Before Us

Erich Fisher and Helen Farr
  • 4.4 (13)
  • Social Sciences
  • Weekly

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. 

  1. 2h ago

    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 Islands. This week, we talk to Prof. Yousuke Kaifu about the extraordinary project he led to explore how prehistoric people could have made a voyage that, even today, seems improbable. It’s a fascinating discussion about their trials-and-errors to build a boat that could handle the open ocean and their journey to cross one of the world’s biggest ocean currents.    **Please do not forget to rate and review the show**   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.   Key People and Projects Yousuke Kaifu Holistic Reenactment Project Website The University Museum, The University of Tokyo Key Places Taiwan Yonaguni Island Ryukyu Island Chain Kuroshio Current     Further Reading Chang, Y.L.K., Miyazawa, Y., Guo, X., Varlamov, S., Yang, H. and Kaifu, Y., 2025. Traversing the Kuroshio: Paleolithic migration across one of the world’s strongest ocean currents. Science Advances, 11(26), p.eadv5508.  Kaifu, Y., Lin, C.H., Ikeya, N., Yamada, M., Iwase, A., Chang, Y.L.K., Uchida, M., Hara, K., Amemiya, K., Sung, Y. and Suzuki, K. (2025) ‘Paleolithic seafaring in East Asia: An experimental test of the dugout canoe hypothesis’, Science Advances, 11(26), article eadv5507. Kaifu, Y. (2022) ‘A synthetic model of Palaeolithic seafaring in the Ryukyu Islands, southwestern Japan’, World Archaeology, 54(2), pp. 187–206. Kaifu, Y., Ishikawa, J., Muramatsu, M., Kokubugata, G. and Goto, A. (2022) ‘Establishing the efficacy of reed-bundle rafts in the paleolithic colonization of the Ryukyu Islands’, The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology, 17(4), pp. 571–584. Kaifu, Y., Kuo, T.H., Kubota, Y. and Jan, S. (2020) ‘Palaeolithic voyage for invisible islands beyond the horizon’, Scientific Reports, 10(1), article 19785. Kaifu, Y., Lin, C.H., Goto, A., Ikeya, N., Yamada, M., Chiang, W.C., Fujita, M. et al. (2019) ‘Palaeolithic seafaring in East Asia: testing the bamboo raft hypothesis’, Antiquity, 93(372), pp. 1424–1441. Kaifu, Y. and Fujita, M. (2012) ‘Fossil record of early modern humans in East Asia’, Quaternary International, 248, pp. 2–11. Video Documentary Don’t forget to also check out the video documentary of their journey: CLICK HERE. Click here to send us a message! Before Us is produced by Worlds Before LLC. Erich Fisher writes and produces each episode and handles sound design and editing. Helen Farr co-hosts and contributes with writing and producing. Ian Laurence composed the theme song. The voices of our hosts and guests are real and have not been generated by AI.

  2. Oct 27

    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 generations among modern communities all across the Pacific.  It's a perspective that isn't so much about the past rather than how the past shapes the present and future.  **Please do not forget to rate and review the show** 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.   Key People H. Larry Raigetal Alson Kelen Joseph Genz   Key Places Piti Sea Festival Guam Lamotrek Marshall Islands Micronesia    Organizations Waan Aelõñ in Majel (Canoes of the Marshall Island)  Waa’gey    Special thank you to Uriah Aguon and Jae James at the Pacific Daily News for permission to use their footage of the Piti Sea Festival Click here to send us a message! Before Us is produced by Worlds Before LLC. Erich Fisher writes and produces each episode and handles sound design and editing. Helen Farr co-hosts and contributes with writing and producing. Ian Laurence composed the theme song. The voices of our hosts and guests are real and have not been generated by AI.

  3. Oct 24 ·  Bonus

    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. Before Us Kids!  If you or your kids want to learn more about Denisvans then check out "Our faceless ancestors no more." This fun-filled, kid-friendly episode explores the Denisovans and the discovery that finally put a face to the name. Click here for a direct link. More information about Before Us Kids! From the creators of the Before Us podcast comes an exciting new adventure: Before Us Kids! This brand-new, fun, and engaging podcast is co-hosted by kids, for kids, and takes young listeners on a journey through deep time to discover the lives of the people who came before us. Each episode brings the past to life with fascinating stories, interesting facts, and lively--sometimes chaotic--conversations that spark curiosity and imagination. Whether it's exploring ancient civilizations, uncovering everyday life in the distant past, or diving into the big questions about human evolution, Before Us Kids! makes our past come alive in a way that's entertaining and easy to understand. Before Us Kids! is perfect for curious minds of all ages.  Webpage | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music Further Reading Xing, S., Wu, Z., Shao, Q. et al. The proteome of Middle Pleistocene Xujiayao and common Denisovan morphology. Nature (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-11132-z  Fieldhouse, R. This is what the mysterious Denisovans looked like: Archaeologists identified skull fragments from China as belonging to this group of ancient human relatives. Nature (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-03360-0 Click here to send us a message! Before Us is produced by Worlds Before LLC. Erich Fisher writes and produces each episode and handles sound design and editing. Helen Farr co-hosts and contributes with writing and producing. Ian Laurence composed the theme song. The voices of our hosts and guests are real and have not been generated by AI.

  4. Oct 20

    (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 longi and Homo juluensis) / Neanderthals, Homo floresiensis, and Homo Luzonensis were all present at one point or another. But when did modern humans arrive from Africa?  In this episode, we talk to Fabrice Demeter about excavations at Tam Pa Ling cave in Laos, where his team has uncovered a rich fossil record documenting some of the earliest known modern humans in Southeast Asia. These discoveries place modern humans in the region as early as 86,000 years ago, with further evidence of their presence until around 54,000 years ago. Yet these early arrivals may have been part of a dispersal that ultimately failed, leaving little, if any, genetic trace in present-day populations.   **Please do not forget to rate and review the show**   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.   Key People Dr. Fabrice Demeter   Key Places Tam Pa Ling Tam Hang Tam Ngu Hao 2   Key Species Homo sapiens Homo erectus Denisovans Homo juluensisHomo longi  Further Reading Demeter, Fabrice, Clément Zanolli, Kira E. Westaway, Renaud Joannes-Boyau, Philippe Duringer, Mike W. Morley, Frido Welker et al. "A Middle Pleistocene Denisovan molar from the Annamite chain of northern Laos." Nature communications 13, no. 1 (2022): 2557. Demeter, Fabrice, Laura Shackelford, Kira Westaway, Lani Barnes, Philippe Duringer, Jean-Luc Ponche, Jean Dumoncel et al. "Early modern humans from Tam Pà Ling, Laos: fossil review and perspectives." Current Anthropology 58, no. S17 (2017): S527-S538. Demeter, Fabrice, Laura Shackelford, Kira Westaway, Philippe Duringer, Anne-Marie Bacon, Jean-Luc Ponche, Xiujie Wu et al. "Early modern humans and morphological variation in Southeast Asia: fossil evidence from Tam Pa Ling, Laos." PLoS One 10, no. 4 (2015): e0121193. Freidline, Sarah E., Kira E. Westaway, Renaud Joannes-Boyau, Philippe Duringer, Jean-Luc Ponche, Mike W. Morley, Vito C. Hernandez et al. "Early presence of Homo sapiens in southeast Asia by 86–68 kyr at Tam Pà Ling, Northern Laos." Nature communications 14, no. 1 (2023): 3193. Milano, Stefania, Fabrice Demeter, Jean-Jacques Hublin, Philippe Duringer, Elise Patole-Edoumba, Jean-Luc Ponche, Laura Shackelford et al. "Environmental conditions framing the first evidence of modern humans at Tam Pà Ling, Laos: A stable isotope record from terrestrial gastropod carbonates." Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 511 (2018): 352-363. Shackelford, Laura, Fabrice Demeter, Kira Westaway, Philippe Duringer, Jean-Luc Ponche, Thongsa Sayavongkhamdy, Jian-Xin Zhao et al. "Additional evidence for early modern human morphological diversity in Southeast Asia at Tam Pa Ling, Laos." Quaternary International 466 (2018): 93-106.  Click here to send us a message! Before Us is produced by Worlds Before LLC. Erich Fisher writes and produces each episode and handles sound design and editing. Helen Farr co-hosts and contributes with writing and producing. Ian Laurence composed the theme song. The voices of our hosts and guests are real and have not been generated by AI.

  5. Oct 17 ·  Bonus

    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. Before Us Kids! If you or your kids want to learn more about Denisvans then check out "Our faceless ancestors no more." This fun-filled, kid-friendly episode explores the Denisovans and the discovery that finally put a face to the name. Click here for a direct link. More information about Before Us Kids! From the creators of the Before Us podcast comes an exciting new adventure: Before Us Kids! This brand-new, fun, and engaging podcast is co-hosted by kids, for kids, and takes young listeners on a journey through deep time to discover the lives of the people who came before us. Each episode brings the past to life with fascinating stories, interesting facts, and lively--sometimes chaotic--conversations that spark curiosity and imagination. Whether it's exploring ancient civilizations, uncovering everyday life in the distant past, or diving into the big questions about human evolution, Before Us Kids! makes our past come alive in a way that's entertaining and easy to understand. Before Us Kids! is perfect for curious minds of all ages.  Webpage | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music Further Reading Bae, Christopher. The Paleoanthropology of Eastern Asia. (2024). University of Hawaii Press Rao, H., Xing, S., Ruan, Q. et al. Ancient proteins identify various Denisovan remains from Southwest China. Nature (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10976-9  Ruan, Q., Li, H., Xing, S. et al. Denisovans from southwestern China and their subsistence strategies. Nature (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10997-4  Click here to send us a message! Before Us is produced by Worlds Before LLC. Erich Fisher writes and produces each episode and handles sound design and editing. Helen Farr co-hosts and contributes with writing and producing. Ian Laurence composed the theme song. The voices of our hosts and guests are real and have not been generated by AI.

  6. Oct 13

    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 were still present by the time modern humans arrived during the late Pleistocene. In this episode, Prof. Christopher Bae leads us on a fascinating journey of the paleoanthropology and archaeology of eastern Asia to understand the complex biogeographic landscape that greeted those earliest modern humans.  **Please do not forget to rate and review the show** 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.   Key People Prof. Christopher Bae   Key Places Xujiayao Xujiang Harbin Denisova Cave Huanglong (Hualongdong) Cave   Key Species Homo erectus Denisovans Homo juluensisHomo longi  Further Reading Bae, Christopher. The Paleoanthropology of Eastern Asia. (2024). University of Hawaii Press Bae, Christopher J., and Xiujie Wu. "Making sense of eastern Asian Late Quaternary hominin variability." nature communications 15, no. 1 (2024): 9479. Feng, Xiaobo, et al. "The phylogenetic position of the Yunxian cranium elucidates the origin of Homo longi and the Denisovans." Science 389.6767 (2025): 1320-1324. Fu, Qiaomei, Peng Cao, Qingyan Dai, E. Andrew Bennett, Xiaotian Feng, Melinda A. Yang, Wanjing Ping, Svante Pääbo, and Qiang Ji. "Denisovan mitochondrial DNA from dental calculus of the> 146,000-year-old Harbin cranium." Cell 188, no. 15 (2025): 3919-3926. Rao, H., Xing, S., Ruan, Q., Bai, F., Zhao, Y., Wu, Z., Tang, S., Andrew Bennett, E., Feng, X., Lin, S. and Shao, Q., 2026. Ancient proteins identify various Denisovan remains from Southwest China. Nature, pp.1-7 Tsutaya, Takumi, Rikai Sawafuji, Alberto J. Taurozzi, Zandra Fagernäs, Ioannis Patramanis, Gaudry Troché, Meaghan Mackie et al. "A male Denisovan mandible from Pleistocene Taiwan." Science 388, no. 6743 (2025): 176-180. Yang, Shi-Xia, María Martinón-Torres, and Michael Petraglia. "Palaeoanthropological evidence from China is changing the picture of hominin evolutionary history." Nature Ecology & Evolution 10.4 (2026): 634-640. Click here to send us a message! Before Us is produced by Worlds Before LLC. Erich Fisher writes and produces each episode and handles sound design and editing. Helen Farr co-hosts and contributes with writing and producing. Ian Laurence composed the theme song. The voices of our hosts and guests are real and have not been generated by AI.

  7. Oct 6

    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 with its own resources and challenges. In this episode, we explore one of the seemingly least hospitable coastal environments: maritime deserts. We discuss Boodie Cave on Barrow Island, off Australia’s northwest coast, with Tiina Manne from the University of Queensland to discover how people adapted their knowledge to this demanding environment and thrived there for tens of thousands of years. **Please do not forget to rate and review the show!** 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.   Key People Tiina Manne Key Places Boodie Cave Barrow Island Further Reading Ward, Ingrid, et al. "50,000 years of archaeological site stratigraphy and micromorphology in Boodie Cave, Barrow Island, Western Australia." Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 15 (2017): 344-369.  Skippington, Jane, Tiina Manne, and Peter Veth. "Isotopic indications of late Pleistocene and Holocene paleoenvironmental changes at Boodie Cave archaeological site, Barrow Island, Western Australia." Molecules 26.9 (2021): 2582.  Veth, Peter, et al. "Early human occupation of a maritime desert, Barrow Island, North-West Australia." Quaternary Science Reviews 168 (2017): 19-29.  Veth, Peter, Ingrid Ward, and Tiina Manne. "Coastal feasts: a Pleistocene antiquity for resource abundance in the maritime deserts of north west Australia?." The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology 12.1 (2017): 8-23.  Veth, Peter, et al. "The archaeology of Montebello Islands, north-west Australia: late Quaternary foragers on an arid coastline." (2007).  Veth, Peter, Kane Ditchfield, and Fiona Hook. "Maritime deserts of the Australian northwest." Australian Archaeology 79.1 (2014): 156-166.  Click here to send us a message! Before Us is produced by Worlds Before LLC. Erich Fisher writes and produces each episode and handles sound design and editing. Helen Farr co-hosts and contributes with writing and producing. Ian Laurence composed the theme song. The voices of our hosts and guests are real and have not been generated by AI.

  8. Sep 29

    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 preserve their knowledge and pass it on from one generation to the next? In this episode, Helen and Erich speak with Patrick Nunn to explore the role of oral history, myths, and storytelling in the preservation of knowledge among preliterate societies.  Welcome back to a new season of Before Us!  **Please do not forget to rate and review the show!** 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.   Key People Patrick Nunn Key Places Backstairs Passage Pentecost Island, Vanuatu   Further Reading Nunn, Patrick. Whispers from Celtic seas: the true meanings of ancient stories from Northwest Europe. Reaktion Books, Limited, 2026. Nunn, Patrick D., et al. "Calibrating Holocene human–environment interactions using ancient narratives: The example of Ngurunderi in South Australia." Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology 20.3 (2025): 563-587. Nunn, Patrick. Worlds in shadow: Submerged lands in science, memory and myth. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2021. Nunn, Patrick. The edge of memory: ancient stories, oral tradition and the post-glacial world. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2018. Walshe, Rory A., and Patrick D. Nunn. "Integration of indigenous knowledge and disaster risk reduction: A case study from Baie Martelli, Pentecost Island, Vanuatu." International Journal of Disaster Risk Science 3.4 (2012): 185-194.   Click here to send us a message! Before Us is produced by Worlds Before LLC. Erich Fisher writes and produces each episode and handles sound design and editing. Helen Farr co-hosts and contributes with writing and producing. Ian Laurence composed the theme song. The voices of our hosts and guests are real and have not been generated by AI.

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4.4
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About

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. 

Information

  • Creator
    Erich Fisher and Helen Farr
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    25
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Before Us
  • Show Website
    Before Us

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