Before Us artwork

Social Sciences · Erich Fisher and Helen Farr

Before Us

by Erich Fisher and Helen Farr

Every living person can trace their ancestry back to Africa, where modern humans evolved some 300,000 years ago before expanding out of Africa and around the world. Those early humans lived lives filled with emotions and challenges much like people today and their journeys stand as a testament to human intelligence, ingenuity, creativity, and resilience. But, what does the archaeological record tell us about their lives, their successes, their failures, and who we are today? In this podcast, world-recognized experts in maritime and prehistoric archaeology, Dr. Helen Farr and Dr. Erich Fisher, reveal the people and the world that existed “Before Us.” This season, we take a deep dive into the origins and development of Maritime Adaptations, tracing humanity's journey from the earliest interests in aquatic resources to the global expansion of modern humans via oceans, coastlines, and waterways. As the old saying goes, “smooth seas make boring stories” and this season promises to be an auditory adventure around the world and across millennia as told through captivating interviews with leading scholars in fun and down-to-earth discussions. Tune in weekly for new episodes on your favorite podcast app. 

Latest episodes

Showing 20 · updated from the feed

Sailing to Ryukyu

How do you test how people reached Okinawa more than 30,000 years ago? Build a log boat using only Paleolithic stone tools, then paddle it from Taiwan to the Ryukyu Islan

Nov 3
31 min

The wakes we inherit

We're taking a small detour this week to talk about the role of voyaging and the embodied knowledge of seafaring that has been collected and passed down for generati

Oct 27
40 min

Saturday Bonus Minisode plus sneak peak of Season 2, Episode 5

Have a question or comment?  Email: hello@worldsbeforedesign.com Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/BeforeUsMedia/ Or click “Send us a message!” to send us an SMS. Befo

Oct 24
6 min

(South) East Side Story

Fossil and genetic evidence shows that eastern Asia was a hotspot of diversity for the genus Homo during the Middle and Late Pleistocene. Homo erectus, Denisovans (Homo l

Oct 20
21 min

Saturday Bonus Minisode plus sneak peak of Season 2, Episode 4

Have a question or comment?  Email: hello@worldsbeforedesign.com Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/BeforeUsMedia/ Or click “Send us a message!” at the top of this page.

Oct 17
6 min

Hominin around Asia

Asia plays a central role in the story of human evolution and recent cutting-edge research shows that eastern Asia was home to a variety of archaic human species that wer

Oct 13
27 min

Shore is dry around here

As modern humans spread across the world along coastlines and waterways during the Late Pleistocene, they encountered a remarkable variety of coastal environments, each w

Oct 6
33 min

Saturday Bonus Minisode plus sneak peak of Season 2, Episode 2

Click here to send us a message! Have a question or comment?  Email: hello@worldsbeforedesign.com Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/BeforeUsMedia/ Or click “Send us a

Oct 3
5 min

The lore you know

As modern humans spread across the world at the end of the Pleistocene, they learned to survive in a remarkable range of environments. How did those hunter-gatherers pres

Sep 29
30 min

Before Us Season 2 Trailer!

A new season of Before Us premieres Tuesday, September 29, 2026! Join us as we  as we explore the remarkable human story behind the world we know today.  We are continui

Sep 8
4 min

Special Preview of Before Us Kids! Out for a stroll at White Sands

Imagine taking a walk with Columbian mammoths, giant sloths, lions, sabre-tooth tigers, camels and loads of other animals? Sounds crazy, right! Yet it actually happened 2

Jun 18 2025
21 min

Special Preview of Before Us Kids! Red-headed Neanderthals?

In this hair-larious episode, Dr. Erich chats with Jake and Colton all about red hair, genetics, and some super cool things we might’ve gotten from our ancient cousins—th

Jun 9 2025
17 min

Special Preview of Before Us Kids! Woolly Mice?

In this episode, Dr. Erich and Colton dive into a wild idea—bringing back the woolly mammoth! How are scientists doing it? Believe it or not…some scientists think it star

Jun 2 2025
17 min

Going with the Flow

There is unambiguous agreement that early humans had to cross open water when they traveled from Sundaland to Sahul before 40,000 years ago. How were they able to do this

Apr 22 2025
30 min

Water you waiting for?

Sea levels rise and fall in response to complex planetary drivers, including shifts in polar ice caps, land masses, and other factors. Understanding these processes is cr

Apr 15 2025
22 min

Helen talks the ACROSS Project

In this episode, we speak with Before Us co-host Helen Farr about her European Research Council project, Australasian Colonisation Research: Origins of Seafaring to Sahul

Apr 8 2025
20 min

Hooked from the start

The rapid dispersal of modern humans across Wallacea to modern day Australia not only required boat technology for long-distance sea travel, but also knowledge about deep

Apr 1 2025
38 min

Before Us+ Erich answers some of our fan mail

In this special bonus episode, Erich answers some of the fantastic questions that we've received from listeners around the world. If you want to send us your own que

Mar 25 2025
20 min

Living large yet so small

The discovery of Homo floresiensis and Homo luzonensis in SE Asia raises big questions about what happened to some early populations of migrants. Here, John McNabb, expla

Mar 18 2025
31 min

Not just wanderers, also wonderers

Why did humans migrate out of Africa? This question has long puzzled archaeologists. Were they driven by unknown pressures, drawn by opportunities, or was it something el

Mar 11 2025
26 min

Chart trend

Position in the Social Sciences chart (US), last 90 days.

#29
all-time peak
8
days in the top 50 since Dec 2024

Chart positions

Where Before Us ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Nov 4, 2026).

#107 ▲ 52 Social Sciences US

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