Episode 133: First Man (2017)

First Man (2017) is a “documentary” with an interesting relationship to scientific facts and a disturbing view of human nature. It follows human evolution through four reconstructed ancestors: an early beta cuck ape from Spain; a Tate stan basal hominin from Chad; an ancestral alpha mogger from South Africa; and a brainmaxxing sigma arsonist from China. Join us as we break down the silly walks, unnecessarily blurred monkey genitals, and (content warning!) graphic sexual assault.

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In this episode:

Pierolapithecus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierolapithecus

Sahelanthropus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sahelanthropus

Gigantopithecus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gigantopithecus

Sivapithecus/Ramapithecus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sivapithecus

Paranthropus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paranthropus

Graecopithecus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graecopithecus

Peking Man (Homo erectus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peking_Man

Harbin/Dragon Man: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harbin_cranium

Our episode on Skullduggery (1970): https://screensofthestoneage.com/podcast/episode-34-skullduggery-1970/

Our episode on Sasquatch Sunset (2024): https://screensofthestoneage.com/podcast/episode-106-sasquatch-sunset-2024/

Grieving chimpanzee carries dead baby for months: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yj4Wk-hujPY

Zhoukoudian: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhoukoudian_Peking_Man_Site

The myth of the alpha wolf: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-the-alpha-wolf-idea-a-myth/

Parsimony: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximum_parsimony

Boma predator deterrent: https://news.mongabay.com/2017/09/keeping-lions-at-bay-to-keep-them-going/

Gao et al. (2017) Evidence of hominin use and maintenance of fire at Zhoukoudian: https://doi.org/10.1086/692501

Laughter in animals: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laughter_in_animals

Pusceddu et al. (2025) Animal medical systems from Apis to apes: history, recent advances and future perspectives: https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.70060

Ventro-ventro position (doggy is not the only style): https://synapsida.blogspot.com/2015/12/doggy-is-not-only-style.html

Man vs. horse races (horses have won): https://ultrarunninghistory.com/man-vs-horse/

Persistence hunting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persistence_hunting

Aiello and Wheeler (1995) The Expensive-tissue hypothesis: The brain and the digestive system in human and primate evolution: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2744104

Wrangham (2009) Catching Fire: How Cooking Made us Human: https://heb.fas.harvard.edu/publication/catching-fire-how-cooking-made-us-human