The Unburied Podcast: Season 2 Episode 3

Описание: Behind one of science’s greatest breakthroughs lies a darker story of skulls measured, bodies taken, and lives diminished in the name of knowledge. The discovery of the Taung Child helped prove humanity’s African origins, yet it unfolded within a world built on racism, colonial power, and exploitation.

From Mapungubwe’s golden treasures to Johannesburg’s mining compounds, we trace how Dart’s legacy entwined brilliance with harm: collecting human remains like specimens, his efforts to claim the body of a young San woman named Kiri-Kiri, and reinforcing systems that dehumanised the people whose land he studied.

Through conversations with historians and paleoanthropologists, we revisit the courtrooms, museums, and archives where prejudice bled into research, and we explore how today’s scientists are reshaping the field through diversity, justice, and care for the living.

Produced in partnership with the Human Evolution Research Institute (HERI) and the University of Cape Town, and based on original research published in the South African Journal of Science.

🔎 What We Cover
0:00 The Dark Side of Dart
5:03 A Telegram Arrives
9:49 The Power Dynamics of Research
17:35 Kiri-Kiri’s Disappearance
21:50 The Mistakes of Race Science
29:22 The Impact of Race Science on Society
33:05 Filling Missing Perspectives

👥 Guests
● Prof. Rebecca Ackermann – Biological anthropologist, University of Cape Town; Co-Director, HERI
● Dr. Lauren Schroeder – Paleoanthropologist, University of Toronto
● Dr. Mirriam Tawane – Curator of Plio-Pleistocene Palaeontology, DITSONG: National Museum of Natural History
● Christa Kuljian – Research associate, WiSER(Wits)

📚 Resources & Links
● ARC: https://www.arcdocs.org
● HERI: https://www.heriuct.co.za
● South African Journal of Science (Special Issue): ttps://sajs.co.za/article/view/20667
● Iziko Museums of South Africa: https://www.iziko.org.za
● Support the story & become an ARCAngel:   / arc_org  


✨ Support the Show
● Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, YouTube and Spotify
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🤳🏽 Follow Us
● TikTok:@arcdocs.org
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Unburied is a production by ARC in partnership with the University of Cape Town and the Human Evolution Research Institute. Written, produced, and sound designed by Rasmus Bitsch and Neil Liddell. Hosted by Rasmus Bitsch, journalist and podcast creator.

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