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Anna Goldfield

Archaeologist, science writer, and kids' book author who produces American Public Media's Brains On! universe of kids' podcasts and co-hosts The Dirt archaeology podcast.

Jun 25, 2026

10:38
Can you tell us a little bit about that story and how you found it?
10:41
Yeah, sure.
10:42
So looking at different pieces of anatomy, and the way we know that Neanderthals were, for the most part, right-handed is that you can see evidence of handedness in different places in the body.
10:56
So we are generally not as symmetrical as maybe many people think.
11:02
Um, people tend to have a dominant hand.
11:04
They also tend to have, well, a dominant ear.
11:06
And so if you use one side more than the other, especially for really vigorous activity, um, you can see that in the bones.
12:08
And if listeners wanna follow your work, is there anywhere they can find you?
speaker_4UNKNOWN
5:00
Ribbit.
5:02
Speaking of flinging mud, pigs are not filthy.
5:06
As long as they're given enough space, they'll use separate areas for eating, sleeping, and potty business.
5:12
And, like me, they prefer having their eating spot as far away as possible from their bathroom spot.
5:20
You might have seen pictures of pigs rolling around in mud or heard pig pen or pig sty used to describe a gross, dirty place.
5:28
Again, slander, because pigs actually need mud to keep them cool and protect their skin.
5:35
See, they don't sweat, and they are one of the few other animals besides humans who can get sunburned.
speaker_0UNKNOWN
6:46
Anna, Anna? Is it time for me to go wee-wee-wee all the way home yet?

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