Digging for humanity's origins - Louise Leakey

View full lesson: ed.ted.com/lessons/digging-for...
Louise Leakey asks, "Who are we?" The question takes her to the Rift Valley in Eastern Africa, where she digs for the evolutionary origins of humankind -- and suggests a stunning new vision of our competing ancestors.
Talk by Louise Leakey

[@dash2869]

I can't help but envy and admire the Leakeys all at once. They've done so much for the anthropology field, for humankind, and for the planet. This was a great video, I can never get enough when it comes to the hominidae, and I love Louise's vision of that 12 year old Homo erectus, her passion for her family's work really shows through in her lecture.

[@keg2014]

It's so cool to actually see the models of the interperations on how our ancestors looked. It makes me want to go to Africa and dig for fossils myself!!

[@yellowcat25]

Loved this!

[@Cylon39]

Thank you.

[@shri03992]

she says exactly what I think about humanity, I don't see why every country wants to have as many citizens as possible, sure many people are good for the economy but I say forget economy let's focus on surviving on the long run

[@theWACKIIRAQI]

Yes :) Only been in the U.S for 3 years..still working on my vocabulary

[@rocktheworld434]

Its important to remember that

[@Wadlyyardshark]

Oh man, that's actually very good spelling for 3 years! A lot of my peers make that mistake after 40 years of being only here . They're is a "contraction" for "They are". While "There" is an adverb meaning "in or at that place"

[@duantorruellas716]

I agree , And yes I make that mistake all the time , but on a different note I've always felt the phrase ," there are " has a plurality where as , "there is", sounds singular. Just a thought.

[@markcunningham2805]

It's still a very well done video

[@izuumori]

"It also comes from an intellegent Designer." How can you be so sure?

[@shri03992]

yes please send me that, it would actually really interest me!

[@JungleJargon]

It is more like a fantasy trip than a journey.

[@JungleJargon]

You just can't read or comprehend because Ham, Shem and Japeth were all brothers that survived the flood with different wives that had different mtDNA. That is the reason Africans do not have mtDNA from Neanderthal.

[@tsjoencinema]

Watch the lecture by Dr. Albert A. Bartlett on Arithmetic, Population and Energy. You'll find it on KZbin. Informative and he is funny, which makes it easy to watch.

[@LexoG33]

Then how do you explain Homo erectus, Homo rudolfensis, Homo habilis, Australopithecus afarensis, and all the other extinct hominids?

[@JerryMetal]

How about this one: The Horseshoe crab is found 450M years ago, identical to his contemporary brothers. So you could say that evolution stops if there is no reason to change. And then, we humans are 'evolved' more, if you start counting from the beginning of time. What are you thoughts?

[@ofcatarina]

9:33 Michael Stuhlbarg aka Arnold Rothstein, Boardwalk Empire.

[@UnpredictableSB]

I'll ask you this counter-thinking question. There are an estimated 20,000 genes in the human genome. The rice genome may contain as many as 27,500. Which species is inferior?

[@S0vereignX]

fighting our population is just as important as our preparation for the effects of rapid global warming, on par to that we still have to be able to innovate and create new solutions. Survival is the name of the game, its nature's rules and we are its gladiators, will we live or will we die

[@abstractfacts]

That doesn't make sense. In the U.S. those in higher income brackets are making less babies than communities with lower income. Teenage pregnancies, marriage out of wedlock, all this is more common in areas where many fathers are more likely to visit a jail cell a few times.

[@user-wt1bh2qe9q]

be or not to be ! my opinion and urs , maybe i'm wrong maybe ur but we have to listen carefully , and to not be in one line only , listen for all , then listen to ur heart what it tells u right or wrong ? ur logic will help u

[@connorminecraft1]

5:58 Enigma Machine thank you numberphile.

[@shri03992]

it IS possible through evolution: At one point many millions of years ago there happened to be some sort of insect species that for any possible reason found itself increasingly incapable of finding nourishment. At the same time (I'm talking about millions of years) there existed all kinds of microbes some of which had adapted to get their nourishment out of wood. Since they were small and weak on their own at one point they found shelter in the insect's stomach giving them energy and all that.

[@Wadlyyardshark]

“DNA is like a computer program, but far far more advanced than any software we’ve ever created.” Bill Gates, in the book “The Road Ahead” (Boulder: Blue Penguin, 1996), p228 In college I learned a complex formula for plotting exactly where a shadow from a light source on a cube would fall on a flat plane. The formula is a blueprint mathmeticians discovered (not invented).. The blueprint came before the first shadow. It also comes from an intellegent Designer.

[@AnEnglishDoctor]

The world can only support so many of us at one time. I know it sounds horrible, but unless we find a way to keep our population below a certain limit, we're going to exhaust our non-renewable resources relatively quickly.

[@Dreal116]

There isn't enough space in 500 characteristics to explain the evidence of a Creator but this short video does a good job at explaining the scientific common sense of it. Sorry about the sarcasm in it, I don't like that, but if you listen to the information you will clearly see why many people believe it's not a fairy tale.

[@mahesh7337]

I was so concerned that she would drop the skull, I couldn't pay attention..

[@user-wt1bh2qe9q]

the intellegent Designer who gives us a body and soul .. and He take them when he wants , as ours who can do it ? Doctors ? or engineers?

[@TeratoRonin]

that's not the only animal that uses mutualism, when the bacterial flora is efficient enough, the host's digestive system is dispensable. That happens in many molluscs and insects, even externally as leafcutter ants. All very well explained in many books on EVOLUTION. But of course, to understand it you first need EDUCATION. ;)

[@ninjaspion]

Maybe that's because WE NEED TO.

[@Dreal116]

It takes so much more faith to believe what this lady said than to believe God created us in His image for a purpose... "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." Colossians 2:8 "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him... Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools." Romans 1:21-22

[@eliasabrahamsson]

did she run a marathon before this

[@edwardmcarthur6153]

While we have removed the most commonly studied evolutionary pressures (namely food supply, infectious disease, etc) evolutionary pressure is impossible to remove entirely. Our species continues to evolve even now. We may not need to be as "strong" in traditional evolutionary thinking, but natural selection continues. As an example, look at prisons. We remove from the gene pool those of us who are most rebellious at precisely their prime reproductive years. Evolution marches on.

[@markcunningham2805]

I think it would make a lot more sense to devote this channel strictly to videos of flipped lesson plans that have been animated. Theres plenty of room on tedxtalks or tedtalksdirector for speaking engagements.

[@instamdgram]

Why don't they use something like the Mars rover to scan for fossils on the surface?

[@livelifegalaxy]

So this is how formal dressing is for an outdoor anthropologist haha

[@NearX01]

Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something. -Plato

[@tsjoencinema]

Maybe she forgot about that she was wearing microphone. Causing her to speak very loud.

[@Wadlyyardshark]

Once upon a time, there was nothing, and for no reason at all, poof, the nothing exploded! Then there was a tiny spec. And on the tiny spec, conditions randomly became perfect for elements to spontaneously generate Mr. Slime. And what a lucky Slime heshe was that automatically could reproduced. In time, the the Slimes realized how small they were. So they created aol, realized how they came to be, and everyone lived happily ever after or annialated one another. The end. I love that fairy story.

[@UnpredictableSB]

Okay, I see what you're saying. I misunderstood. But still, she's saying we came from Africa and not from Africans.

[@TheLaughingOut]

No animal in the world can be "less evolved." Every form of life evolved from a single starting point in time. Every form of life, therefore, is exactly as evolved as every other.

[@JungleJargon]

No post-flood ancient civilization is older than about 5,000 years by their own accounting.

[@ZackGisme]

He actually just answered your question and you ignored it. Well done big boy...

[@user-wt1bh2qe9q]

interresting to search more for the truth

[@AtheistOnTheEdge]

The word "species" is a description of how a life form exists in its present form. If you were to wind the clock back or forward 100 000 years, that same species would be slightly different. There's probably several million generations between Homo Erectus and Homo Neanderthals and each generation would be slightly different. So you could say that each new generation is itself a new species, because reproductive isolation is not always a barrier between species.

[@JungleJargon]

You have to prove objects made you before you can say I am wrong.

[@Skaramoosh5]

In April 2012 a 13 year old Yemen girl died from injuries suffered to her womb during intercourse.

[@Wadlyyardshark]

I would guess it's because it took millions of years for Pam Anderson to evolve.

[@DaRealFiberOptix]

terence mckenna, alan watts

[@Phuild]

Did your colleague find the largest rock yet?

[@user-wt1bh2qe9q]

thank you for that, it is not about smart , it is about wise,cos every human being is a smart , but different smart, not about I Q , about how to do it in good way , about feeries and funny stories , yes may be when we were young , we listened and we like them as stories , but now we think wisely and logically , so we have keep to know more and more , does Science have a red Line ? or a stop station ?No. وقل ربي زدني علما if we need to discuss it logically and Scientific things , I'm ready

[@MAFiA303]

Who used internet explorer? 12:35 this version is extinct like her fossils.

[@beegum1]

That is to say, population growth due to new people, and not due to health care, that is, fertility rates above replacement don't occur as as popular especially liberal standard in populations that do the most harm and in those places with high fertility rates consumption is low, thus, blaming numbers is ironically regressive. Instead of proudly stating they will seek to be like us, we should seek to fix our own ecology to accept us.

[@Wadlyyardshark]

"nothing exploded". It's true, I lied about that part of your fairy tale. I'll change it for tonight's bedtime story.

[@TeratoRonin]

UFF!!!, Luckily he was not dropped the skull, had me very nervous :P

[@JungleJargon]

You are projecting. Africans are Hamites while Euro-Asians are Japethites that had a different mother, hence the different mtDNA. Hamites went to Africa while Japethites *with a different mother* went to Asia and Europe.

[@Dreal116]

That's not my argument at all, idk if you came up with that conclusion out of sarcasm or my lack of explanation, but obviously there can only be ONE truth and if I based what I believe simply off "many people believe it's not a fairy tale" then that's pure ignorance. I've done my own research, just as I hope you have, and know that I'm not the one living a "fairy tale". I don't believe in Creation only bc of religion, but also many VALID scientists oppose the theory of man evolving from apes.

[@S0vereignX]

that Mouth of Africa thing was freaky, lol. but still not enough for me to get back into that ancient astronaut shit, thank god.........or not, who the hell really knows.....

[@user-wt1bh2qe9q]

may be coz she was afraid , or may be there were a puzzle lost , so she couldn't give us the real thing or the truth ,we have to keep searching for the Truth . who we are and why we are here

[@Wadlyyardshark]

I presume it's the same One who designed all.

[@nonnels]

which god do you believe in?

[@Wadlyyardshark]

Adam was told to REPLENISH the earth. He came on the scene long after it's creation and after what's referred to as the "disruption" according to a literal word for word transcript of scripture. Gen 1 and 2 say the earth "became a chaos and vacant"; not "was without form and void" as the King James construed it.

[@user-wt1bh2qe9q]

I'm ready for that . in one condition : let our hearts open coz when they locked nothing will open it excepted by Allah and thank you for ur kidness

[@Dreal116]

Have you ever heard the names Louis Pasteur, James Joule, Joseph Lister, George Washington Carver, Gregor Mendel, or Warner Von Braun? Were you ever taught that the “fathers” of pasteurization, thermodynamics, antiseptic surgery, genetics, and modern rocketry all opposed Darwin’s ideas? Maybe yes or no, but if you don't "trust my research" then maybe you can respect theirs.

[@JungleJargon]

Yes Noah's ancestors are Adam and Eve, It is also true that we are not all Africans because Noah had three sons. The descendants of one of them went to Africa, others stayed in the general area and others went to Europe and Asia.

[@uber301]

Nervous. Ooooo, nervous.

[@user-wt1bh2qe9q]

i do respect ur believes , so plz respect mine and others , and plz tell me what's wrong in my religion to be sure if about science and Quran , i can give you many examples for matching ,, so we are in discussion tell me about the ridicoulous to discuss them if you can complete our discussion , and thank you , can you tell about sciences,qnd what is ur degree ,, thx

[@TheLaughingOut]

Evolution doesn't stop. Mutations continue to occur and survival continues to dictate which variations work and which don't. You can't be evolved more, you can only be evolved differently. More than that though, evolution is not some point of pride. Groups evolve to be darker, lighter, faster, slower, stronger, weaker, smarter, dumber, none of which is any better because they all come about in order to survive.

[@Wadlyyardshark]

I think you mean "They're".

[@user-wt1bh2qe9q]

if you believe in God or Not , Mr I wanna ask you something : did you decide to come to this world ? plz think of it

[@ZackGisme]

You're*. As for your termite dilemma it's simple. Termites and their ancestors didn't eat wood before they acquired the bacteria and the bacteria and their ancestors weren't constrained to living ONLY in the termites. Both of these traits (wood eating and needing to live in the gut) developed over time. The only way this doesn't make sense is if you refuse to believe species evolve, but that worldview brings about a host of issues as well.

[@JungleJargon]

There is no other human history besides the Mayan, Chinese, Egyptian, Hindu and Sumerian civilizations except for the history from before that time, before everything living on earth was buried by a global flood. Hamites went to Africa, Japethites went to Asia, Europe and America, Semites remained in the surrounding areas while some went to Europe, America and Africa. Japethites have mtDNA from Neanderthals so they did not come from Africa.

[@Dreal116]

And 1st I'm not offended by your arrogant words or tone because I hope for God to show you the same grace He has shown me. 2nd, I completely understand why you misunderstood my first comment about the whole "fairy tale". That of course wasn't my argument but it was my fault for assuming that you would RESPECT my beliefs right away. 3rd, I’ve talked to enough people like you to know this will go nowhere so I'll leave you with this: Satan's greatest trick was convincing the world he didn't exist.

[@TeratoRonin]

No one could believe a troll who calls himself "WisdomKillsAtheism"

[@HigherPlanes]

we're replicating DNA

[@user-wt1bh2qe9q]

we are all Humans , to have a white sking or anything else , we are humans and brothers and sisters , we have same origin :)

[@shri03992]

of course we need children to survive but not as many as the average human being gets nowadays

[@JLDREAMS]

I think he was being sarcastic though...

[@user-wt1bh2qe9q]

Mr DArio . I liked ur comment , and Thank Allah to let ur heart open for these , and I respect all and their believes, and I hope u will search more to discover more , yes Satan do many thing , even convince many humans that there is no God,even he believes in Him, and Allah who creates Ibliss and Adam

[@projectfortatjana]

theory.....could be right, coud be wrong. sorry for my bad english

[@takunx]

how are africans more dominant species? what have they done thays totaly better then everyone else?

[@user-wt1bh2qe9q]

sorry , Mr. you have right in something , I'd like to know what about the research , and I'd like did you search about Bible and Quran ? and what about Allah or God , and from where this life come from ? life and death ?? why we still alive ? and when we will gonna die ?

[@thatflightsimguy]

5th

[@user-wt1bh2qe9q]

thank you Mr, good to know that from you,. it is not to be or not to be a Muslim , you know it depends on knowledge , and , Islam and Chrestiannity and Jewish , have the same origine, but Persons changed in the last relegions , but still Islam on and won't change , why ? coz it is one Quran , one Prophet one Guide that Muslims follow, and Muslims don't deny the other Prophets , coz they had one Message to tell for their people.? plz ask urself , from where I come, and why

[@user-wt1bh2qe9q]

first humans Adam and Eve , Saudi Arabia, then their children & propagate but after flood water , the Ark of Noah was founded in Turkey , so the humans and animals who survived back from there if u know more tell us plz

[@JungleJargon]

You saying objects made you is a fairy story. Science requires a Maker of every directed working function because no thing in nature is able to direct any working functions of any kind.

[@tobyallen1775]

I'm relatively well versed in the big bang, though not my area of study.Anthropology is my thing,I've read thousands of creation myths,the Quran doesn't stand out, it's just like all other myths, follows the same story line as other myths. Your problem is your inability to think critically.You'd make a great Mormon. Similar story there too,guy wanders off, visited by an angel,comes back with an amazing story and no evidence, says that believing without evidence is virtuous, See a pattern?

[@WisdomKillsAtheism]

I'm sorry but that theory has been debunked already, I was trying to find the source from the scientists review for you. If I find it I'll link it to you.

[@rajeshsahani6851]

We need thanos

[@pnutbutrncrackers]

I find much in this TED talk to question. I'm sensitive to oversimplified, favored philosophy presented as science and unquestionable fact. Also, the audience seems ready to accept and applaud immediately anything whatever that the speaker might care to put forward. Always a red flag for me, regardless of the worldview.

[@Wadlyyardshark]

I think you mean "Santa Claus".

[@tobyallen1775]

I know the verse, I also assumed you lived in Jordan. I didn't fail, I said spin on the cosmic egg, "in the beginning_____ separated the heavens and earth",earth from water it's a reoccurring theme in mythology. Six years ago you might have been on track to lead a life of knowledge and discovery, you've since derailed yourself. A great many refutations to the claim you're making exist, I find it hard to believe that you actually believe it. The heavens (universe) and earth are still joined.

[@tobyallen1775]

It's special to you because you have a predisposition to it. To someone who isn't indoctrinated, isn't enculturated , it's simply bad mythology. The works of Homer are far superior in there writing yet no one fears Poseidon, if not for the childish fear of eternal damnation and the real threat of violence the Quran and the Bible would be looked at as third rate fiction. Proof? You want to know the myths that inspired Judaism>Christianity then Islam? I'd be happy to educate you if you so desire.

[@user-wt1bh2qe9q]

is that mean knowledge of a good discussion ? to be a stupid better than to be ignorant .:) for me plz open ur heart and ur books

[@Tupster]

Projecting? I think you need to look up exactly what that means. As for everything else you said, there is no need to refute it because it is all fairy stories.

[@basestudent]

Fourth! :close enough:

[@AtheistOnTheEdge]

"many people believe it's not a fairy tale." So your argument is that, because many people believe something to be true, this is what makes it true? That's not a valid argument.

[@TeratoRonin]

no, but it makes you less arrogant "big boy"

[@user-wt1bh2qe9q]

yes , and his ancesters are Adam and Eve .

[@user-wt1bh2qe9q]

can I tell u why ? coz in this life , humans like to have money and children , so this is our nature , indeed in these years , many thing are precious for human , house , work , cars , anything , but no family as in many countries like USA , so why do we have many children ? but in fact , for surviving on the earth we have to have children , good ones .not bad , to keep earth good and clean , and to go after death to paradise if Allah wants