These hips don't lie. Amber and Anna talk with paleoanthropologist Mayowa Adegboyega about her research on the evolution of the pelvis. Mayowa also gives us some insights on the experience of being Black in academia, and how she uses science communication and the occasional silliness to make anthropology more accessible.
Read MoreAmber and Anna are holding their very own Pod Pride Parade this week! We talk about the possible genetic influences behind human sexuality and discuss instances of queerness in archaeology (and some TRULY bad takes from news outlets). We also discuss gay icons from ancient history, badass queer archaeologists, and more!
Read MoreThis week, Anna and Amber chat with researcher, author, science communicator, founding TrowelBlazer, and wearer of many hats, Dr. Brenna Hassett! We learn that we've all got a mouthful of clocks, that women have always been a part of the digging sciences, and that networks truly matter.
Read MoreThis week, Anna and Amber have foraged up an episode all about hunting and gathering. We also examine anthropology and ethnography, and the problematic origins of these disciplines. We discuss the Grandmother Hypothesis, wax rhapsodic about salmon, and... Amber tells another honey story.
Read MoreThis week, Anna and Amber voyage to the island of Rapa Nui, famous for its monumental stone heads, and for the idea that its islanders caused their own collapse through environmental exploitation. Turns out, that's probably not what happened! Tune in to learn more about what archaeology and anthropology can tell us about the real stories of the Rapanui people.
Read MoreAnna and Amber fill your brain mug with piping hot knowledge about the archaeology, genetics, and culture behind some of our favorite morning drinks.
Read MoreAnna and Amber make a long-overdue trip to Australia this week. How did humans get there? How long ago did they arrive? What have they been doing since then? We cover these and other big brain-exploding topics for your education and entertainment!
Read MoreWe've talked tiny plants, but this week we're going EVEN SMALLER. Anna and Amber chat with Dr. Kristen Wroth, who studies plant micro-remains like phytoliths to learn about ancient human behavior. We talk about favorite plants, field stories, and more!
Read MoreLike most of you, we've been staying at home for the past several weeks, so we thought--what better way to distract our listeners from their households than a look at other people's households! Anna and Amber talk about how archaeologists' concept of "house" and "home" and "living space" has shifted over the years, and take a look at some ancient examples of home life.
Read MoreCue the tense cinematic score. We’re talking about art crimes, both solved and unsolved! Heists, forgeries, and criminal masterminds abound, as we discuss the “value” of art, and why the black market for art and antiquities continues to thrive.
Read MoreThis week, Anna and Amber look into the origin stories of some of the most widespread and enduring myths and monsters. Where do these beasties come from? How do they shift as they enter different cultures? Throughout history, how have people used the mythological to explain the unexplainable?
Read MoreAnna and Amber venture beneath the waves this week to bring you an episode about shipwrecks and underwater archaeology! We visit a few of the most famous ships in Davy Jones' Locker, Amber learns that underwater archaeology means more than "just pick it up from the bottom," and Anna dusts off that pirate accent.
Read MoreThe grass is always greener on the other side (of the Holocene). What is today a vast and inhospitable home to many people and creatures was, between ten and five thousand years ago, a lush environment replete with lakes, forests, and grasses. We examine the first clues that suggested a Green Sahara to researchers, explore the technologies and societies that lived there, and contemplate what the Sahara’s past might suggest about its future.
Read MoreSettle into your comfiest chair for Book Club with Anna and Amber this week. We talk about our favorite books, movies, and TV shows with archaeological or anthropological themes! We've also got some tips for listeners on how to get your literary fix while you're sheltering in place.
Read MoreThis year's April Fool's Day episode is on the biggest thing that never was: giants! Dive normal-sized-headfirst into conspiracy theories and hoaxes surrounding giants in the archaeological record, and meet some giants that didn't exist in Saudi Arabia, India, the Caucasus, and Appalachia.
Read MoreAnna and Amber chat with Dr. Madelynn von Baeyer about archaeological plants. How do you find 'em? What can they tell us? What's the best archaeological plant? And what does any of this have to do with MUMMIES?!?
Read MoreAnna and Amber chat with Dr. Briana Pobiner, a researcher and educator at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History's Human Origins Program. We talk favorite hominins, meat science, evolutionary education, how to get the most out of a frolic through the museum, and some of the zillion other things Dr. Pobiner does.
Read MoreIn this episode, Amber and Anna talk about talking. It’s finally an episode on linguistics! We think about Neanderthal speech, wrestle with syntax and semantics, and have a whole language family reunion.
Read MoreThis week, Anna and Amber take a look at foodways in the archaeological record of North America. What does archaeological evidence say about what was cooked, who was cooking, and what vessels were used to prepare and store food? What evidence is there for recreating ancient and pre-contact diets? How does this fit in with contemporary food sovereignty movements among Indigenous people? How great are potatoes? All this and more!
Read MoreThis week, Anna and Amber are joined by Dr. Damien Huffer, a bioarchaeologist and crime fighter. Dr. Huffer’s work was featured way, way back in Episode 36, “The Unsettling Business of Curating Human Remains,” and Anna and Amber are keen to learn more. How does one get into this line of work? What makes people want to own parts of other people? What’s being done to stop trafficking, and what lies ahead?
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