How did we go from ancient apes to the dominant species on Earth? The story of human evolution is one of survival, adaptation, and extinction - stretching back 7 million years.

In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. Henry Gee to unravel the complex origins of humanity. From the first bipedal hominins to the evolutionary leaps that set Homo sapiens apart, together they explore why humans evolved from long-armed tree dwellers to upright walkers and discuss the the advantages that bipedalism gave our ancestors over other species.

More from Henry Gee:

The Origins of Life on Earth: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Rb4OcjbmsjIHpFemJ7mmO

Feathered Dinosaurs: https://open.spotify.com/episode/05wbG2dMp174D10gP30kIj

More on this topic:

Homo Erectus: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3MjgWtiENDpVXc5qv77oTy

Human Evolution: Dragon Man: https://open.spotify.com/episode/128XsUffcThVirTghas7OA

Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan, the producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds

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Rise of Humans

The Ancients