The Rise of Humans: Great Scientific Debates

By: John Hawks, The Great Courses

Narrated by: John Hawks

Trying to understand our human origins has always been a fundamental part of who we are. Today, with the help of dramatic archaeological discoveries and groundbreaking advancements in technology and scientific understanding, we are closer than we've ever been to learning the true story. In recent decades, it has been the science of paleoanthropology that has led the investigation, helping us make sense of this controversial subject and providing us with a richer understanding of our origins. It's also sparked continued debate about key issues in human evolution.

• Did early humans evolve in Africa alone, or in regions throughout the world?
• Did Neandertals play an important role in our genetic heritage and, if so, how?
• Why did prehistoric humans form cooperative communities and create art?

Now you can complete your own understanding of these issues in a fascinating 24-lecture series from an expert paleoanthropologist, who surveys both the questions that continue to rile the world's greatest minds in anthropology and the cutting-edge science responsible for them. The result is this expert guide to the wide-ranging debates over the most profound questions we can ask. Each lecture focuses on a single one of these questions and the sometimes surprising, sometimes fierce, and always illuminating debates surrounding them, including whether it was Africa or Asia that was more central to human origins, what prehistoric cultural groups were really like, and when humans actually reached the New World.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2011 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2011 The Great Courses

Great look at human evolution and genetics

Absolutely loved this. Accessible, engaging, up-to-date. Highly recommended. it was especially nice to have an episode on Homo floresiensis.

Very relative to today's study of anthropology

I really enjoyed the series of lectures. The concert was extremely religious to today's study that's apology. Dr. hugs delivery of the lectures were highly enjoyable and delivered the information in in format that was easy to follow. I highly recommend the series of lectures.

Current to spring 2014. Good science up to date.

Writer is an expert in paleo-anthropology and biology through genomics. This course is current through denosovia and Florencia. A detailed exploration of who we are and from whence we came. Highly recommended..

Better than an introductory physical anthro course

Professor Hawks course is comprehensive, up-to-date, and well told. He is a good narrator. Highly recommended Great Courses listen!

excellent

I loved it. the professor's voice was very pleasant. I would recommend anyone to listen to it.

solid history

one of the best courses on human evolution and historic migration
the lecturer is enjoyable.

Great walk-through paleontology debates

Great explanations on how paleontologist study fossils and compare them with us, including classic and genetic evidences. Some of the debates the professor mentioned I did not even know they were debates at all. Very easy to listen to, highly recommended.

Fascinating and Exciting

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Definitely! It is a fascinating topic. The lectures are also arranged in such a way that they build on each other and connect to each other in a way that is easy to understand.

What did you like best about this story?

This is one of the most fascinating and wonderful things I've listened to on Audible. Still being fairly new to the field of paleoanthropology myself, this course really put the major discoveries and the active debates of the field into a big-picture perspective that was easy to understand and really exciting (having a biology and geology background myself). It also came out quite recently, so the science is pretty much up to date at this point in time.

What about Professor John Hawks’s performance did you like?

I liked his ability to infuse his enthusiasm for the field of paleoanthropology into his discussions.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were many profound takeaways. My favorite was the idea that culture and medical technology--human choice--is potentially the biggest evolutionary force on human populations today. In my view, that is a very powerful statement.

Any additional comments?

I loved this course. This is a great listen for someone to wet their pallet and see if this is something they would like to focus on in their college studies and life career. It lays out a broad scope of work being done in this field, and it has made me thirsty for more!

amazing!

I have listened to at least 30 great courses over the last five years, 240+ audible books in the last five years. This course on essentially human anthropology is probably the best I have listened too so far! This may be due to the build up I have made by listening to so many others and having a well rounded opinion entering this course, however the author does bridge thr gap between the complex and simple very well, very Carl Sagan like. Highly recommend this one.

Highly recommend for anyone interested in paleoanthropology

Great lecturer, and interesting content I’ve had a hard time finding covered in a satisfying way on audible. Anyone with an interest in human evolution, paleoanthropology, paleoarchaeology, or even the origin of language should give it a try. One of my favorite lecturers from great courses so far.

The framing of the course as a series of lectures on debates within the field works. I would have been happy with a more traditional framing as well, but I thought getting a window into some of the discourse and dispute in the field was useful to understand different lines of inquiry in the recent past.