Ep 1: Early Humans

Did you know that fewer than 20 percent of giggles and guffaws in everyday conversation are in response to humor? Or that nervous tittering is an instinctive reaction to a perceived threat? In this episode, we probe the deep and ancient mysteries of laughter, a “universal part of the human vocabulary,” and explore its many roles in human communication.

How long ago did humans begin speaking to one another — was it fifty thousand years, or maybe more? Were stone-age cave paintings created by female shamans, summoning a connection to the spirit world? In this inaugural episode, we look back on a forgotten time to explore the earliest roots of human communication.