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Video by John Hawks

Sharing perspectives and conversations in the science of human origins

There is so much to say about the science of our origins, and sometimes the best way to say it is by talking. I love to talk with friends and colleagues about the work they are doing.


Highlights

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Lecture: Opening new frontiers in human origins

At a memorial for Richard Leakey, I shared some ideas about where technology and new discoveries will take paleoanthropology over the next decade.

Conference slide logo for Africa: The Human Cradle
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Lecture: Finding ancient minds in the human evolutionary tree

Insights into the behavioral capabilities of ancient human relatives are beginning to show that some of the abilities we consider human go surprisingly deep in our ancestry.

Diagrams of eighteen hominin skulls against a black background
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Panel: Who or what is Homo naledi?

Lee Berger, Agustin Fuentes, and I had a provocative conversation sharing our different perspectives on work related to the Rising Star cave system.

John Hawks with bookshelves in the background
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Lecture: Are we the last Neanderthals?

At this event, I shared new insights about the humanity of our extinct human relatives.

John Hawks giving a lecture
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Lecture: New mysteries of human origins

Looking at the new discoveries of the last decade and how have changed the questions we're asking about human origins.

Skulls of LB1, Ngandong 11, Omo 2, Kabwe, and DH1 and DH3 of Homo naledi
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Lecture: How Homo naledi matters to our origins

A lecture in 2020 covering some of the latest research and new questions arising from the Rising Star cave system.

John Hawks at a podium that is labeled with the CARTA logo
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Lecture: How Homo naledi is changing human origins

A talk with an audience at UW–Madison covers our work on Homo naledi, including the recently-published Lesedi Chamber remains and the age of the fossils.

John Hawks with a University of Wisconsin banner behind him
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Presentation on species concepts and the hominin fossil record

On a visit to Charles Darwin's home, I share some perspectives on how paleoanthropologists think about species.

John Hawks seen talking in front of a wooded background with a sandy pathway
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Describing the Great Rift Valley

I share some geological and geographical knowledge from the Omo River valley, one part of the African Rift system.

John Hawks in front of a wooded river with badlands in the distance
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Becoming human: Presentation on Mount Carmel sites and cultural origins

A visit to Israel occasions reflections on the cultural evolution of humans and Neandertals.

John Hawks in front of a wadi with a limestone massif and caves in the distance.