New Update on the Homo naledi Situation
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- Опубліковано 1 лип 2024
- Man, this whole thing keeps getting worse.
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Erica's explanation about what it takes to get a PhD really makes me wonder how some of these people who are so clearly anti-science, either evolution-deniers or YECs or both, have manage to get PhDs. Are "legacy" students given a lot more leeway? Do some schools just not have rigorous programs? Or are they just capable of learning the information that they clearly don't believe in?
Anything to squeeze a few pence out of the feeble of mind is what they do.
So they lie.
Hopefully their dissertation topic was based on science. If a young earther got a PhD using the silly dates I've heard about....TELL ME the name of the university which conferred that meaningless piece of paper.!
I think a big part of it is simply that they don't get a PhD in the subject of their apologetics.
PhD programs are incredibly specific. Sexual dimorphism in myocene apes doesn't really have anything to do with the origin of life, it doesn't have anything to do with the resurrection of Jesus.
James Tour studies molecular machines, he doesn't do any research in origin on life. He can be entirely rigorous in his subject area, while being entirely not rigorous in other areas.
There are Christian and Apologetic universities that will give out PhDs if you answer the question "Are you prepared to lie for money?" with answer "Yes". Hovind's "back of a cornflake packet" diploma is of this sort.
PhDs are highly specialized. So, you could get a PhD in one field without knowing anything about or agreeing with anything in another field. Indeed, even sub-fields don't need to cross! It's not at all unusual for someone to have earned their PhD on one field (say, geology) and have no knowledge, experience, or even have never had a serious academic conversation about another field (say, evolutionary biology). I have a graduate degree in Philosophy, and my specialization in ethics. I don't know the first thing about existentialism, which is another sub-field in philosophy. That's normal. Notably, that's a reason why we should take PhDs' opinions on fields they haven't studied with a grain of salt--Jordan Peterson, for example, speaks out often about social ontology and metaphysics, but he is not qualified to speak on those topics as an expert. Of course he can speak on those topics! But we must remember that he's a layman like anyone else. This is true for a lot of public-facing intellectuals and academics: we sometimes assume that because they have a PhD, they are experts about what they're discussing, but experts in one field are laymen in all others!!
Setting up this channel may turn out to be one of the best decisions Erika has made. As a medical researcher and sometime PhD supervisor, my experience is that so many candidates buckle through feelings of increasing social isolation (one student told me, "After 3 years, I was working on such specialist material there was no-one in the world I could talk to anymore"). Making robust plans to help maintain a sense of community and purpose may be the single most important part of preparing to do a research doctorate.
That’s really good insight! I’ve definitely seen friends who are doctoral candidates, disappear and re-emerge with that inability to relate, that you see in combat vets.😢
Very wise.
Well Said. Connection with others is of the utmost importance, regardless of one's area of specialty. As Opus the Penguin (Bloom County) said when he was seeking election to public office and giving a presentation to The Society of Blind, Left-Handed Dentists Without Tonsils: "I need your vote! Both of Them!" (It Pays To Get Out and Around!) 😁
Congrats on passing the exam🎉. Good luck on your dissertation. I really like your message of always be prepared to be proven wrong and be willing to examine new evidence. Love your work!
👍🏻👍🏻🎉🎉
@wildworld6264 - That is real science!
We are very proud of you, Erika. This world needs more people like you - smart, hard working and passionate about what they are doing.
I love how you keep us updated on the Rising Star Cave ... "controversy," I guess we could call it. And even should it turn out they were definitely not making marks on the wall, didn't build the fires, and didn't deliberately bury their dead, rather than just taking away carcasses, he found a FASCINATING new hominid!
Absolutely please keep us updated on this, Erika. I hope we learn tons more about this little guy, homo Naledi!
Hearing you openly discuss what it's like to work toward a PhD helps reinforce my decision to stop at a Bachelor's degree. I'm so happy I stopped there lmao. Even a master's degree, idk how you people do it. Crazy dedication. Good job!
The MS I’m trying to get into, lets you choose a field work project for the thesis. I’m going that direction because I’m light on field work in general, and want to get into technical writing. I want to understand field data collection methodologies better than I do atm.
There’s a wide range of master’s level award programs out there - you should be able to find one that you’d feel confident committing to!
Jigg, I recently submitted by masters thesis (small yay) - It took me 4 years part time while working a high pressure job. The brutal part is to remain committed and setting time aside to work on my research. The best investment I ever made was in my education, no ragrets. Keep in mind that requirements for PHD's vary. Her field is highly specialized, so her mentors are super careful to ensure that her research will contribute to the field and not end up wasting invested time and efforts. The one I'm considering in Mech. Eng. is more forgiving as it can be project based - although it still demands similar prep before approval, yet not so overly brutal as hers is. During the research term we have to either publish two papers or complete conference presentations in work related to the topic. What I'm saying is - yes its tough, but not unattainable - you can do it too! :)
I am 80 years old and I wish I could live my life over again because women now can make themselves heard in geology and paleontology. I have been fascinated by the study of prehistoric hominids since I read about Leaky’s discoveries in the 1950s. My father discouraged me from majoring in geology in 1961 and I took an easier route by majoring in history and becoming a teacher. You are so lucky to be able to follow your chosen career path and I wish you success! I will follow you with fascination.
Getting a master's just requires determination, patience, a desperate need to get out of one field and into another, and a truly ungodly amount of caffeine!
I watched the Homo Naledi documentary on Netflix and, thanks to what I learned on your channel, immediately spotted the red flags. Good job!
I ended up not going into primatology and hominid evolution as a field of study after having considered it for a while, but your coverage of the field lets me get those crunchy neural pathways firing back up again. I wasn't even in school at the time but I sat in on a couple of open lectures John Hawks gave at UW-Madison right after the Rising Star discovery. It's been interesting to see the story develop over the years.
I do the same for linguistics, I could never go back to school for it but watching science communicators online helps fulfill that thirst for knowledge without spending years of my life getting another degree 😅
Congratulations, Erica! We're very proud of you.
*WE* shouldn't feel so proud, since YOU did the work., but it feels great when someone I feel friendly towards proves herself to be up to the task at such a level.
Erika, from a cultural anthropologist to a bioanth: Congratulations on ascending to candidacy! Been there and that, and I almost felt nostalgic as you described your comps, oral and written. I defended my dissertation in December 1996. Now I cashier at a pet store and get VA disability. You are a remarkable teacher. I can't say anything about your interactions with students from UA-cam, but I believe that you have the person oriented aspect of academic teaching that is a gift to all who sit in your class. Your talent must not be wasted. I hope you are not in a Southern state where the powers that be there want to eliminate all of anthropology from the state system. I'm thinking of a state that starts with F and ends in A. I so hope you have support of all kinds. I suspect that you have some grant writing skills already.
I am on your side here which is why I am compelled to point out that "Now I cashier at a pet store and get VA disability. " plays exactly into the hands of all the arguments why anthro is a waste of time and money. You are shooting yourself in the foot and proving their point for them. I strongly suggest you remove the offending sentence (I'll edit this once you do).
@@sokar_rostauEw what? 1996 was 27 years ago and they served in the military. OP shouldn’t have to edit their comment just to appease you. Yikes.
@@sokar_rostau I hope you’re doing a comedy bit, like pretending to be the most insufferable type guy possible. if so, good bit!
@@erinelizabethmsw5137 You don't seem to understand that "I did a PhD and now I work in a pet shop" is near perfect proof of the arguments made to justify the de-funding of things like anthropology. In the broadest sense, it usually goes along the lines of something like "an Arts degree prepares graduates for a career in hospitality. It's a waste of time and resources that could be better spent on STEM".
The sentence is unnecessary to the point of the post, and gives ammunition to the very people that want to "eliminate all of anthropology... ".
@@erinelizabethmsw5137 oh yeah, serving in the US military, something to be proud of. Fought exactly one justifiable war that ended nearly 80 years ago, and are still murdering brown kids for money to this day. The hero worship Americans feel towards the mass murderers they send all over the world is incredible to me.
So chuffed for you mate! What a treat for us all to have been invited along your whole journey of education! A true gift GG. Thank you!
The giant black scale box feels like something I would have done in high school science class. Not a professional scientist.
Spend more time with professional scientists. Most people su*(k at their job.
I really like "post-publication" peer review. The key is to realize a paper is just a pre-print until it is revised to address prooblems pointed out by reviewers and ammasses enough positive reviews to be officially indexed.
Really well done so far and all the best in achieving that PhD.
It's sad that Netflix doesn't care about truth and accuracy. I wished Netflix did. There's a lot of misinformation and disinformation on Netflix. Thankfully there are people like yourself that make the effort to clarify and correct some of it.
Thanks! Great job Erica, from someone who got a PhD (in Geology) back in 1977, but who in an earlier life did 3 years of evolutionary biology.
I was not looking for a PhD progression explanation today but as someone who has a pipe dream of a PhD in my own field this felt perfectly timed! And an awesome video to boot!
Great episode! I love how you wrapped up with the little “moral of the story” about the significance of admitting when you’re wrong.
The world would be a better place if we did that more often.
I’m just an old woman who likes to watch/read about archeology. I saw that Netflix series and I was skeptical. I can’t even explain why, other than it was just such a leap. But I must say I am shocked by Berger’s lack of professionalism, seemingly caused by a need to hype up his TV show. As for you, Erica, you have a great way of presenting information and I hope to see many more of your videos.
You are cooler than a freezer full of mississippi mud fish. Congrats on your PhD success. As someone who couldn't take advantage of college, I really appreciate the benefits of higher learning.
Anthropologists aren’t immune from the faults of every other human. When presented with something that they don’t understand and which doesn’t fit with their current world view, some will say “I want to learn more.” And some will say “I refuse to accept this as true.”
We’re all guilty of it, though some of us do at least try to keep steering toward the first option as often as possible. To anyone reading this, please keep your mind open to new ideas. None of us are omniscient, and the world is beautiful in its complexity. Never lose sight of that beauty.
Tha-that's actually pretty wise. I wasn't expecting that from this comments section. I was just looking for young-earth creationists.
Erica, thank you so much for your excellent distillations of huge volumes of data/reports/theories in all of your videos. How refreshing it is to have found a communicator with both excellent communication skills and a superb non-dumbed-down presentation. Keep up the great work. You can’t help but be successful in your endeavors.
Wow, I’ve been eagerly awaiting an update on this paper!! Thanks for using your University access to bring us the paleoanthropological tea. And of course, congrats on your PhD candidacy!! 🎉
Congrats, looking forward to Dr. Gutsick Gibbon coming soon
Laughed my head off at 02:04 with the crying dance.
Right? What is that?
First congratulations on the progress you’ve made toward your PhD. Also you did an amazing job of breaking all of this down so that someone like me, who has had a couple years of college and just likes to read, can understand it all. I’m super disappointed to find all of this out as I just recently watched the documentary and was excited by it. Lastly I really like the meme of the crying girl dancing, it really is a perfect representation of that very strange mix of emotions
They didn't say Berger was wrong. They said he did not exclude every other possibility yet. Which is hard to do.
BTW - I didn't watch the documentary, but I expect it did escalate the claims, as you'd expect they'd do. However, I've watched several interviews with Berger and he was rather cautious there.
I believe there exists a marked difference between people who were in the caves, and those who were not. For those who did not try to get there, the claims made seem extraordinary and require extraordinary supporting evidence.
For those who went there, the difficulty itself is almost enough evidence for most of their claims. All the rest is a cherry on top. We'll see.
Anyway, I believe that the publication style was perfect. Publish the paper and the reviews. Let the reader decide.
Great news Erica.
Respect from Cambria, land of the Silures and the Ordovicii.
I am embarrassed to admit that I do like listening to the scientific drama. It does have the added benefit of reminding me to feel okay admitting when I were wrong. Love your show. It's my gateway to the scientific addiction.
Congratulations!! I hope you can take a well-deserved break once you are finally finished
Congratulations on reaching candidacy! (Candidate here - working on dissertation second editing after committee chewed it up!). Good luck in your research!
Congratulations, been there. If memory serves me, my qualifying exam was to pick 4 questions out of the 6 that were offered. I was given blank white legal size printer paper and pencils and an 8 hr time limit. I filled 22 pages. My oral [defense] portion was presenting and defending a proper grant proposal to my committee/department. Finally, at the end of our training you'd have to defend your PhD and answer anything your committee or citizen attendees wanted to ask you in a public forum and then, when the audience left the room, a 2 hr private defense with committee members only (the biggie). There they asked more philosophical, deeper questions involving ethics, etc., stuff you just can't prepare for. I passed all, had a great career and am now retired. I wish you the best of luck! You are an impressive young lady with loads of talent.
Wow, that was pretty brutal! And, to be fair, you did express a number of the reservations about the evidence quite early on. It will be interesting to see how this unravels. Clearly there is some explanation of the finds, but probably not the one initially presented.
It's a good day when there's a new Gutsick Gibbon video
Came to have a scientific paper read to me, like adult story time, but gave you the like for your academic achievement. Congratulations! I have been watching you for a long time and it is awesome how far you have come in that time. Your content is not only better produced and more entertaining, but even your posture and vocal confidence has increased exponentially.
It seems like, from a far, that you are just working really hard at pursuing things in life that interest you, and having a ton of success and laughs along the way. So fun to watch.
Erica, from one educator to another, you are going to do MORE GREAT THINGS for the study of science! Congratulations to you! Keep on keeping on!
Outstanding! Thank you for this Erica, and congratulations on your candidacy 😊
Congratulations and welcome back! Thanks for the update.
First: Congratulations on the closing stretch to your doctorate!
And thank you for these latest informed critiques and reviews of Berger’s findings.
It looks like a few years of analysis before soil and carbon testing definitively rule out post-Naledi contamination, among many other questions. Still, I’m enjoying the process of what is in-effect real-time peer review and learning about the many sub specialties of expertise.
i’m getting ready to submit applications for biological anthropology phd programs so you sharing the process has been so helpful for me! congrats!! i have no doubt you did amazing! I can’t wait till i’m also a phd student then candidate!
Thank you Erika. I stumbled across your deep dive video of the " Cave of Bones" Netflix documentary and - wow- shocked by the peer reviews. Then I got hooked by your convincing take-downs of the YEC zealots. Ever since then, I have been mesmerized. Your presentation takes dense material and breaks it into bite sized chunks. Then you take the time to spoon feed it. I'm taken in by your intelligence and charming way you deliver otherwise dry material. My wife thinks I'm infatuated and I can't deny I enjoy your videos, even the theme song at the end is hauntingly beautiful and fits perfectly with the personality of your channel. Keep it up - I especially like the videos under one hour...
Many congratulations on your candidacy and thanks for another great video!
Congratulations! You are one of the most brilliant and humorous content creators on UA-cam, amplified with your humility and self-deprecating sense of humor. I am curious whether any of your faculty or committee members are familiar with your UA-cam channel and your debates? Are they fans and supportive or assume you will redirect your energies ultimately to journals and academic forums?
Love hearing anthropology drama! And congrats on your candidacy
Congratulations, Erica. I have learned and continue to learn so much from your dedicated study! Very Grateful!
Congratulations! Excited to hear you talk more about your dissertation in the future!
Good luck, I look forward to following your future stellar career.
I literally shouted out 'yay' for you. Well done.
Congratulations on all your hard work! I hope your dissertation goes smoothly.
Congrats on your candidacy! Love your content and well deserved!
Congrats on passing your exam, Erica. I have been enjoying your videos for a while now. And you just make thie community more fun and entertaining. I like how polite and witty you are in all your interactions. Keep it up!
Excellent presentation! Thanks for your assessment of the H. naledi situation! (And congrats on passing the exam!!! Woohoo!)
Congratulations!!! We are so proud of you. Keep aping on!
Excellent review. Congrats on passing and look forward to your Doctoral thesis. The Naledi discovery and resultant papers and documentary by Lee Berger and team are sensationalistic and extraordinary. Sensationalism in Paleoanthropology results in increased funding for research while extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.
Congratulations on getting one step closer to your PhD! I've been really enjoying following this ongoing story through the lens of someone knowledgeable and in the field but able to communicate with a lay person like me.
That sounded horribly tough. Congratulations, Erica! I'm so happy for you.
Both my parents were college professors and trust me it is, and for hood reason. Look at Kent Hovind. He does not have a single legitimate degree. He has pamphlets
After my comps were over I felt so empty. all the prep for that one event. i was so nervous before the orals. Afterwards all i got was a weak congrats from the panel.
awesome! glad to hear about your success! keep up the great work!
I'm so proud of you for this amazing pursuit, I'm and old science nerd and i understand what that takes. well done. commented at 4:00 ♾
Congrats on the candidacy. I remember some comforting advice one of my committee members gave me and that I passed along to my students over the years, and I now impart to you. "The hard part is over. The next time you defend, you'll know more about the subject than anyone in the world". 😃😃😃
Congradulations Gutsick Gibbon! Imagine how good you will feel after your dissertation. I can’t wait to learn what you discover during your lifetime!
Thanks for this video. I could say so much here but keep up the good work and congrats!
Congrats Dr Gibbon!!
Great video. I've got to say that-- while it's sounding like Berger was premature in his breathless announcements-- having a good narrative of human drama to accompany the scientific journey, really makes this stuff stick in my brain more than it would otherwise.
I'm glad to have your deeper dive on this story. Thank you.
Congratulations!!!! You worked hard and its wonderful to see it pay off
Knew you had it covered, congratz!
What an achievement. The videos you post, the things you teach us, the debates you enter show that you are ably qualified for such a journey. Well-deserved congratulations!
Thanks for the breakdown. Excellent as always. Keep up the good work.
Congratulations on passing your comps!! I hope you’re taking some time to yourself to rest and recover from so much work and study. Comps are a grueling experience as well as a major milestone, and you’re finally through!!
Congrats on your candidacy
Woo-hoo, congrats on all your hard work!
Congrats! Looking forward to your dissertation.
Gratz and good luck for your dissertation ❤
Many congratulations on your candidacy! Maybe you could use this to get a cup of tea and a biscuit to celebrate! :)
Amazing stuff! Congrats on passing. But really, did we ever doubt you? You have all the practice from running your YT channel. :) Keep on making great and inspiring content!
Very excited for your present and future work. Your voice is valuable!
Well done Erica ,your knowledge staggers me and I love your videos ,please keep this up.
Congratulations, PhD Candidate! Thanks for keeping us updated on this issue!
Congrats on candidacy.. I have to honestly say, though, hearing your experience and those of my friends who have gone through it just convinces me even more that academia, for all it's rigor, isn't a healthy place for most humans. Thank you for sacrificing for our advancement.
The lower rungs are fine for most of us mere mortals who aren’t in fields requiring a wide range of rigorous methodology and detailed knowledge.
Geology and paleontology require mad levels of expertise and dedication to ongoing studies.
Congratulations and thank you for compiling the information and delivering it to me in a entertaining way! I'm too lazy to go read it for myself! I love listening to you!
You've got this teacher! Your youtube channel and active debating style of content creation has well prepared you. So never mind the anxiety and stress and just keep digging into your passion !
Congratulations on your academic progress, but more than that, well done. It's not luck, it's clear that you work very hard.
Btw this Homo naledi arc is great; really interesting to get this insight into the academia.
As a complete amature scratching my head about the Homo Neledi thing I've looked at their diagrams of the cave system and wondered if the "dragons back" formation that makes the system so hard to access might not have been less difficult some time in the past. It seems to be a build up of rock falling from the roof on the cave. Such rock fall would have covered over any previous entrance route. I wonder how we'd be able to tell if this is the case or date such changes in the cave system?
I heard speak live. He claims that there is no evidence that the cave system has changed substantially in the time since the hominids found their way into the cave system. Mind you, he has made a lot of other claims which are suspect. But, now at least you know what he is saying.
Congratulations!!! That sounds like a profound effort for a big accomplishment
You are AWESOME! Thank you for the diving!!!
Congratulations, GG. The process of acquiring a Ph.D sounds terrifying. I'd say you've earned it.
Half hour “a quick update”. Yep that tracks 😅
That’s basically Erika’s version of “short-form” content. 😂
"Important...to have a mindset of humility and a willingness to be corrected." I just got a work performance review that I have issues with, so ... DARN you for giving good advice. :-)
Congratulations 💛, looking forward to hearing about your progress.
Amazing reassessment of the Berger et al debacle! Of course we want to be amazed at what these ancient homo might have done, but it sounds like there are available scientific tests which weren't utilized. And you're right, GG, Lee Berger ought to be working NIGHTS s to address some of these concerns. QUESTION: Is any other scientific team allowed to explore this cave system to evaluate the claims?
Congratulations Gutsick Gibbon, receiving feedback like that for this type of work is no mean feat!
You're already a great science communicator and educator, you've got the mind and drive to get wherever you set your sights on, so I'm sure you'll go far!
I hope you'll be able to keep the channel going like you have already, but prioritize whatever gives you energy and joy, so you have an enjoyable experience in your future endeavors.
Yo congrats on the candidacy! You love to see it!
Another great video - I couldn't wait to watch this as soon as I saw it!
Massive congrats on reaching candidature! It's really interesting to hear the requirements you've had to meet so far. I'm doing a STEM PhD in Australia and, though we have checkpoints for progression which can absolutely be failed, it seems like I've had to do a lot less to reach candidature!
so cool you passed! and man there is always more to homo naledi
The process of gaining candidate status for a PhD programme sounds insane. The process of earning the PhD could only have been devised by someone who was seriously disturbed. I understand the need for academic rigour but surely that could be secured through a more rational and humane process.
Congrats! Love the video! 👍🏼
Love your content and your honesty. You are also so funny sometimes. Makes it so easy digest the volume of scientific information. thank you!
The way your PhD works is crazy, it is barbaric.
I have never heard of such madness as a PhD candidate myself.
What is your field of study? Can you expound on why it's barbaric, the term seems a little strong?
Curious because what Erika describes is standard for the hard sciences, and a few of the liberal arts (philosophy, history, classics) as far as I know. You have to demonstrate you have a solid foundation in you field of study (written), you have to demonstrate you can discuss, argue specifics of said field (orals), then you go search for new stuff and publish (dissertation).
Barbaric ... ???? settle for a BA then FCOL
Yayyy congrats Erica, you are awesome! Keep up the great work.
Absolutely amazing vid!
CONGRATULATIONS on your candidacy!! That is SO awesome!!