirthankar Roy
Before they built empires, the Europeans built ports.Across Africa and Asia, European sailors arrived as merchants. They traded and negotiated. They defended their interests—sometimes with cannon fire...
19 Juli 202555min
How Climate Crafted Humanity (Or Did It?) ~ Jessica Thompson
On Humans is back from the break! To mark the summer heat, here is a two-part series on how climate has shaped the human story. In next week's episodes, we will explore the role of water and weather i...
7 Juli 20251h 6min
An Essential Difference? Males, Females, and the Spaces In Between ~ Augustín Fuentes
Binary thinking is out of fashion. But what about biological sex?Whatever we might say about diversity and fluidity, the ideas of “male” and “female” seem essential in biology. I’ve taught the subject...
9 Maj 20251h 1min
The Rest is History: From the Origins of Farming to the Dawn of Modernity ~ Johannes Krause
And so it ends! In the final episode of The Origins of Humankind, we explore the aftermath of the story so far—the story of how one peculiar species, Homo sapiens, evolved, spread, and outlived its re...
25 Apr 20251h 3min
A Human Like No Other: The Rise of Homo Sapiens ~ Johannes Krause
The time has come: This is where our story truly begins.In Episode 4 of The Origins of Humankind, we finally turn the spotlight on Homo sapiens. Guiding us through this journey is Johannes Krause, dir...
16 Apr 20251h 10min
