100 years ago, a tiny fossil skull in Taung, South Africa rewrote human history. The Taung Skull proved that humankind’s roots lie in Africa, but its story is tangled in colonialism, bias, and forgotten voices.

In this season premiere, Unburied digs into how the discovery of Australopithecus Africanus challenged scientific dogma, reshaped our understanding of human origins, and revealed how power shaped the stories we tell about the past. Featuring the voices of geologists, paleoanthropologists, historians, and the Taung community, we uncover what was celebrated, what was erased, and what this fossil still has to teach us.

This episode was produced in partnership with The Human Evolution Research Institute (HERI) and the University of Cape Town.

This series draws on original research published in the South African Journal of Science special issue, “The Taung Child then and now: Commemorating its centenary in a postcolonial age.”

Special thanks to our guests in this episode:

• Dr. Robyn Pickering, PhD — Geologist, University of Cape Town
• Dr. Lauren Schroeder, PhD — Paleoanthropologist, University of Toronto
• Dr. Stephanie Baker, PhD — Anthropologist, University of Johannesburg
• Christa Kuljian — Research associate; WiSER (WITS)
• Bahidile “Mike” Dichaba — Community guide, Taung

Resources & Links

ARC: arcdocs.org

HERI: heri.co.za

SAJS Special Issue: https://sajs.co.za/article/view/20667

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Unburied is a production by ARC in partnership with the University of Cape Town and the Human Evolution Research Institute. Written, produced, and sound designed by Rasmus Bitsch and Neil Liddell. Hosted by Rasmus Bitsch, journalist and podcast creator.

Soundbites From:

The Leakey Foundation

1973 Louis Leakey Memorial Symposium held by The Leakey Foundation in collaboration with the California Academy of Sciences on December 2-3, 1973.

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