Daniel Lieberman was born and raised in the northeastern United States. He attended Harvard University, where he earned his undergraduate degree in anthropology in 1987. He went on to receive two master’s degrees, one in biological anthropology from the University of Cambridge and one in Anthropology from Harvard. In 1993, Lieberman earned his PhD in anthropology from Harvard.

Early in his career as a paleoanthropologist, Lieberman worked as a professor and researcher. He began his teaching career at Rutgers University and George Washington University before moving on to teach anthropology at Harvard. Through his research, Lieberman has explored multiple areas of interest, such as skull and tooth structures and biomechanical forces on bones. He, along with research colleagues, went on to study how endurance running evolved in humans. Lieberman has written multiple academic texts, including The Evolution of the Human Head (2011) and Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding (2020).

Given his educational and professional background, Lieberman is considered a renowned expert in paleoanthropology. Part 1, in particular, showcases Lieberman’s previous research work. As mentioned above, much of Lieberman’s research has focused on examining skeletal structures and how they evolved. His discussions on hominin evolution center on these types of features: For instance, he is able to infer dietary changes through accompanying changes in tooth size and skull shape.