Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
From the Radiolab podcast: The most unlikely origin of an evolutionary biologist
Ella al-Shamahi is one part Charles Darwin, one part Indiana Jones. She braves war zones and pirate-infested waters to collect fossils from prehistoric caves, fossils that help us understand the origin of our species. Her recent hit BBC/PBS series Human follows her around the globe trying to piece together the unlikely story of how early humans conquered the world. But Ella’s own origins as an evolutionary biologist are equally unlikely. She sits down with us and tells us a story she has rarely shared publicly, about how she came to believe in evolution, and how much that belief cost her.
Special thanks to Misha Euceph, Khalil Andani, and Hamza Syed.
EPISODE CREDITS:
Reported by Latif Nasser
Produced by Jessica Yung and Pat Walters
with help from Sarah Qari
Fact-checking by Diane Kelly
and edited by Pat Walters
EPISODE CITATIONS:
Videos -
“Human” (bbcearth.com/shows/human), Ella’s show on BBC and PBS.
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Photo illustration by Mikey Burton
Video by W. Harry Fortuna
From the Radiolab podcast: The most unlikely origin of an evolutionary biologist
Ella al-Shamahi is one part Charles Darwin, one part Indiana Jones. She braves war zones and pirate-infested waters to collect fossils from prehistoric caves, fossils that help us understand the origin of our species. Her recent hit BBC/PBS series Human follows her around the globe trying to piece together the unlikely story of how early humans conquered the world. But Ella’s own origins as an evolutionary biologist are equally unlikely. She sits down with us and tells us a story she has rarely shared publicly, about how she came to believe in evolution, and how much that belief cost her.
Special thanks to Misha Euceph, Khalil Andani, and Hamza Syed.
EPISODE CREDITS:
Reported by Latif Nasser
Produced by Jessica Yung and Pat Walters
with help from Sarah Qari
Fact-checking by Diane Kelly
and edited by Pat Walters
EPISODE CITATIONS:
Videos -
“Human” (bbcearth.com/shows/human), Ella’s show on BBC and PBS.
🎧 Subscribe to Radiolab wherever you listen to podcasts: lnk.to/radiolab!youtube
🔎 Subscribe to Radiolab on YouTube: bit.ly/3I9KI53
🖋 Subscribe to Radiolab’s Newsletter: radiolab.org/newsletter
🌱 Check out Radiolab's Starter Kit Playlist: bit.ly/3sX8f4P
👍 Like this video ✏️ and leave us a comment!
Follow Radiolab:
Instagram — instagram.com/radiolab
X — https://x.com/Radiolab
Facebook — facebook.com/Radiolab
Threads — threads.net/@radiolab
TikTok — tiktok.com/@radiolab
Our newsletter includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. Sign up here: radiolab.org/newsletter
Support Radiolab by becoming a member of The Lab today: radiolab.org/the-lab
Photo illustration by Mikey Burton
Video by W. Harry Fortuna
