What makes us human? We learn about the ways in which cognitive abilities and hand evolution worked hand in hand.

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Colma, California is an odd place: the dead outnumber the living. This imbalance arose through massive cemetery relocations to free up space in nearby San Francisco. In this episode, we unearth obscure Bay Area history with volunteers who work to identify human remains inadvertently unearthed during SF home renovations. This is a story of death and devotion in a city in flux.

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Early in the history of matchsticks, factory workers in London were plagued by a gruesome and debilitating illness: their jaw bones would glow green in the dark and eventually crumble apart. It was discovered that a chemical interaction was occurring between the combustible white phosphorus used in match heads, and the mineral comprising their own skeletons. This is a story about consumer convenience, occupational hazards, and some of the worst bosses in history.

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Perhaps, there is nothing more human than the multitude of ways that we honor the dead. Each culture has its own attitude about death and its own funeral traditions. This episode is a story from a mountainous location in the Philippines where the native Igorot people suspend caskets high above a lush valley.

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Have you ever wondered if there was a skeleton in your backyard? Would you know how to identify which bones were which? In this episode, we join a group of children as they try to assemble and identify the bones of a mystery skeleton.

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In this episode, our founder, Kate, tells a story about soccer, knee pain, and some secret lab shenanigans.

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For some people, a chance life event can change everything. Injury or disease may require amputation- the loss of a limb. But not necessarily a loss of your game. In this episode, you’ll hear the story of these special athletes, the coaches that inspire them, and the doctors and that heal them.

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Think of your favorite song. How does it make you feel? What images do you see when you hear it? Before reaching the brain to create those feelings and images, those musical sounds take a strange, physical, mechanical, and sometimes violent path through the ear. A large part of how we perceive the audible world depends upon a set of tiny, vibrating bones--bones that often get overlooked until something goes wrong. In this episode, you’ll hear the story of these unsung skeletal heroes. We’ll talk about the role they play in hearing, and how unforeseen circumstances can cause irreparable damage.

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We’re super excited to bring a new podcast to your ears. This is a show about bones. But it’s more than that. Just like bones carry our bodies, the bones that we’ll discuss carry stories. Like what life was like for Mongolian warriors, the way that bones conduct sound, and just what happens when you put a chicken bone in the oven, or in a jar of vinegar. All this and more on The Bone Lab. Check out our website at bonelabradio.org and subscribe to our email list. You’ll be the first to know when we release our first episode. Thank you!

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