Homo naledi, Human Evolution, Ritual Burials, & the Origins of the Human Mind | Lee Berger | #38

Nick talks to paleoanthropologist Dr. Lee Berger about human evolution. Dr. Berger is a professor of anthropology in South Africa and explorer-in-residence for National Geographic. Lee's team has mapped and explored caves all over South Africa, discovering a treasure trove of ancient human fossils. This includes the discovery of Homo naledi, an ancient human ancestor that had a much smaller brain than humans, but may have nonetheless harbored advanced cognitive abilities. Lee described the discovery of Homo naledi, human brain evolution, and why we are in a gold age of paleoanthropology. *This content is never meant to serve as medical advice. All M&M content, including podcast episodes & written content, is available on Substack. I mainly respond to questions & comments on that channel: [ mindandmatter.substack.com/ ] If you enjoy M&M content and want to provide further support, read this: [ mindandmatter.substack.com/p/how-to-support-mind-a… ] ABOUT Nick Jikomes: Nick is a neuroscientist and podcast host. He is currently Director of Science & Innovation at Leafly, a technology startup in the legal cannabis industry. He received a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Harvard University and a B.S. in Genetics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 0:00:00 Episode Intro 0:04:16 Lee Berger Intro 0:09:45 Lucy (Australopithecus) 0:13:08 Multiple Human Species 0:19:50 Determining Behavior From Fossils 0:27:50 Exploration & Discovery of New Fossils 0:35:23 Rising Star Cave System in South Africa 0:37:22 Homo naledi anatomy & skull 0:45:07 Mating Between Human Species 0:49:42 Homo naledi & Ancient Ritual Burials 0:55:07 Fossil Teeth & Ancient Diets 1:00:03 How to Find New Human Fossils 1:11:22 Funding For Paleoanthropology 1:16:15 New Homo Naledi Studies 1:18:30 Death Rituals & Ancient Drug Use 1:24:28 Final Thoughts

• #science_technology
• #anthropology
• #biological_anthropology
• #humanity
• #human_evolution
• #brain_evolution
• #fossils
• #homo_naledi
• #lee_berger
• #nick_jikomes
• #south_africa
• #rising_star_cave
• #national_geographic
• #science
• #mind_matter