Herman Pontzer is a professor of anthropology at Hunter College, where he investigates human and ape evolution. A few years ago, while studying the Hadza hunter-gatherer tribe, Dr. Pontzer’s experiment almost went up in flames:

“We look at each other and we realize: everything we have is flammable. The tents, the sleeping bags, the computers…not to mention this five gallon cocktail of liquid nitrogen and Hadza pee.”

His story was part of a live event hosted by Studio 360 and The Story Collider at WNYC’s Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, where scientists and comedians told true stories about their encounters with science.  You can hear Aparna Nancherla’s tale of cheating her way to science fair glory in our September 1, 2016 episode.

Tomorrow in the feed: psychiatrist Rachel Yehuda strikes a hard bargain.

Produced with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.