The Big Mysteries of Human Evolution

By: Dr. Elen Feuerriegel, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Dr. Elen Feurriegel

Who are we? Where did we come from?

These aren’t flippant questions, in the least. For millennia, poets, artists, philosophers, politicians, historians, scientists, and spiritual leaders have grappled with them because their answers could hold the key to explaining the complexities of human existence.

Creating a coherent picture of our earliest relatives can be a challenging undertaking. Even with recent scientific developments and archaeological discoveries, there’s still a lot we don’t know about the evolution of the human species. Crucial pieces of the puzzle are still missing, and every new discovery—fossil or otherwise—has the potential to rewrite our understanding of our own family tree.

In 10 riveting episodes, paleoanthropologist Elen Feuerriegel takes you on an unrivaled tour of the human fossil record in search of the biological and behavioral underpinnings of our very “humanness”. Big Mysteries of Human Evolution draws on current research to highlight (and maybe even help solve) these and other enduring mysteries about our closest ancestors: how the first bipeds took their first steps, how tools gave humans a cutting edge over other species, how early social groups (and diets) were structured, and how modern humans evolved to become the dominant species on the planet.

Think of this Audible Original as On the Origin of Species—updated for the 21st century.

©2022 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2022 Audible Originals, LLC.

Fascinating

A fascinating overview of human evolution by one of the members of the Rising Star team that went down into the treacherous cave to recover the skeletal remains of Homo naleti and ancient hominid species. Outstanding and fun!

LOVE IT

Narration is excellent. Easy evolutionary history lesson for the curious, fun for the scientist.

Fantastic and refreshingly unbiased assessment

The analysis and assessment of information in this audio book is fantastic. Unbiased analysis and interpretation of material throughout which is the most magnificent thing in todays world of constantly being told what and how to think. If only everyone could read this and have a better understanding.

Very current content

I enjoyed this audiobook, with its very current content. Excellent listen
Narrator is lovely 😊 as well

Good but dense

Interesting but very dense and dry. Felt more like a rushed reading of lecture notes or a textbook vs journey through time