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Books and media by John Hawks

Cover of the book Cave of Bones by Lee Berger and John Hawks

Cave of Bones: A True Story of Discovery, Adventure, and Human Origins

In this book, Lee Berger and I tell a remarkable story of exploration and discovery in the Rising Star cave system. Already one of the most important fossil finds in the history of human origins, our work took a surprising turn when Lee lost more than 50 pounds to make his own descent into the Dinaledi Chamber. What he found there, and what the team has learned over years of research, is changing our perspective on what it means to be human.

Link to book on Amazon


Almost Human: The Astonishing Tale of Homo naledi and the Discovery That Changed Our Human Story

This is my first book collaboration with Lee Berger, the story of two major hominin fossil discoveries, the Malapa site with Australopithecus sediba and the Rising Star cave system with Homo naledi. The book takes readers into the field where a remarkable team of explorers and scientists have made some of the most significant fossil discoveries in paleoanthropology.

Link to book on Amazon


The Rise of Humans: Great Scientific Debates

My 24-lecture video or audio series from The Great Courses. This series gives an overview of human origins from the perspective of its history. From Darwin and Raymond Dart to the Neanderthal genome, the deepest arguments of the past help to illuminate the science of today.

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Major Transitions in Evolution

A 24-lecture video or audio series from The Great Courses. This series, co-developed with Dr. Anthony Martin of Emory University, covers the rise of life on Earth from the perspective of evolutionary innovations. From the development of the eukaryotic cell, to dinosaurs and birds, up to our origins from primate ancestors, the series provides an overview of modern biology and paleontology.

Learn more (The Great Courses)