I recently listened to a podcast (RadioLab) that discussed the mystery of one of our human ancestors. A skull found in South Africa in the 1920s has a remarkable resemblance to humans, in that it has a relatively flat face and a hole at the base of the skull, suggesting it stood upright. The skull was very small and the reason we know it was not human is the brain cavity is too small. What I found to be fascinating about this piece is that it narrated the journey of finding what killed this specific creature. Ultimately, scientists recognized that it was most like a large bird of prey that killed the specimen (which was about the size of a chimpanzee). I find it to be so interesting how we view humans as being at the top of the food chain, the scariest predators out there, but not so long ago, our ancestors were hunted by birds. It’s a concept I never considered, sure it would make sense to be scared of a lion or bear should I stumble across it in the wild, but a large bird? It puts a whole new feeling to the eeriness that accompanies the a swooping shadow from above.