# Where Did Humans Evolve? Gazing at the Changing Nature of the Garden of Eden ~ Denise Su

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/on-humans-5714769/where-did-humans-evolve-gazing-at-the-changing-nature-of-the-garden-of-eden-denise-su
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/on-humans-5714769/where-did-humans-evolve-gazing-at-the-changing-nature-of-the-garden-of-eden-denise-su.md
Podcast: [On Humans](https://stenobird.com/podcast/on-humans-5714769)
Published: 2026-03-07T12:10:25+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ilari-makela/episodes/Where-Did-Humans-Evolve--Gazing-at-the-Changing-Nature-of-the-Garden-of-Eden--Denise-Su-e3g2m86
Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/b6269808/podcast/play/116528838/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-2-7%2F2445b600-5bdd-c58a-5133-2007be18ecbd.m4a
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Duration seconds: 3263

## Resource

Imagine a group of ancient humans, crafting stone tools at the dawn of humankind. What did these creatures look like? To find out, we can stare at the skulls in museums or glance at reconstructions made by paleo-artists. Not a bad start. But what if we move the lens and zoom into their surroundings? What was the scientific “Garden of Eden” like? Was it a lush forest, a dry savanna, or an icy cave? And what can the answer tell us about human nature more broadly? Denise Su is a world-leading expert on these questions. A paleoecologist at Arizona State University’s Institute of Human Origins , she uses ever-more imaginative ways to get a glimpse into the nature and the weather that set the stage for the human story. In this episode, we focus on two kinds of “changes” in the ecology of human evolution: both the actual climate change that drummed the beat of human origins, and the theoretical changes in the views of scientists thinking about these topics. Indeed, this episode digs deep into one of the hotly contested questions about the reasons why humans evolved: "the savanna hypothesis". According to the savanna hypothesis, our naked, upright species evolved because African forests were shrinking and dry savannas emerged instead. Other apes stayed in the shrinking forests, but our brave ancestors took the shot, conquering the vast flatlands. As they did so, they started standing upright to better walk on the savanna and lost their fur, to sweat away the heat of the scorching sun. I have told versions of this story on the show, and so have many senior guests. Yet even a brief Google search will give you plenty of critics telling that the savanna hypothesis is nothing but a convenient myth. ⁠ Articles by Denise Su⁠ are often included in the evidence. So what’s goi…

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