<p>Whips, fedoras and cliff-hangers make for great cinema, but they also shape how we tell real scientific stories. In our Season 2 finale, we trace the “explorer” myth from colonial expansion to modern paleoanthropology: why lone-hero narratives persist, how they erase teams and communities, and what that means for places like Taung. We meet artists, chiefs, and scientists re-centering local voices; unpack how discoveries get narrated (and who gets credit); and ask what inclusive science looks like on the ground.</p><br><p>This episode was produced in partnership with The Human Evolution Research Institute (<a href="https://www.heriuct.co.za/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HERI</a>) and the University of Cape Town and draws on original research published in the South African Journal of Science special issue, <a href="https://sajs.co.za/article/view/20667" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">“The Taung Child then and now: Commemorating its centenary in a postcolonial age.”</a></p><br><p><strong>Special thanks to our guests in this episode:</strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>Prof. Sheela Athreya, PhD — Biological anthropologist; Associate Professor, Texas A&amp;M University; National Geographic Explorer.</li><li>Dr. Mirriam Tawane, PhD — Paleoanthropologist; National Heritage Council (South Africa); former Curator, Plio-Pleistocene Palaeontology, DITSONG Museum.</li><li>Dr. Dipuo Kgotleng, PhD — Senior Lecturer &amp; Director, Palaeo-Research Institute, University of Johannesburg.</li><li>Kosi Litsukhulele Kueni — Local chief, Buxton (Taung).</li><li>Lungile Keswa — Artist/curator; Taung Skull study group.</li><li>Bahidile "Mike" Dichaba — Community guide, Taung.</li><li>Xola — Community member; Taung Skull study group.</li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Resources &amp; Links:</strong></p><br><p><a href="http://arcdocs.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ARC</a>: <a href="http://arcdocs.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">arcdocs.org</a></p><p><a href="https://www.heriuct.co.za/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HERI</a>: <a href="https://www.heriuct.co.za" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.heriuct.co.za</a></p><p><a href="https://sajs.co.za/article/view/20667" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">SAJS Special Issue</a>: https://sajs.co.za/article/view/20667</p><p><a href="http://patreon.com/Arc_org" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ARC Angel</a>: http://patreon.com/Arc_org</p><p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/arcdocs.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook</a>: https://www.facebook.com/arcdocs.org</p><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/arc_docs/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>: https://www.instagram.com/arc_docs/</p><p><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@arcdocs.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tiktok</a>: <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@arcdocs.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.tiktok.com/@arcdocs.org</a></p><br><p><strong>Sound bites from:</strong></p><br><p>YouTube: Paramount Movies: INDIANA JONES AND THE RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK | Official Trailer | Paramount Movies</p><p>YouTube: CBS Sunday Morning: Almanac: "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"</p><p>YouTube: National Geographic: New Human Ancestor Discovered: Homo naledi (EXCLUSIVE VIDEO) | National Geographic</p><p>YouTube: Al Jazeera English: Africa: States of independence - the scramble for Africa</p><p><br></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>