Why We Prevailed - Evolution and the Battle for Dominance

Explore the fascinating journey of human evolution in this 92-minute conference talk from the World Science Festival. Delve into the reasons behind our species' dominance over Neanderthals and other human relatives. Join evolutionary biologists, geneticists, and anthropologists as they discuss crucial topics such as early human migration, fossil records, physical adaptations, and the role of competition in our survival. Discover insights on early human communication, language development, and the evolutionary factors that propelled our species to global dominance. Examine the variations within African populations, early dental practices, and potential evolutionary missteps visible today. Gain a deeper understanding of our aggressive nature and its impact on our rise to the top of the evolutionary ladder.

John Hockenberry's Introduction
An abstract look at evolution.
Participant Introductions.
How many different species were there 100,000 years ago?
Why did certain populations move?
Does the fossil record suggest that everything started in Africa?
Did the early groups compete directly or was there luck involved?
Where neanderthals slowly going extinct as humans came onto the scene.
What would we have seen in the physicality of neanderthals?
Are there any rapid physical adaptations from neanderthal?
Do encounters of different species make for more rapid evolution?
The greatest human variations are in Africa.
Going to the dentist 100,000 years ago.
Early cave paintings and the beginning of human communication.
The gene for language?
What was the evolutionary accelerator for humans?
Do we see signs today of evolutionary mistakes?
Being an aggressive species leads us to the top.