The Power of Adaptability with Herman Pontzer

StarTalk Radio

Star Talk, Nature, Scientist, Education, Astronomy, Astronomer, Physics, Earth Science, Neil Degrasse Tyson, Startalk, Cosmos, Science, Spacetime, Universe, Astrophysics, Astrophysicist, Quantum Physics, Space, Climate Science, Multiverse, Nasa

4.6 • 14.1K Ratings

🗓️ 25 July 2025

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What’s the science of what makes humans special? Neil deGrasse Tyson, Chuck Nice, and Gary O’Reilly explore how we evolved to be different from eachother, what's up with Neanderthal DNA, and humanity's superpower with evolutionary anthropologist, Herman Pontzer.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Wow. I feel like I more deeply understand who I am in this world.
0:05.5	It's the way it goes.
0:06.4	As a biological entity.
0:08.8	I feel like I more deeply understand Neanderthal sex.
0:13.3	Some perspectives on the origin of who and what we are coming up on special edition welcome to star talk
0:26.8	your place in the universe where science and pop culture collide star talk begins right now
0:37.1	this is star talk special edition StarTalk begins right now.
0:40.7	This is StarTalk Special Edition.
0:45.5	Today, we're going to be talking about the human condition.
0:51.4	That is centerline to what StarTalk Special Edition is all about.
0:55.9	And, of course, if it's special edition, it means we've got Gary O'Reilly.
1:01.1	Hey, Neil. All right, Gary. Yep. Former soccer pro. Yes. And of course, Chuck Nice. I get you, baby. Hey, what's happening. So, Gary, tell me about the human condition and what's going to happen
1:06.1	today. All right. I suppose in many ways this is the specialist edition, because we are talking about the science behind the things that make us different, that make us special.
1:18.2	And that's, as a species, makes us adaptable.
1:22.8	So what makes us specially mean, which makes our species special?
1:25.8	Yeah.
1:26.2	Among all species of life on Earth.
1:27.9	I mean, humans have survived and thrived in just about every location, every climate on Earth.
1:33.5	Well, so far that is.
1:35.4	The things are changing.
1:36.6	This adaptability has seen the human form take many different body shape, sizes, blood types, and skin colors.
1:44.1	Yet, with all this uniqueness,
	...

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