2021 was a big year in science! Fossil discoveries introduced new relatives to our family tree, new findings added fascinating twists to the human story, and breakthroughs in research methods opened new worlds to explore. In this episode, five scientists discuss their favorite human origins discoveries of 2021. Click here for a transcript of this episode. Our guests: Scott A. Williams, New York UniversityJessica Thompson, Yale UniversityGiulia Gallo, University of California at DavisFernando Villanea, University of Colorado at BoulderErin Kane, Boston University Read more about their top discoveries: Dragon Man Late Middle Pleistocene Harbin cranium represents a new Homo species Stunning ‘Dragon Man' skull may be an elusive Denisovan—or a new species of human 'Dragon man' claimed as new species of ancient human but doubts remain SedaDNA Unearthing Neanderthal population history using nuclear and mitochondrial DNA from cave sediments Bacho Kiro Initial Upper Palaeolithic humans in ...