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Carolyn Freiwald: What Can Our Teeth Tell Us About Where We Come From?

Part 1 of the TED Radio Hour episode Migration

Much of our ancestral histories can be found in our bones. Archaeologist Carolyn Freiwald traces the story of human migration through the hidden clues in our bones and our teeth.

About Carolyn Freiwald

Carolyn Freiwald is an archaeologist who studies the biology and chemistry of bones and teeth. She is also an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Mississippi. Her research focuses on movements across Mesoamerica to understand how people used their environments, from hunting animals to crafting tools.

Freiwald’s writing has been published in anthropology journals such as Current Anthropology, Ancient Mesoamerica, and the Journal of Archaeological Science.

She received her B.A. in International Relations and History, and M.S. and Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

This segment of TED Radio Hour was produced by Maria Paz Gutiérrez and edited by Sanaz Meshkinpour. You can follow us on Facebook @TEDRadioHour and email us at [email protected].

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Manoush Zomorodi is the host of TED Radio Hour. She is a journalist, podcaster and media entrepreneur, and her work reflects her passion for investigating how technology and business are transforming humanity.

Zomorodi is a co-founder of Stable Genius Productions and is the co-host and co-creator of ZigZag, the business podcast about being human. She also created, hosted, and was managing editor of the podcast Note to Self in partnership with WNYC Studios, which was named Best Tech Podcast of 2017 by The Academy of Podcasters.

Prior to her time at WNYC, Zomorodi reported and produced around the world for BBC News and Thomson Reuters, including a few years in Berlin.

She was named one of Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People in Business for 2018 and has received numerous awards for her work, including The Gracie for Best Radio Host in 2014 and 2018. Her book "Bored and Brilliant: How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Creative Self" (2017, St. Martin's Press) and her TED Talk are guides to surviving information overload and the "Attention Economy."

Zomorodi received a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University in English and fine arts. She is half-Persian and half-Swiss but was born in New York City, where she lives with her family.

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