Dr. Henry Gee

Yep, that's right. The human history, well, ancient history, has a very, very long run-up. I mean, recorded history is barely 5,000 years, but this one goes into 98% of human history, which has no written record, and we just pick up from fossils and other scraps of information that we can tell from rock.

Yep, that's right. The human history, well, ancient history, has a very, very long run-up. I mean, recorded history is barely 5,000 years, but this one goes into 98% of human history, which has no written record, and we just pick up from fossils and other scraps of information that we can tell from rock.

Yep, that's right. The human history, well, ancient history, has a very, very long run-up. I mean, recorded history is barely 5,000 years, but this one goes into 98% of human history, which has no written record, and we just pick up from fossils and other scraps of information that we can tell from rock.

No, that's the thing about human evolution. The fossils are very uncommon generally, except in certain places. You can count the number of fossils on the fingers of one hand, but the amount of fossils that tell you anything about human origins, you can count on the fingers of one thumb. They are very, very, very tiny, very scarce, mostly teeth like mammals generally.

No, that's the thing about human evolution. The fossils are very uncommon generally, except in certain places. You can count the number of fossils on the fingers of one hand, but the amount of fossils that tell you anything about human origins, you can count on the fingers of one thumb. They are very, very, very tiny, very scarce, mostly teeth like mammals generally.

No, that's the thing about human evolution. The fossils are very uncommon generally, except in certain places. You can count the number of fossils on the fingers of one hand, but the amount of fossils that tell you anything about human origins, you can count on the fingers of one thumb. They are very, very, very tiny, very scarce, mostly teeth like mammals generally.

But the thing is that humans in the very broadest sense, meaning all our ancestry going back to apes, were always very rare in the landscape. I remember going to East Africa to join an expedition looking for fossil humans living 3.3 million years ago.

But the thing is that humans in the very broadest sense, meaning all our ancestry going back to apes, were always very rare in the landscape. I remember going to East Africa to join an expedition looking for fossil humans living 3.3 million years ago.

But the thing is that humans in the very broadest sense, meaning all our ancestry going back to apes, were always very rare in the landscape. I remember going to East Africa to join an expedition looking for fossil humans living 3.3 million years ago.

in kenya and fossils of alligators catfish turtles were just so common that you didn't bother collecting them occasionally you would find you know a little skull of a fossil pig or a bit of a fossil baboon or a bit of an antelope but in the entire field season the number of fossil human remains were little bits of teeth and jaws that you could fit into a a very small biscuit tin

in kenya and fossils of alligators catfish turtles were just so common that you didn't bother collecting them occasionally you would find you know a little skull of a fossil pig or a bit of a fossil baboon or a bit of an antelope but in the entire field season the number of fossil human remains were little bits of teeth and jaws that you could fit into a a very small biscuit tin

in kenya and fossils of alligators catfish turtles were just so common that you didn't bother collecting them occasionally you would find you know a little skull of a fossil pig or a bit of a fossil baboon or a bit of an antelope but in the entire field season the number of fossil human remains were little bits of teeth and jaws that you could fit into a a very small biscuit tin

And that was after months of prospecting. And that was a good year. I mean, it's very rare to find a whole skull or even a whole skeleton. I mean, these are red-letter days.

And that was after months of prospecting. And that was a good year. I mean, it's very rare to find a whole skull or even a whole skeleton. I mean, these are red-letter days.

And that was after months of prospecting. And that was a good year. I mean, it's very rare to find a whole skull or even a whole skeleton. I mean, these are red-letter days.

Oh, absolutely, for sure. Not only were there likely to be more, but the thing about fossils is fossils is where you find them. And they tend to be more common in some places than others. So people tend to look in the places where they already know fossils tend to be common. So the caves of South Africa have always had top billing. The Rift Valley of East Africa has been a plentiful source.

Oh, absolutely, for sure. Not only were there likely to be more, but the thing about fossils is fossils is where you find them. And they tend to be more common in some places than others. So people tend to look in the places where they already know fossils tend to be common. So the caves of South Africa have always had top billing. The Rift Valley of East Africa has been a plentiful source.

Oh, absolutely, for sure. Not only were there likely to be more, but the thing about fossils is fossils is where you find them. And they tend to be more common in some places than others. So people tend to look in the places where they already know fossils tend to be common. So the caves of South Africa have always had top billing. The Rift Valley of East Africa has been a plentiful source.

And people have been looking in other places and finding new things in Southeast Asia, for example. And there are quite a lot of very mysterious fossils from China. And places like India have hardly been explored because maybe the relevant rocks are not found. West Africa. It looks likely to be a focus of renewed interest. There are all sorts of interesting stone tools.

And people have been looking in other places and finding new things in Southeast Asia, for example. And there are quite a lot of very mysterious fossils from China. And places like India have hardly been explored because maybe the relevant rocks are not found. West Africa. It looks likely to be a focus of renewed interest. There are all sorts of interesting stone tools.