Zeresenay Alemseged: Finding the origins of humanity

www.ted.com Paleoanthropologist Zeresenay Alemseged looks for the roots of humanity in Ethiopia's badlands. Here he talks about finding the oldest skeleton of a humanoid child -- and how Africa holds the clues to our humanity.
TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers are invited to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes -- including speakers such as Jill Bolte Taylor, Sir Ken Robinson, Hans Rosling, Al Gore and Arthur Benjamin. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, politics and the arts. Watch the Top 10 TEDTalks on TED.com, at
www.ted.com/ind...

[@crudhousefull]

How great is this man. So young and probably had to work to reach the top amidst incredible challenges

[@lets.7860]

You gave me a teary eyes professor. Born in the same region as you, in Tigray. Mahalo ☮️🕊

[@peterhartman55]

I love archaeology, great idea!

[@yancur]

very nice video! Thank you TED! :)

[@xtrashed]

African people will be and will always be a spiritual and religious people. It is at our core That will never change. Even though we have differing views, I hope that you understand what I am saying, and if you don't understand something within the Bible you actually do some research, instead of making false assumptions based on something you dont understand. I hope that doesn't sound rude! Anyway, I'm leaving this board now, won't be posting, I wish you a Happy Christ-Mass and God Bless You :D

[@johnnyboylean]

this was great and fun to watch. he's a good speaker.

[@ChowMeinWarrior]

Thank you!

[@gillumine]

excellent, beautiful message from a beautiful man.

[@sexdrugsRnR]

that was awesome.. great addition to science.

[@GregoryFesto]

that was nice how he tied our ancestry into a positive wish for the future.

[@HakatRe]

Excellent Video! Very well spoken.

[@navnsi06]

super presentation...so informative

[@xtrashed]

Even Time magazine in 1988 I think, Richard Osling made the comment 'One thing we can not deny the Christians, he said, is the documentation that is available across the centuries, nothing in ancient literature matches. So when you've got this kind of documentation, this kind of accuracy, that kind of a person, in the person of Christ, I think you've got compelling pretty evidence to see why it is we need to take Christ seriously.

[@quantumquestthebillionaire1527]

What a load of rubbish ,having to bring in religion into this talk. these bones remains are from a vastly different time period i.e millions of years not 6-10 thousand years as you think the time period of your book?A book that is a copy of a copy of yet another copy translated from one language to another ,with no original and you say ACCURACY please get a grip and go watch dennis prager or Ken Ham and keep your religious bull out of channels like this .. Hopefully since it has been 10 years since your post you have become less indoctrinated but i doubt it ?

[@xtrashed]

The Big Bang itself shows as dramatically as possible that the universe in its entirety came into being and is therefore contingent, that is to say, in need of a cause. Since time and space commenced with the Big Bang, the cause of the universe must be outside of space and time, which is to say, infinite and eternal.

[@xtrashed]

Ravi Zacherias once said a great thing, He said, if the Bible made several assertions, one after another, that you have found out to be false, either historically or philosophically, or in the existential realm, and you continue to see that kind of systemic contradiction and failure, then you have reason to believe that I can not really trust this document. It is not in keeping with history, or indeed reality.

[@xtrashed]

My point is that the universal intelligibility of reality---which must be the starting point for all science, is a mystery that calls out for an explanation. Why should it be the case that laws of tremendous mathematical complexity should obtain at both the microcosmic and macrocosmic levels? Science can't dispute this, precisely because it rests on it. I think that a very reasonable explanation is that these laws are the work of a supreme personal intelligence.

[@Hesse3]

Very good and inspiring to see this humble scientist. Christians: Please keep an open mind. Study your bible, study the science, and carefully weigh the differences and similarities and see what makes sense in the end. Trust your minds. If you think god created you, your mind should be able to figure out the truth.

[@hailekredae6946]

"positive African attitude towards Africa" .. Prof. Zeresenay

[@darkphenox]

Well we came from apes, a small subgroup of apes that is why there are still other apes. Now you ask why they do not evolve into humans? its because Humans are not the end goal of evolution, it is being what is best suited for the niche, humans evolved they way they did because of where they lived and what was around them, other apes did not and that is why we see what we do today.

[@janethcabanas3481]

yes exactly.

[@xtrashed]

Believe me, friend, you don't know what you're talking about! The creation narrative in the book of Genesis is not a child's story, but a theological account of the beginnings of things. It is teaching us, in poetic, evocative language, many fundamental truths about God and his relation to the world. It teaches that all reality comes from the creative power of an intelligence that stands outside of nature and finitude

[@theeddiechew]

some of your answers might be in 2:23

[@xtrashed]

In Genesis 1, Verse 24: "And God said, 'Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.' And it was so." Could that not be understood to mean that God had already designed into the Plan that life would learn for itself how to manage and grow and progress in the environment provided!

[@revlic]

Win!

[@africamymom5163]

In ethiopia and Eritrea my mother land is human origin.

[@liqwidmediaworkztv]

That diagram at 10:00 clearly shows arm length, foot and hand shape, and ribcage of something else not human.

[@xtrashed]

Do you know how many Prophecies in the Old Testament were fulfilled!? Look at the prophecy of Isaiah, and see how Christ is going to suffer, you immediately see the supernatural. You take the miraculous element, you take the historical element, you look into the scriptures and you see there is an authenticity. And it all points to one perfect person, the person of Christ.

[@xtrashed]

As is often the case in the spiritual life, it's not the what; it's the how. atheists, Buddhists, Hindus, and Christians all see the same world, the same data. But they interpret the data differently. What matters is the pattern. You atheists say that the pattern is time, matter, random mutation, and natural selection; we Christians say that the pattern (the Logos) precedes matter and time and became apparent in Jesus. Hence, we experience the same tragedies, but we read them differently.

[@xtrashed]

The basis of science is the fundamental intelligibility of being. Where does that come from, pray tell. How do you explain the fact that every corner of existence is imbued with reason. The physical sciences emerged precisely from a Christian intellectual milieu, and that is not accidental.

[@DK0526]

Yes they have/are evolving and in different ways...in fact potatoes have a larger chromosome more (genetic information) Then humans. So semantically and technically you are correct. It is very un-pc to point out differences in racial intelligence though..It invokes a knee jerk response.

[@zohanthecat]

what a kind thing to say Lyndall. It's the dream of small penised men everywhere to rise up and feel accepted. The struggle has it's ups and downs, of course, and it's been hard, but the time is coming when any small penised man can will be able to wear a speedo without shame!

[@jmedlin81]

TedTalks censors speakers that don't parrot conventional party-line. Please read this (blog.ted.com/2013/03/14/open-for-discussion-graham-hancock-and-rupert-sheldrake/), about their recent removal of the videos of two speakers, and especially check out the slew of posts in response to this censorship. . . very enlightening.

[@Hottides]

Better still to STRAP THE BIBLE and embrace our true origins and heritage. Forget about Genesis and other ignorant myths, and honor the struggle and triumph of our ancestors, as revealed and crowned by our scientific achievements and revelations.

[@xtrashed]

Mind your language. There are no 'ignorant myths' in the Bible! If you think there is, either you have never read the Bible properly, you have grossly mis-interpreted something, or you have done no research. The Bible is part of African heritage. Do you know many times Ethiopia is in the Bible? Never mind Egypt and other African states.

[@IAteYourTV]

African american? Wow, i didn't know our ancestors in Africa were americans.

[@xtrashed]

Sorry. I meant Christ said there was no proof to those in doubt

[@xtrashed]

Bruce Metzeger who is a scholar from Princeton made the comment, he said' After you take the 20,000 lies of the New Testament, it is safe for any scholar to say there is a at least a 99.6% accuracy. No ancient document, none, has the kind of documentary support that the Bible has. Over 5000 documents!

[@merawimikre]

The most successful species in the universe. heh? I like that anyways.

[@xanithkl]

he's hot...

[@xtrashed]

Science is brilliant, but even Science Professors and Scholars have said that it will never answer everything, such as the origin of the Universe! Look up: Theistic evolution

[@yyourfacee]

prometheus lol

[@darj617]

you lost me at we all came from Africa...

[@aingealagfirinne5333]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but Africa is not the only place that there is troubling issues. Please, look at other countries and their histories before picking one that you are strongly sensing feelings for. Also, most of you evolutionists must be careful with your words when speaking about where people came from. Not all people believe in such things. You have freedom of speech/free will to speak, do, feel, and think as you desire/want/will whatnot. So do other people. Do not assume all people on earth believe in what is spoken by you evolutionist believers. I would suggest you take out the word "our" and other words that generalize. The percentage of evolutionist believers can be said instead of "our" and other such generalized words. Thanks for evolving, from your wrong wording and specific thought of Africa being the only place on earth being in continual troubling times, to something better.