Our DNA holds thousands of dead genes and we’ve only just begun to unravel their stories. But one thing is already clear: we’re not just defined by the genes that we’ve gained over the course of our evolution, but also by the genes that we’ve lost along the way.

Thanks to these illustrators for their wonderful hominin illustrations featured throughout this episode!
Julio Lacerda: https://twitter.com/JulioTheArtist​
Fabrizio de Rossi: https://www.facebook.com/ArtofFabrici…​
Jack Byrley: https://twitter.com/bedupolker​

This video features this Paleogeographic Map: Scotese, C.R., 2019. Plate Tectonics, Paleogeography, and Ice Ages, YouTube video: https://youtu.be/UevnAq1MTVA​​.

Produced in collaboration with PBS Digital Studios: http://youtube.com/pbsdigitalstudios​