Creation Story

In this episode of Radiolab, Latif Nasser interviews Ella al-Shamahi, a paleoanthropologist and evolutionary biologist, about her personal journey from being a devout creationist missionary to becoming an evolutionary biologist. Ella recounts growing up in an ultra-conservative pan-Arab community in Birmingham, England, where evolution was rejected. She details her mission to disprove Darwin's theory upon entering university, the challenges she faced as she encountered scientific evidence, and the personal crisis that led her to embrace evolution, causing her to leave her community. She also discusses the impact of Neanderthal DNA on human evolution and how her experience has shaped her approach to discussing science with those who hold differing beliefs.