EFR 751: Cave of Bones - A True Story of Discovery, Adventure, and Human Origins with Dr. Lee Berger
Ever Forward Radio with Chase Chewning
Chase Chewning
5 • 927 Ratings
🗓️ 25 October 2023
⏱️ 50 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Prepare for a journey to a time when an ancient species co-existed with Homo sapiens. My esteemed guest, Dr. Lee Berger - one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people of the year - and I will take you deep into the heart of this captivating past. We will navigate the uncharted waters of human evolution, guided by the discovery of Homo Naledi, a discovery that challenges our very notion of what it means to be human.
Follow Lee @thefossilvault
Follow Chase @chase_chewning
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In this episode, you will learn...
- Dr. Lee Berger's discovery of Homo Naledi, a new species in human evolution, drastically challenges traditional understandings of human evolution. The species exhibited complex cultural practices such as mortuary rituals and engraving symbols, pushing the limits of our understanding of non-human culture.
- The Homo Naledi species co-existed with Homo sapiens hundreds of thousands of years ago. The discovery contradicts the previous narrative that Homo sapiens were the only species in Africa, leading to a reevaluation of our assumptions in the field of archaeology and human evolution.
- The Homo Naledi species was found in extremely difficult-to-reach caves, showcasing the complexity and extent of their behaviors. The very use of these caves for their cultural practices, combined with the discovery of symbols, fires, and tools, suggests a higher level of intelligence and complexity than previously assumed for non-human species.
- The discovery of Homo Naledi had a profound personal impact on Dr. Berger. Not only did it challenge his understanding of human evolution, but it also put his life at risk during the exploration process.
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Episode resources:
- Enroll in the 2024 Ever Forward Mentorship
- Learn more about Cave of Bones book and the documentary-series on Netflix
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The following is an Operation Podcast Production. |
| 0:04.0 | What the discovery of Homonealei in the Rising Star Cave of South Africa says is that we The |
| 0:15.0 | discovery of Homeletti in the Rising Star Cave of South Africa says that we've discovered a culture of a non-human species that's not our grave. |
| 0:20.0 | They have a brain that's a third the size of ours it's in the range of chimpanzees they walk |
| 0:23.6 | on two legs but almost everything else about their anatomy is very very |
| 0:26.9 | different from us they're they're not a large brain adaptation to this world like we are and they did it maybe a hundred to |
| 0:36.0 | a hundred and fifty thousand years before we even thought of such things. |
| 0:40.0 | We had had all these problems we couldn't explain. |
| 0:43.5 | Why they're there alone, why we had found some, we found one little head on a shelf, a limestone shelf. |
| 0:49.5 | We'd found a skeleton stuck into an alcove and everything was adding up that this was not just some |
| 0:56.1 | bed of bones lying on the ground and as we were excavating we'd excavated this bed of bones |
| 1:01.3 | to see its extent and we'd hit sterile soil, then we hit this oval feature. |
| 1:05.2 | And as I realized what that was, I leant back and I said, I think that's a grave. |
| 1:10.6 | I'm Dr. Leiburger, Explorer in Residence at the National Geographic Society, and this is Ever Forward Radio. |
| 1:18.0 | Since 2018, I've been running a small group coaching program called the Ever Forward mentorship and we are gearing up to open up enrollment for the 2024 round. |
| 1:27.0 | If you are here listening to this message right now, this means a few things probably have already happened or you're in the process of making them |
| 1:33.7 | happen. You realize that you want more out of life a true sense of fulfillment. You |
| 1:38.0 | want to be personally and professionally better, more efficient and effective. You seek to empower yourself and more importantly, those around you. You believe that high performance results come from high performance habits. |
| 1:50.0 | In the mentorship, we will develop a plan around what you need to be successful, what you want to happen most in your life, all the while fostering a community of growth with other like-minded people. |
| 2:00.0 | And if you're looking for a more effective way to reach more people, add more value to both yours and their daily lives, and create the impact you want in this world. |
| 2:07.0 | If you're looking for fulfillment from your job, your relationships yourself, this is for you. |
| 2:12.0 | And to get on the list for early enrollment |
... |
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