About this podcast
Every living person can trace their ancestry back to Africa, where modern humans evolved some 300,000 years ago before expanding out of Africa and around the world. Those early humans lived lives filled with emotions and challenges much like people today and their journeys stand as a testament to human intelligence, ingenuity, creativity, and resilience. But, what does the archaeological record tell us about their lives, their successes, their failures, and who we are today? In this podcast, world-recognized experts in maritime and prehistoric archaeology, Dr. Helen Farr and Dr. Erich Fisher, reveal the people and the world that existed “Before Us.” This season, we take a deep dive into the origins and development of Maritime Adaptations, tracing humanity's journey from the earliest interests in aquatic resources to the global expansion of modern humans via oceans, coastlines, and waterways. As the old saying goes, “smooth seas make boring stories” and this season promises to be an auditory adventure around the world and across millennia as told through captivating interviews with leading scholars in fun and down-to-earth discussions. Tune in weekly for new episodes on your favorite podcast app.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 25 episodes
- Sailing to Ryukyu · 31 min · Season 2 Episode 6How do you test how people reached Okinawa more than 30,000 years ago? Build a log boat using only Paleolithic stone tools, then paddle it from Taiwan to the Ryukyu Islands. This…
- The wakes we inherit · 40 min · Season 2 Episode 5We're taking a small detour this week to talk about the role of voyaging and the embodied knowledge of seafaring that has been collected and passed down for generations among…
- Saturday Bonus Minisode plus sneak peak of Season 2, Episode 5 · 7 minHave a question or comment? Email: [email protected] Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/BeforeUsMedia/ Or click “Send us a message!” to send us an SMS. Before Us Kids!…
- (South) East Side Story · 22 min · Season 2 Episode 4Fossil and genetic evidence shows that eastern Asia was a hotspot of diversity for the genus Homo during the Middle and Late Pleistocene. Homo erectus, Denisovans (Homo longi and…
- Saturday Bonus Minisode plus sneak peak of Season 2, Episode 4 · 6 min · Season 2Have a question or comment? Email: [email protected] Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/BeforeUsMedia/ Or click “Send us a message!” at the top of this page. Before Us…
- Hominin around Asia · 27 min · Season 2 Episode 3Asia plays a central role in the story of human evolution and recent cutting-edge research shows that eastern Asia was home to a variety of archaic human species that were still…
- Shore is dry around here · 34 min · Season 2 Episode 2As modern humans spread across the world along coastlines and waterways during the Late Pleistocene, they encountered a remarkable variety of coastal environments, each with its…
- The lore you know · 31 min · Season 2 Episode 1As modern humans spread across the world at the end of the Pleistocene, they learned to survive in a remarkable range of environments. How did those hunter-gatherers preserve…
- Before Us Season 2 Trailer! · 4 min · Season 2 Episode 1A new season of Before Us premieres Tuesday, September 29, 2026! Join us as we as we explore the remarkable human story behind the world we know today. We are continuing to…
- Special Preview of Before Us Kids! Out for a stroll at White Sands · 21 min · Season 1 Episode 15Imagine taking a walk with Columbian mammoths, giant sloths, lions, sabre-tooth tigers, camels and loads of other animals? Sounds crazy, right! Yet it actually happened 20,000…
- Special Preview of Before Us Kids! Red-headed Neanderthals? · 18 min · Season 1 Episode 14In this hair-larious episode, Dr. Erich chats with Jake and Colton all about red hair, genetics, and some super cool things we might’ve gotten from our ancient cousins—the…
- Special Preview of Before Us Kids! Woolly Mice? · 18 min · Season 1 Episode 13In this episode, Dr. Erich and Colton dive into a wild idea—bringing back the woolly mammoth! How are scientists doing it? Believe it or not…some scientists think it starts with…
- Going with the Flow · 31 min · Season 1 Episode 12There is unambiguous agreement that early humans had to cross open water when they traveled from Sundaland to Sahul before 40,000 years ago. How were they able to do this and…
- Water you waiting for? · 23 min · Season 1 Episode 11Sea levels rise and fall in response to complex planetary drivers, including shifts in polar ice caps, land masses, and other factors. Understanding these processes is crucial…
- Helen talks the ACROSS Project · 21 min · Season 1 Episode 10In this episode, we speak with Before Us co-host Helen Farr about her European Research Council project, Australasian Colonisation Research: Origins of Seafaring to Sahul—or…
- Hooked from the start · 38 min · Season 1 Episode 9The rapid dispersal of modern humans across Wallacea to modern day Australia not only required boat technology for long-distance sea travel, but also knowledge about deep-sea…
- Before Us+ Erich answers some of our fan mail · 20 min · Season 1 Episode 8In this special bonus episode, Erich answers some of the fantastic questions that we've received from listeners around the world. If you want to send us your own questions about…
- Living large yet so small · 31 min · Season 1 Episode 7The discovery of Homo floresiensis and Homo luzonensis in SE Asia raises big questions about what happened to some early populations of migrants. Here, John McNabb, explains how…
- Not just wanderers, also wonderers · 27 min · Season 1 Episode 6Why did humans migrate out of Africa? This question has long puzzled archaeologists. Were they driven by unknown pressures, drawn by opportunities, or was it something else…
- In deep time, in deeper waters · 30 min · Season 1 Episode 5Sea levels have risen and fallen repeatedly over the last 2 million years. During low sea levels, large tracts of land were exposed along coastlines around the world, creating…
