This installment of Discovering Us tells the story of an unusual group of chimpanzees that live on the grassy plains of Fongoli, Senegal where temperatures reach over 110 degrees. Water is scarce, and wildfires sweep through every year - burning the leaves from the trees and baking the soil. These chimpanzees have adapted to their environment in surprising ways that can shed light on the evolution of our own species. 

Further reading:

• Fongoli Savanna Chimpanzee Project
• Open-access research paper on tool-assisted hunting in chimpanzees

About The Leakey Foundation

The Leakey Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding human origins research and sharing discoveries. The Foundation was established in 1968 to fund work at the forefront of fossil and primate studies and provide opportunities for a global community of scientists. Learn more at leakeyfoundation.org.

Discovering Us: 50 Great Discoveries in Human Origins

In 50 lively and up-to-the-minute essays illustrated with full-color photographs, Discovering Us: 50 Great Discoveries in Human Origins presents stories of the most exciting and groundbreaking surprises revealed by human origins research.

Prepared in consultation with leading experts and written by Evan Hadingham, senior science editor for NOVA, Discovering Us features stunning photographs, some taken at the actual moment that groundbreaking discoveries were made. The book presents a highly accessible account of the latest scientific insights into the ultimate question of humanity’s origins. Discovering Us was published by Signature Books.

Find Discovering Us at your local library, bookstore, or amazon.com.

Show Credits:

• Narrated by Ashley Judd
• Hosted by Meredith Johnson
• Written by Evan Hadingham
• Script edits by Sharal Camisa Smith and Meredith Johnson
• Recorded and mixed by Dave Hagen, Dark Horse Recording
• Host recording by Kerry Fogarty
• Trailer produced by Ray Pang
• Cover art by Élisabeth Daynes
• Cover design by Jason Francis, Signature Books
• Music “Ode to Seven” by Our Many Stars licensed from Marmoset Music

Discovering Us was made possible by generous support from Camilla and George Smith, the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, and the Joan and Arnold Travis Education Fund.

Bonobos are close cousins of humans, known for their highly active sex lives and peaceful female-centered social structure. In this episode, Ashley Judd shares how researchers studying bonobos are unlocking the secrets of female friendship.

Further reading:

• Dr. Liza Moscovice - Leakey Foundation Grantee Spotlight
• Open-access research on bonobo interactions
• Rare bonobo behavior photographed at LuiKotale

About The Leakey Foundation

The Leakey Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding human origins research and sharing discoveries. The Foundation was established in 1968 to fund work at the forefront of fossil and primate studies and provide opportunities for a global community of scientists. Learn more at leakeyfoundation.org.

Discovering Us: 50 Great Discoveries in Human Origins

In 50 lively and up-to-the-minute essays illustrated with full-color photographs, Discovering Us: 50 Great Discoveries in Human Origins presents stories of the most exciting and groundbreaking surprises revealed by human origins research.

Prepared in consultation with leading experts and written by Evan Hadingham, senior science editor for NOVA, Discovering Us features stunning photographs, some taken at the actual moment that groundbreaking discoveries were made. The book presents a highly accessible account of the latest scientific insights into the ultimate question of humanity’s origins. Discovering Us was published by Signature Books.

Find Discovering Us at your local library, bookstore, or amazon.com.

Show Credits:

• Narrated by Ashley Judd
• Hosted by Meredith Johnson
• Written by Evan Hadingham
• Script edits by Sharal Camisa Smith and Meredith Johnson
• Recorded and mixed by Dave Hagen, Dark Horse Recording
• Host recording by Kerry Fogarty
• Trailer produced by Ray Pang
• Cover art by Élisabeth Daynes
• Cover design by Jason Francis, Signature Books
• Music “Ode to Seven” by Our Many Stars licensed from Marmoset Music

Discovering Us was made possible by generous support from Camilla and George Smith, the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, and the Joan and Arnold Travis Education Fund.

In this series, actor Ashley Judd tells the stories behind some of the most important human origins discoveries of the past 50 years. This prologue explores the fossil find that launched the scientific saga of the Leakey family and the quest to uncover humanity’s origins.

About The Leakey Foundation

The Leakey Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding human origins research and sharing discoveries. The Foundation was established in 1968 to fund work at the forefront of fossil and primate studies and provide opportunities for a global community of scientists. Learn more at leakeyfoundation.org.

Discovering Us: 50 Great Discoveries in Human Origins

In 50 lively and up-to-the-minute essays illustrated with full-color photographs, Discovering Us: 50 Great Discoveries in Human Origins presents stories of the most exciting and groundbreaking surprises revealed by human origins research.

Prepared in consultation with leading experts and written by Evan Hadingham, senior science editor for NOVA, Discovering Us features stunning photographs, some taken at the actual moment that groundbreaking discoveries were made. The book presents a highly accessible account of the latest scientific insights into the ultimate question of humanity’s origins. Discovering Us was published by Signature Books.

Find Discovering Us at your local library, bookstore, or amazon.com.

Show Credits:

• Narrated by Ashley Judd
• Hosted by Meredith Johnson
• Written by Evan Hadingham
• Script edits by Sharal Camisa Smith and Meredith Johnson
• Recorded and mixed by Dave Hagen, Dark Horse Recording
• Host recording by Kerry Fogarty
• Trailer produced by Ray Pang
• Cover art by Élisabeth Daynes
• Cover design by Jason Francis, Signature Books
• Music “Ode to Seven” by Our Many Stars licensed from Marmoset Music

Discovering Us was made possible by generous support from Camilla and George Smith, the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, and the Joan and Arnold Travis Education Fund.

In the past fifty years, researchers have made extraordinary discoveries that have helped us understand who we are, where we come from, and what makes us human. In Discovering Us, Ashley Judd brings our shared history to life, exploring the human story from our evolutionary roots to our uncertain future. This short series celebrates science, exploration, and the search for what it means to be human.

Discovering Us is an audio companion to the book Discovering Us: 50 Great Discoveries in Human Origins, written for The Leakey Foundation by Evan Hadingham, Senior Science Editor for the award-winning PBS series NOVA.

Every episode of Discovering Us will be available on September 26, 2022.