Skip to main content

Up Next

Are We All Related?

Are We All Related?

Season 5 Episode 16
6:06
Why Do Fireflies Have Blinky Bottoms?

Why Do Fireflies Have Blinky Bottoms?

Season 5 Episode 23
4:22
How Do Glaciers Move?

How Do Glaciers Move?

Season 5 Episode 26
6:30
When Is It Winter On Other Planets?

When Is It Winter On Other Planets?

Season 5 Episode 29
5:00
How Poop Shapes the World

How Poop Shapes the World

Season 5 Episode 30
3:34
Do You Really Have Two Brains?

Do You Really Have Two Brains?

Season 5 Episode 33
4:20
Back to Show
It's Okay to Be Smart

Why Are We The Only Humans Left?

Season 5 Episode 14

In part 2 of our special series on human ancestry, we ask why we are the only surviving branch on the human evolutionary tree. Just 50,000-100,000 years ago, Earth was home to three or four separate human species, including our most famous cousins: the Neanderthals. New research has shown that Neanderthals were not the brutish, unintelligent cavemen that cartoons make them out to be.

Sign up now for inspiring and thought-provoking media delivered straight to your inbox.
Support Provided By
Season
How the CIA Secretly Spied On Climate Change
17:58
How the CIA used Cold War technology to study and combat climate change
Why Y Is a Vowel According to Physics (and so is W)
13:58
The secret physics at the core of every syllable, starting with the first words we speak.
How To Go Faster Than Light Speed
9:56
The glow from faster-than-light particles gives us a unique way to explore the universe.
The Mystery Behind Earth’s Most Epic Migration
10:40
A mysterious and highly impactful phenomenon that scientists are still learning about.
Why Does Every Animal Look Like This?
9:10
Countershading is everywhere, and it may be nature’s most successful form of camouflage.
Can We Solve the Air Conditioning Paradox?
12:59
Global warming means more air conditioning…causing more warming 🤦. Could new chemistry he
What Makes Birds, Beetles, and Bubbles Shine So Beautifully?
14:49
How does iridescence work? From rainbow bubbles to beautiful birds, bugs, and gemstones.
The Dark Origins of the Scientific Method
11:53
Under house arrest in Egypt, one mathematician transformed how we examine the world.
Do All Animals Play?
8:32
Animals as simple as bees and as complex as you and me and have fun too!
Why Embarrassment Is Actually Good For You
13:10
We explore why embarrassment has lasted through evolution and its function.
In Search of the Blackest Thing on Earth
13:49
We are in search of the blackest black things on Earth and why.
The Unexpected Measure that Makes the Modern World Tick
14:24
Knowing exactly what a “second” is is more complicated than you might think!
Active loading indicator