Podcasts about Black Death

This week we're sharpening our swords and checking our armpits for boils!   Christopher Buehlman is the guest, author the hugely-acclaimed 2012 medieval horror fantasy, Between Two Fires – now being reissued for a new, wide audience. It's a book that everyone has been screaming at me to read, and I'm glad I did.   Christopher and I get hellishly geeky, talking history, plague, angelology and demonology, Biblical reference and epic poetry. But he also tells us about his past career insulting drunk people at ren-fairs.   Enjoy!   Other books mentioned:   Those Across the River (2011), by Christopher Buehlman The Blacktongue Thief (2021), by Christopher Buehlman The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death (2005), by John Kelly Angel Down (2025), by Daniel Kraus The Starving Saints (2025), by Caitlin Starling   Support Talking Scared on Patreon   Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch   Come talk books on Threads, Bluesky, and Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Greg Jenner is joined in medieval England by Professor Marion Turner and comedian Mike Wozniak to learn all about Geoffrey Chaucer, author of the Canterbury Tales. Since the fifteenth century, Chaucer has been referred to as the father of English literature. He was one of the first authors to champion the use of Middle English for poetry instead of Latin, and after the invention of the printing press, his works became the foundation of the English literary canon – long before Shakespeare ever put quill to parchment. But Chaucer's life was as extraordinary as his legacy, living as he did through the Black Death, the Hundred Years' War between England and France, and the Peasants' Revolt. In this episode, Greg and his guests explore Chaucer's dramatic biography: growing up the son of a wine merchant in fourteenth-century London, his work for the royal court and long career as a medieval civil servant, his relationship with John of Gaunt through his mistress Katherine Swynford, and his travels throughout Europe. They also examine the poets that influenced him – including Petrarch, Bocaccio and Dante – and take a deep dive into the famous Canterbury Tales. If you're a fan of medieval literature, historical courtroom dramas, and the tumult of fourteenth-century England, you'll love our episode on Geoffrey Chaucer. If you want more literary history with Mike Wozniak, listen to our episodes on Charles Dickens at Christmas and the Legends of King Arthur. And for more fourteenth-century lives, check out our episode on medieval Muslim traveller Ibn Battuta. You're Dead To Me is the comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Every episode, Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past. Hosted by: Greg Jenner Research by: Rosalyn Sklar Written by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Dr Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner Produced by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner Audio Producer: Steve Hankey Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett Senior Producer: Dr Emma Nagouse Executive Editor: Philip Sellars

Hazel Baker of London Guided Walks welcomes you to the London History Podcast for the first of a two-part deep dive into the dramatic events of 1381—often known as the Peasants' Revolt. Joining Hazel is City of London guide and lecturer Ian McDiarmid, as they unpack why “peasants” is far from an accurate label. Contemporary records and post-revolt indictments reveal that many participants were skilled workers or even minor landowners, challenging long-held assumptions about this uprising.Together they trace the revolt's roots in three powerful pressures: crushing and unfair taxation—especially the infamous poll taxes—England's costly and faltering campaigns in the Hundred Years' War, and deep economic tensions following the Black Death. With landowners trying to freeze wages and reassert labour controls, resentment brewed across the country.The episode explores the political turmoil surrounding the teenage Richard II, corruption scandals involving figures like Alice Perrers, William Latimer, and Richard Lyons, and London's bitter clashes with John of Gaunt over civic rights and Wyclif's reformist ideas. As rebellion ignites in Essex and Kent, the movement gathers momentum under Wat Tyler, culminating in the rebels' march to London and their tense first meeting with the king at Deptford.The story closes with the rebels poised to enter London—setting the stage for part two, which follows the uprising as it engulfs the city. You can explore even more through Hazel's related blog posts on the Marshalsea, London's aldermen, John of Gaunt's Savoy Palace, and Alice Perrers.

It's not a stretch to say that everyone suffers from unwanted body odor from time to time. Whether it's stress, exercise, or heat, there are plenty of reasons why we sweat and there is a lot to learn about our bodies from the odors they create. To learn more about the science of body odor, Dr. Samantha Yammine is joined by Dr. Chris Callewaert, aka Dr. Armpit. Before that, Sam also digs into a new skin patch that might help out our friends with peanut allergies. Then, she explores a new theory into how the Black Death pandemic was able to spread so easily way back in the 1300s. Link to Show Notes HERE Follow Curiosity Weekly on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Dr. Samantha Yammine — for free! Still curious? Get science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go to https://discoveryplus.com/curiosity to start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you're a plague enthusiast you'd probably agree that The Black Death is one of, if not the biggest hitter. But how did Wales fare when 40% of the worlds population was being decimated by disease we hear you ask? Hit play and find out you morbid buggers. You can get some extra episodes and content, mostly more cheerful than plague talk, on our Patreon. Check it out.

Strasbourg, AlsaceFebruary 14, 1349Six hundred years before Al Capone made Valentine's Day synonymous with bloodshed in Chicago, the citizens of Strasbourg, in the German Empire, committed a massacre that dwarfed it in scale and savagery. On February 14, 1349, as many as two thousand Jewish men, women, and children were marched to the Jewish cemetery and burned alive on a wooden platform — accused of poisoning the wells and conjuring the Black Death. The plague hadn't even reached the city yet. Five days earlier, a guild revolt had overthrown the city government that had been protecting the Jewish community. The new regime's first act was mass arrest. Its second was mass murder. And when the ashes cooled, the new council divided the dead's property among themselves and declared all debts owed to Jewish lenders void. The motive was the same as it always is. Money. Power. And someone to blame.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.You can pay more if you want to, but rent at the Safe House is still just a buck a week, and you can get access to over 400 ad-free episodes from the dusty vault, Safe House Exclusives, direct access to the Boss, and whatever personal services you require.We invite you to our other PULPULAR MEDIA podcasts:If disaster is more your jam, check out CATASTROPHIC CALAMITIES, telling the stories of famous and forgotten tragedies of the 19th and 20th centuries. What could go wrong? Everything!For brand-new tales in the old clothes from the golden era of popular literature, give your ears a treat with PULP MAGAZINES with two new stories every week.This episode includes AI-generated content.

I'm back! Did you miss me?In this episode, I'm taking you on a journey through the ways beauty standards twisted and transformed during some of history's darkest moments- from the death-obsessed world of the Black Death to the patriotic glamour demanded during World War I & World War II.We'll uncover why people clung to fragile, disciplined, or "pure" aesthetics when everything around them was falling apart. We'll talk plagues, pin-ups, propaganda, and the way modern beauty culture still mirrors those old fears. Are. You. Ready?****************Featured AD:If you love wandering into the stranger corners of history with me, you'll want to hear the trailer for my new narrative show, Murder Through Time: A Whodunit Across the Centuries. Each episode drops you into a different era as you unravel a real case shaped by the customs, dangers, and secrets of its time. You're not just listening, you're the detective. You'll hear the teaser in today's episode, and you can listen to the first episode right now wherever you get your podcasts.****************Sources & Further Reading:Naomi Wolf — The Beauty Myth (1990)Millard Meiss — Painting in Florence and Siena After the Black Death (1951)Katherine Byrne — Tuberculosis and the Victorian Literary Imagination (2011)Kathy Peiss — Hope in a Jar (1998)George Mosse — Nationalism and Sexuality (1985)Ruth Ben-Ghiat — Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present (2020) Jia Tolentino — Trick Mirror (2019) Oxford University Press — Women in Wartime analyses (various authors)****************Leave Us a 5* Rating, it helps the show!Apple Podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beauty-unlocked-the-podcast/id1522636282Spotify Podcast:https://open.spotify.com/show/37MLxC8eRob1D0ZcgcCorA****************Follow Us on Social Media & Subscribe to our YouTube Channel!YouTube:@beautyunlockedspodcasthourTikTok:tiktok.com/@beautyunlockedthepod****************Intro/Outro Music:“Fame Inc” by Savvier — https://icons8.com/music

Welcome to our daily Bitachon . We're in Shaar Habechina , looking into the wonders of creation, and we're talking about insects now. There's a certain wasp that's called a jewel wasp that is almost like a neurosurgeon. It turns a cockroach into a zombie to serve as a living, fresh food source for its larvae. How does this happen? It delivers a precise sting directly into the cockroach's brain, targeting the exact cluster of neurons that controls the escape reflex. So this disables the host's will to move while keeping it alive and walking so it could be led to a burrow like a dog on a leash. Now, there's more wisdom than just sticking the needle in, because it has to be a probe. As the stinger enters the cockroach's head, the wasps use sensors on the tip to feel for the brain, and once it's in there, it has to find a certain part of the brain and gives a dose of venom that targets the dopamine receptors inside of the cockroach's brain. And therefore it loses its motivation to run. It can still walk but it can't run. And actually the wasp is saving energy by walking its prey home rather than carrying it. And this is not the only creature that God gave this ability to, so to say, hijack another animal and turn it into a zombie. This is really a subject on its own. There are many, many examples of this. We'll give you one other example. There's a type of hairworm which can grow up to four times longer than its cricket hosts. It begins life as a microscopic larva that the cricket accidentally consumes while drinking water. Once inside the cricket's body, the worm develops over several weeks, eventually occupying most of the host's body cavity. The infected cricket continues to behave normally for most of this period. But as the worm nears maturity, something sinister occurs. The parasite begins producing proteins that affect the cricket's nervous system, compelling the normal insect that is used to being on the ground to seek out water sources. When the cricket reaches a pond, stream, or even a swimming pool, it plunges in despite being unable to swim. Once in the water, the mature worm bursts from the cricket's body and begins its aquatic reproductive phase. The cricket, now fatally injured and waterlogged, typically drowns. Science has discovered that these worms can alter their host's behavior so precisely that infected crickets are three times more likely to jump into water than healthy ones, even when presented with the same environmental cues. So this is again a wonder of wonders. In order to keep this hairworm continuing to reproduce, Hashem gave it the ability. Again, it's got to get back to the water. It starts in the water. The cricket drinks it as a larva in the water. It grows in the cricket and then brings the cricket back to the water for it to once again start its reproductive system. So we have two zombie examples where one creature takes over the brain of the other one. And there are many such examples, but this is just a little flavor of what God can do. We will now talk about the flea. Everyone heard of the statement: if you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas. What are fleas? There are actually 2,500 species of these small flightless insects that live as external parasites on mammals and birds. Fleas live by ingesting the blood of their hosts. They lack wings as we said, they are flightless insects. So if they lack wings, how do they move around? We'll get to their hind legs that are very well adapted for jumping. We'll get there in a minute. But they have special skin-piercing parts in their mouth and they're great at sucking blood. They carry disease and they're responsible for a famous disease called the bubonic plague. It was responsible for the Black Death that swept through Asia and Europe and Africa in the 14th century and killed an estimated 50 million people. This is all the different plagues that happened over the years. So what makes the flea so deadly is you can't swat him. He just moves so fast. He jumps 200 times its body length at tremendous speed. Now, how do they jump? What gives him the ability? Muscles alone couldn't do it. So what does it do? In the flea's knee joint is a pad of resilin, which is an elastic protein. The flea cocks its legs and locks them with a latch, which compresses this resilin pad. When the latch is released, the energy is put into this jump in a fraction millisecond creating a launch speed that no muscle could achieve. So, again, this flea needs blood. He's got to move around. So and he's got to be swat free. He's got to be unstoppable to get around. And that's the flea, this common flea that's on dogs and all over the place. He has to have this special design to make him successful. And we continue with

Life in the steppe was different to sedentary Europe, and the effects of the plague were also different.

Ivan's son Simeon take the throne, but soon faces a new threat - the Black Death.

For a very long time humans have been getting sick. Sometimes we have gotten sick more easily than at other times. From time to time we get sick from things a human body has never before encountered. Sickness is always present with us. And while injury we can understand–like breaking a leg, or having a rock hit your head–sickness can be as mysterious to people in 2026 who trust the science as it was to our ancestors 4,000 years ago. “Why did one patient heal,” my guest Susan Wise Bauer writes, “while another rotted? And what about the shivering, miserable sufferer who simply awoke with a sore throat and cough, after going to bed healthy and filled with plans the night before? It is the constant presence of sickness, not injury, that has shaped the way we think about ourselves and our world.”Susan Wise Bauer's books include The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home (fourth ed., 2024) and The Story of Western Science: From the Writings of Aristotle to the Big Bang Theory. Her most recent book is The Great Shadow: A History of How Sickness Shapes What We Do, Think, Believe, and Buy. 0:00 Introduction 1:45 What This Book Is and Isn't 4:35 Did Hunter-Gatherers Get Sick? 9:50 Guilt and Sickness 14:00 Doctors as Priests 21:30 The Four Humors 25:15 Humoral Theory and Colonialism 29:45 Occasionalism: God's Will and Disease 35:55 The Black Death 40:45 The History of Drugs 45:50 Vaccines: Jenner and Cowpox 50:30 The Early 20th Century: Disease Returns 54:25 The Pax Antibiotica 58:30 Wellness Culture 61:45 COVID and What Hasn't Changed 67:15 Closing

00:08 Hajar Yazdiha  is an Assistant Professor of Sociology and faculty affiliate of the Equity Research Institute at the University of Southern California; now author of The Struggle for the People's King: How Politics Transforms the Memory of the Civil Rights Movement  [repeat – originally recorded in 2024]   00:33 David K Randall, senior reporter at Reuters, discussing his book Black Death at the Golden Gate: The Race to Save America from the Bubonic Plague [repeat – originally recorded in 2019] The post The battle over the meaning of Martin Luther King Jr. appeared first on KPFA.

Author Elizabeth DeLozier joins us to discuss Eleanore of Avignon, our January Book Club pick, and her bold debut, shaped by plague, medicine, and female power.In this free conversation, Elizabeth DeLozier takes us behind the scenes of Eleanore of Avignon—a richly researched historical novel set during the Black Death, written during the modern pandemic that reshaped how many of us think about illness, fear, and survival.Elizabeth shares how long it took to bring this ambitious debut from first idea to finished book, what it was like to pitch such a high-stakes story as a first novel, and how her background in medicine deeply informed the way she wrote Eleanore's work as a healer and midwife. We also talk about writing outside of traditional MFA pathways, balancing historical plausibility with emotionally resonant characters, and what surprised her most while researching 14th-century Avignon.Gratitude to Our Show Patrons: This week's episode is open to all listeners thanks to generous donations made through Buy Me a Coffee and your community memberships. If you'd like to keep the conversation going, you're invited to join our Patreon Book Club chat on January 29 at 8 PM ET, where we'll dive deeper into spoilers, themes, and reader reactions. Membership is $5 a month, or you can prepay for the year and save 10%. In this fascinating conversation, we explore:

Discussion of things literally or figuratively unearthed in the last quarter of 2025 continues. It begins with potpourri then covers tools, Neanderthals, edibles and potables, art, shipwrecks, medical finds, and repatriations. Research: Abdallah, Hanna. “Famous Easter Island statues were created without centralized management.” PLOS. Via EurekAlert. 11/26/2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1106805 Abdallah, Hannah. “Early humans butchered elephants using small tools and made big tools from their bones.” PLOS. Via EurekAlert. 10/8/2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1100481 Abdallah, Hannah. “Researchers uncover clues to mysterious origin of famous Hjortspring boat.” EurekAlert. 10/12/2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1108323 Archaeology Magazine. “Medieval Hoard of Silver and Pearls Discovered in Sweden.” https://archaeology.org/news/2025/10/14/medieval-hoard-of-silver-and-pearls-discovered-in-sweden/ Archaeology Magazine. “Possible Trepanation Tool Unearthed in Poland.” 11/13/2025. https://archaeology.org/news/2025/11/13/possible-trepanation-tool-unearthed-in-poland/ Arkeologerna. “Rare 5,000-year-old dog burial unearthed in Sweden.” 12/15/2025. https://news.cision.com/se/arkeologerna/r/rare-5-000-year-old-dog-burial-unearthed-in-sweden,c4282014 Arnold, Paul. “Ancient ochre crayons from Crimea reveal Neanderthals engaged in symbolic behaviors.” Phys.org. 10/30/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-ancient-ochre-crayons-crimea-reveal.html Arnold, Paul. “Dating a North American rock art tradition that lasted 175 generations.” Phys.org. 11/28/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-dating-north-american-art-tradition.html Bassi, Margherita. “A Single Gene Could Have Contributed to Neanderthals’ Extinction, Study Suggests.” Smithsonian. 10/30/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-neanderthal-gene-variant-related-to-red-blood-cells-may-have-contributed-to-their-extinction-180987586/ Benjamin Pohl, Chewing over the Norman Conquest: the Bayeux Tapestry as monastic mealtime reading, Historical Research, 2025;, htaf029, https://doi.org/10.1093/hisres/htaf029 Benzine, Vittoria. “Decoded Hieroglyphics Reveal Female Ruler of Ancient Maya City.” ArtNet. 10/27/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/foundation-stone-maya-coba-woman-ruler-2704521 Berdugo, Sophie. “Easter Island statues may have 'walked' thanks to 'pendulum dynamics' and with as few as 15 people, study finds.” LiveScience. 10/19/2025. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/easter-island-statues-may-have-walked-thanks-to-pendulum-dynamics-and-with-as-few-as-15-people-study-finds Billing, Lotte. “Fingerprint of ancient seafarer found on Scandinavia’s oldest plank boat.” EurekAlert. 10/12/2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1109361 Brhel, John. “Rats played major role in Easter Island’s deforestation, study reveals.” EurekAlert. 11/17/2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1106361 Caldwell, Elizabeth. “9 more individuals unearthed at Oaklawn could be 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre victims.” Tulsa Public Radio. 11/6/2025. https://www.publicradiotulsa.org/local-regional/2025-11-06/9-more-individuals-unearthed-at-oaklawn-could-be-1921-tulsa-race-massacre-victims Clark, Gaby. “Bayeux Tapestry could have been originally designed as mealtime reading for medieval monks.” Phys.org. 12/15/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-bayeux-tapestry-mealtime-medieval-monks.html#google_vignette Cohen, Alina. “Ancient Olive Oil Processing Complex Unearthed in Tunisia.” Artnet. 11/21/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/ancient-olive-oil-complex-tunisia-2717795 Cohen, Alina. “MFA Boston Restores Ownership of Historic Works by Enslaved Artist.” ArtNet. 10/30/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/mfa-boston-david-drake-jars-restitution-2706594 Fergusson, Rachel. “First DNA evidence of Black Death in Edinburgh discovered on teeth of excavated teenage skeleton.” The Scotsman. 11/5/2025. https://www.scotsman.com/news/first-dna-evidence-black-death-edinburgh-discovered-teeth-excavated-teenage-skeleton-5387741 Folorunso, Caleb et al. “MOWAA Archaeology Project: Enhancing Understanding of Benin City’s Historic Urban Development and Heritage through Pre-Construction Archaeology.” Antiquity (2025): 1–10. Web. Griffith University. “Rare stone tool cache tells story of trade and ingenuity.” 12/2/2025. https://news.griffith.edu.au/2025/12/02/rare-stone-tool-cache-tells-story-of-trade-and-ingenuity/ Han, Yu et al. “The late arrival of domestic cats in China via the Silk Road after 3,500 years of human-leopard cat commensalism.” Cell Genomics, Volume 0, Issue 0, 101099. https://www.cell.com/cell-genomics/fulltext/S2666-979X(25)00355-6 Hashemi, Sara. “A Volcanic Eruption in 1345 May Have Triggered a Chain of Events That Brought the Black Death to Europe.” Smithsonian. 12/8/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-volcanic-eruption-in-1345-may-have-triggered-a-chain-of-events-taht-brought-the-black-death-to-europe-180987803/ Hjortkjær, Simon Thinggaard. “Mysterious signs on Teotihuacan murals may reveal an early form of Uto-Aztecan language.” PhysOrg. 10/6/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-mysterious-teotihuacan-murals-reveal-early.html Institut Pasteur. “Study suggests two unsuspected pathogens struck Napoleon's army during the retreat from Russia in 1812.” Via EurekAlert. 10/24/2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1102613 Jones, Sam. “Shells found in Spain could be among oldest known musical instruments.” The Guardian. 12/2/2025. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/dec/02/neolithic-conch-like-shell-spain-catalonia-discovery-musical-instruments Kasal, Krystal. “Pahon Cave provides a look into 5,000 years of surprisingly stable Stone Age tool use.” Phys.org. 12/16/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-pahon-cave-years-stable-stone.html Kristiansen, Nina. “Eight pages bound in furry seal skin may be Norway's oldest book.” Science Norway. 11/3/2025. https://www.sciencenorway.no/cultural-history-culture-history/eight-pages-bound-in-furry-seal-skin-may-be-norways-oldest-book/2571496 Kuta, Sarah. “109-Year-Old Messages in a Bottle Written by Soldiers Heading to Fight in World War I Discovered on Australian Beach.” Smithsonian. 11/6/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/109-year-old-messages-in-a-bottle-written-by-soldiers-heading-to-fight-in-world-war-i-discovered-on-australian-beach-180987649/ Kuta, Sarah. “A Storm Battered Western Alaska, Scattering Thousands of Indigenous Artifacts Across the Sand.” Smithsonian. 10/31/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-storm-battered-western-alaska-scattering-thousands-of-indigenous-artifacts-across-the-sand-180987606/ Kuta, Sarah. “Archaeologists Unearth More Than 100 Projectiles From an Iconic Battlefield in Scotland.” Smithsonian. 11/5/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unearth-more-than-100-projectiles-from-an-iconic-battlefield-in-scotland-180987641/ Kuta, Sarah. “Hundreds of Mysterious Victorian-Era Shoes Are Washing Up on a Beach in Wales. Nobody Knows Where They Came From.” Smithsonian. 1/5/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hundreds-of-mysterious-victorian-era-shoes-are-washing-up-on-a-beach-in-wales-nobody-knows-where-they-came-from-180987943/ Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “Golden ‘Tudor Heart’ Necklace Sheds New Light on Henry VIII’s First Marriage.” Artnet. 10/14/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/tudor-heart-pendant-british-museum-fundraiser-2699544 Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “Long-Overlooked Black Veteran Identified in Rare 19th-Century Portrait.” ArtNet. 10/27/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/black-veteran-thomas-phillips-portrait-identified-2704721 Lipo CP, Hunt TL, Pakarati G, Pingel T, Simmons N, Heard K, et al. (2025) Megalithic statue (moai) production on Rapa Nui (Easter Island, Chile). PLoS One 20(11): e0336251. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0336251 Lipo, Carl P. and Terry L. Hunt. “The walking moai hypothesis: Archaeological evidence, experimental validation, and response to critics.” Journal of Archaeological Science. Volume 183, November 2025, 106383. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0305440325002328 Lock, Lisa. “Pre-construction archaeology reveals Benin City's historic urban development and heritage.” 10/29/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-pre-archaeology-reveals-benin-city.html#google_vignette Lock, Lisa. “Pre-construction archaeology reveals Benin City's historic urban development and heritage.” Antiquity. Via PhysOrg. 10/29/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-pre-archaeology-reveals-benin-city.html#google_vignette Lynley A. Wallis et al, An exceptional assemblage of archaeological plant fibres from Windmill Way, southeast Cape York Peninsula, Australian Archaeology (2025). DOI: 10.1080/03122417.2025.2574127 Lyon, Devyn. “Oaklawn Cemetery excavation brings investigators closer to identifying Tulsa Race Massacre victims.” Fox 23. 11/6/2025. https://www.fox23.com/news/oaklawn-cemetery-excavation-brings-investigators-closer-to-identifying-tulsa-race-massacre-victims/article_67c3a6b7-2acc-44cb-93ce-3d3d0c288eca.html Marquard, Bryan. “Bob Shumway, last known survivor of the deadly Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire, dies at 101.” 11/12/2025. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/12/metro/bob-shumway-101-dies-was-last-known-cocoanut-grove-fire-survivor/?event=event12 Marta Osypińska et al, A centurion's monkey? Companion animals for the social elite in an Egyptian port on the fringes of the Roman Empire in the 1st and 2nd c. CE, Journal of Roman Archaeology (2025). DOI: 10.1017/s1047759425100445 Merrington, Andrew. “Extensive dog diversity millennia before modern breeding practices.” University of Exeter. 11/13/2025. https://news.exeter.ac.uk/faculty-of-humanities-arts-and-social-sciences/archaeology-and-history/extensive-dog-diversity-millennia-before-modern-breeding-practices/ Morris, Steven. “Linguists start compiling first ever complete dictionary of ancient Celtic.” The Guardian. 12/8/2025. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/dec/08/linguists-start-compiling-first-ever-complete-dictionary-of-ancient-celtic Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. “Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Resolves Ownership of Works by Enslaved Artist David Drake.” 10/29/2025. https://www.mfa.org/press-release/david-drake-ownership-resolution Narcity. “Niagara has a 107-year-old shipwreck lodged above the Falls and it just moved.” https://www.narcity.com/niagara-falls-shipwreck-iron-scow-moved-closer-to-the-falls Newcomb, Tim. “A 76-Year-Old Man Went On a Hike—and Stumbled Upon a 1,500-Year Old Trap.” Popular Mechanics. 11/21/2025. https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/archaeology/a69441460/reindeer-trap/ Nordin, Gunilla. “Ancient wolves on remote Baltic Sea island reveal link to prehistoric humans.” Stockholm University. Via EurekAlert. 11/24/2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1106807 Oster, Sandee. “DNA confirms modern Bo people are descendants of ancient Hanging Coffin culture.” Phys.org. 12/6/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-dna-modern-bo-people-descendants.html Oster, Sandee. “Rare disease possibly identified in 12th century child's skeletal remains.” PhysOrg. 10/10/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-rare-disease-possibly-12th-century.html Osuh, Chris and Geneva Abdul. “Lost grave of daughter of Black abolitionist Olaudah Equiano found by A-level student.” The Guardian. 11/1/2025. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/nov/01/lost-grave-daughter-black-abolitionist-olaudah-equiano-found-by-a-level-student Silvia Albizuri et al, The oldest mule in the western Mediterranean. The case of the Early Iron Age in Hort d'en Grimau (Penedès, Barcelona, Spain), Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105506 Skok, Phoebe. “Ancient shipwrecks rewrite the story of Iron Age trade.” PhysOrg. 10/14/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-ancient-shipwrecks-rewrite-story-iron.html The History Blog. “600-year-old Joseon ship recovered from seabed.” 11/15/2025. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/74652 The History Blog. “Ancient pleasure barge found off Alexandria coast.” 12/9/2025. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/74860 The History Blog. “Charred Byzantine bread loves stamped with Christian imagery found in Turkey.” 10/13/2025. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/74352 The History Blog. “Early medieval silver treasure found in Stockholm.” 10/12/2025. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/74343 The History Blog. “Roman amphora with sardines found in Switzerland.” 12/15/2025. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/74904 The Straits Times. “Wreck of ancient Malay vessel discovered on Pulau Melaka.” 10/31/2025. https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/wreck-of-ancient-malay-vessel-discovered-on-pulau-melaka Thompson, Sarah. “The forgotten daughter: Eliza Monroe Hay’s story revealed in her last letters.” W&M News. 9/30/2025. https://news.wm.edu/2025/09/30/the-forgotten-daughter-eliza-monroes-story-revealed-in-her-last-letters/ Tuhkuri, Jukka. “Why Did Endurance Sink?” Polar Record 61 (2025): e23. Web. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/polar-record/article/why-did-endurance-sink/6CC2C2D56087035A94DEB50930B81980 Universitat de Valencia. “The victims of the Pompeii eruption wore heavy wool cloaks and tunics, suggesting different environmental conditions in summer.” 12/3/2025. https://www.uv.es/uvweb/uv-news/en/news/victims-pompeii-eruption-wore-heavy-wool-cloaks-tunics-suggesting-different-environmental-conditions-summer-1285973304159/Novetat.html?id=1286464337848&plantilla=UV_Noticies/Page/TPGDetaillNews University of Glasgow. “Archaeologists recover hundreds of Jacobite projectiles in unexplored area of Culloden.” 10/30/2025. https://www.gla.ac.uk/news/headline_1222736_en.html University of Vienna. “Neanderthal DNA reveals ancient long-distance migrations.” 10/29/2025. https://www.univie.ac.at/en/news/detail/neanderthal-dna-reveals-ancient-long-distance-migrations Zhou, H., Tao, L., Zhao, Y. et al. Exploration of hanging coffin customs and the bo people in China through comparative genomics. Nat Commun 16, 10230 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-65264-3 Zinin, Andrew. “Ancient humans mastered fire-making 400,000 years ago, study shows.” Phys.org. 10/10/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-ancient-humans-mastered-years.html See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SHOW NOTESThe word apocalypse doesn't mean ending - it means revelation, transformation. History shows that human apocalypses don't destroy everything, they fundamentally change society. The Black Death killed half of Europe but broke the feudal system when labor scarcity gave peasants bargaining power for the first time. Mexico City earthquake survivors didn't scatter in panic - they ran toward collapsed buildings to help, forming rescue groups that still exist today. Research shows you only need 25 percent of any community committed to change to flip entire social norms, and this tipping point explains sudden shifts like smoking bans and marriage equality.We're already past several positive tipping points. Solar and wind energy are now the cheapest electricity in most places, not from subsidies but simple economics. Each success makes the next easier, creating momentum. But colonial history warns us that recovery requires agency - when Spanish colonizers destroyed Aztec water systems and imposed their own approach, they created problems Mexico City still faces 500 years later. Unlike every previous generation facing apocalypse, we can see climate change coming. We have time, knowledge, and choice. The question isn't whether systems will transform, but whether we choose adaptation while we still have agency or wait for collapse to force it on us.Two "LET'S TAKE BACK OUR COUNTRY AND OUR PLANET" Guides:A Call to Act: The World's Most Comprehensive Database of Eco-Solutions.                Hundreds of Eco-Organizations, Eco-Activities, and Eco-Actions you can take today.Trumping Trump: A new survival guide for maintaining focus and sanity while avoiding outrage fatigue. TT is a database of 300+ strong organizations, many with local chapters in your area, united together to fight against the insanity spewing out of 'The Whiter House' that is going to be with us for years.

Human history is not a smooth story of progress. It is a story of bottlenecks—moments when pressure narrows the field, and when only certain ways of living can carry themselves forward. In this episode of Context, we explore the idea that AI is creating the next great bottleneck in human evolution. Drawing on evolutionary biology, deep prehistory, the Black Death, World War I, and modern digital culture, we consider how bottlenecks reshape not just populations, but meaning itself, filtering which values, commitments, and forms of responsibility can survive across generations. The question before us is not whether humanity survives the age of AI, but which version of humanity does. To help support the show, access bonus episodes, and listen ad-free, join me on Patreon or subscribe directly through Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

The show's coverage of things literally or figuratively unearthed in the last quarter of 2025 begins with updates, books and letters, animals, and just one exhumation. Research: Abdallah, Hanna. “Famous Easter Island statues were created without centralized management.” PLOS. Via EurekAlert. 11/26/2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1106805 Abdallah, Hannah. “Early humans butchered elephants using small tools and made big tools from their bones.” PLOS. Via EurekAlert. 10/8/2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1100481 Abdallah, Hannah. “Researchers uncover clues to mysterious origin of famous Hjortspring boat.” EurekAlert. 10/12/2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1108323 Archaeology Magazine. “Medieval Hoard of Silver and Pearls Discovered in Sweden.” https://archaeology.org/news/2025/10/14/medieval-hoard-of-silver-and-pearls-discovered-in-sweden/ Archaeology Magazine. “Possible Trepanation Tool Unearthed in Poland.” 11/13/2025. https://archaeology.org/news/2025/11/13/possible-trepanation-tool-unearthed-in-poland/ “Rare 5,000-year-old dog burial unearthed in Sweden.” 12/15/2025. https://news.cision.com/se/arkeologerna/r/rare-5-000-year-old-dog-burial-unearthed-in-sweden,c4282014 Arnold, Paul. “Ancient ochre crayons from Crimea reveal Neanderthals engaged in symbolic behaviors.” Phys.org. 10/30/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-ancient-ochre-crayons-crimea-reveal.html Arnold, Paul. “Dating a North American rock art tradition that lasted 175 generations.” Phys.org. 11/28/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-dating-north-american-art-tradition.html Bassi, Margherita. “A Single Gene Could Have Contributed to Neanderthals’ Extinction, Study Suggests.” Smithsonian. 10/30/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-neanderthal-gene-variant-related-to-red-blood-cells-may-have-contributed-to-their-extinction-180987586/ Benjamin Pohl, Chewing over the Norman Conquest: the Bayeux Tapestry as monastic mealtime reading, Historical Research, 2025;, htaf029, https://doi.org/10.1093/hisres/htaf029 Benzine, Vittoria. “Decoded Hieroglyphics Reveal Female Ruler of Ancient Maya City.” ArtNet. 10/27/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/foundation-stone-maya-coba-woman-ruler-2704521 Berdugo, Sophie. “Easter Island statues may have 'walked' thanks to 'pendulum dynamics' and with as few as 15 people, study finds.” LiveScience. 10/19/2025. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/easter-island-statues-may-have-walked-thanks-to-pendulum-dynamics-and-with-as-few-as-15-people-study-finds Billing, Lotte. “Fingerprint of ancient seafarer found on Scandinavia’s oldest plank boat.” EurekAlert. 10/12/2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1109361 Brhel, John. “Rats played major role in Easter Island’s deforestation, study reveals.” EurekAlert. 11/17/2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1106361 Caldwell, Elizabeth. “9 more individuals unearthed at Oaklawn could be 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre victims.” Tulsa Public Radio. 11/6/2025. https://www.publicradiotulsa.org/local-regional/2025-11-06/9-more-individuals-unearthed-at-oaklawn-could-be-1921-tulsa-race-massacre-victims Clark, Gaby. “Bayeux Tapestry could have been originally designed as mealtime reading for medieval monks.” Phys.org. 12/15/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-bayeux-tapestry-mealtime-medieval-monks.html#google_vignette Cohen, Alina. “Ancient Olive Oil Processing Complex Unearthed in Tunisia.” Artnet. 11/21/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/ancient-olive-oil-complex-tunisia-2717795 Cohen, Alina. “MFA Boston Restores Ownership of Historic Works by Enslaved Artist.” ArtNet. 10/30/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/mfa-boston-david-drake-jars-restitution-2706594 Fergusson, Rachel. “First DNA evidence of Black Death in Edinburgh discovered on teeth of excavated teenage skeleton.” The Scotsman. 11/5/2025. https://www.scotsman.com/news/first-dna-evidence-black-death-edinburgh-discovered-teeth-excavated-teenage-skeleton-5387741 Folorunso, Caleb et al. “MOWAA Archaeology Project: Enhancing Understanding of Benin City’s Historic Urban Development and Heritage through Pre-Construction Archaeology.” Antiquity (2025): 1–10. Web. Griffith University. “Rare stone tool cache tells story of trade and ingenuity.” 12/2/2025. https://news.griffith.edu.au/2025/12/02/rare-stone-tool-cache-tells-story-of-trade-and-ingenuity/ Han, Yu et al. “The late arrival of domestic cats in China via the Silk Road after 3,500 years of human-leopard cat commensalism.” Cell Genomics, Volume 0, Issue 0, 101099. https://www.cell.com/cell-genomics/fulltext/S2666-979X(25)00355-6 Hashemi, Sara. “A Volcanic Eruption in 1345 May Have Triggered a Chain of Events That Brought the Black Death to Europe.” Smithsonian. 12/8/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-volcanic-eruption-in-1345-may-have-triggered-a-chain-of-events-taht-brought-the-black-death-to-europe-180987803/ Hjortkjær, Simon Thinggaard. “Mysterious signs on Teotihuacan murals may reveal an early form of Uto-Aztecan language.” PhysOrg. 10/6/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-mysterious-teotihuacan-murals-reveal-early.html Institut Pasteur. “Study suggests two unsuspected pathogens struck Napoleon's army during the retreat from Russia in 1812.” Via EurekAlert. 10/24/2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1102613 Jones, Sam. “Shells found in Spain could be among oldest known musical instruments.” The Guardian. 12/2/2025. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/dec/02/neolithic-conch-like-shell-spain-catalonia-discovery-musical-instruments Kasal, Krystal. “Pahon Cave provides a look into 5,000 years of surprisingly stable Stone Age tool use.” Phys.org. 12/16/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-pahon-cave-years-stable-stone.html Kristiansen, Nina. “Eight pages bound in furry seal skin may be Norway's oldest book.” Science Norway. 11/3/2025. https://www.sciencenorway.no/cultural-history-culture-history/eight-pages-bound-in-furry-seal-skin-may-be-norways-oldest-book/2571496 Kuta, Sarah. “109-Year-Old Messages in a Bottle Written by Soldiers Heading to Fight in World War I Discovered on Australian Beach.” Smithsonian. 11/6/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/109-year-old-messages-in-a-bottle-written-by-soldiers-heading-to-fight-in-world-war-i-discovered-on-australian-beach-180987649/ Kuta, Sarah. “A Storm Battered Western Alaska, Scattering Thousands of Indigenous Artifacts Across the Sand.” Smithsonian. 10/31/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-storm-battered-western-alaska-scattering-thousands-of-indigenous-artifacts-across-the-sand-180987606/ Kuta, Sarah. “Archaeologists Unearth More Than 100 Projectiles From an Iconic Battlefield in Scotland.” Smithsonian. 11/5/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unearth-more-than-100-projectiles-from-an-iconic-battlefield-in-scotland-180987641/ Kuta, Sarah. “Hundreds of Mysterious Victorian-Era Shoes Are Washing Up on a Beach in Wales. Nobody Knows Where They Came From.” Smithsonian. 1/5/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hundreds-of-mysterious-victorian-era-shoes-are-washing-up-on-a-beach-in-wales-nobody-knows-where-they-came-from-180987943/ Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “Golden ‘Tudor Heart’ Necklace Sheds New Light on Henry VIII’s First Marriage.” Artnet. 10/14/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/tudor-heart-pendant-british-museum-fundraiser-2699544 Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “Long-Overlooked Black Veteran Identified in Rare 19th-Century Portrait.” ArtNet. 10/27/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/black-veteran-thomas-phillips-portrait-identified-2704721 Lipo CP, Hunt TL, Pakarati G, Pingel T, Simmons N, Heard K, et al. (2025) Megalithic statue (moai) production on Rapa Nui (Easter Island, Chile). PLoS One 20(11): e0336251. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0336251 Lipo, Carl P. and Terry L. Hunt. “The walking moai hypothesis: Archaeological evidence, experimental validation, and response to critics.” Journal of Archaeological Science. Volume 183, November 2025, 106383. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0305440325002328 Lock, Lisa. “Pre-construction archaeology reveals Benin City's historic urban development and heritage.” 10/29/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-pre-archaeology-reveals-benin-city.html#google_vignette Lock, Lisa. “Pre-construction archaeology reveals Benin City's historic urban development and heritage.” Antiquity. Via PhysOrg. 10/29/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-pre-archaeology-reveals-benin-city.html#google_vignette Lynley A. Wallis et al, An exceptional assemblage of archaeological plant fibres from Windmill Way, southeast Cape York Peninsula, Australian Archaeology (2025). DOI: 10.1080/03122417.2025.2574127 Lyon, Devyn. “Oaklawn Cemetery excavation brings investigators closer to identifying Tulsa Race Massacre victims.” Fox 23. 11/6/2025. https://www.fox23.com/news/oaklawn-cemetery-excavation-brings-investigators-closer-to-identifying-tulsa-race-massacre-victims/article_67c3a6b7-2acc-44cb-93ce-3d3d0c288eca.html Marquard, Bryan. “Bob Shumway, last known survivor of the deadly Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire, dies at 101.” 11/12/2025. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/12/metro/bob-shumway-101-dies-was-last-known-cocoanut-grove-fire-survivor/?event=event12 Marta Osypińska et al, A centurion's monkey? Companion animals for the social elite in an Egyptian port on the fringes of the Roman Empire in the 1st and 2nd c. CE, Journal of Roman Archaeology (2025). DOI: 10.1017/s1047759425100445 Merrington, Andrew. “Extensive dog diversity millennia before modern breeding practices.” University of Exeter. 11/13/2025. https://news.exeter.ac.uk/faculty-of-humanities-arts-and-social-sciences/archaeology-and-history/extensive-dog-diversity-millennia-before-modern-breeding-practices/ Morris, Steven. “Linguists start compiling first ever complete dictionary of ancient Celtic.” The Guardian. 12/8/2025. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/dec/08/linguists-start-compiling-first-ever-complete-dictionary-of-ancient-celtic Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. “Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Resolves Ownership of Works by Enslaved Artist David Drake.” 10/29/2025. https://www.mfa.org/press-release/david-drake-ownership-resolution “Niagara has a 107-year-old shipwreck lodged above the Falls and it just moved.” https://www.narcity.com/niagara-falls-shipwreck-iron-scow-moved-closer-to-the-falls Newcomb, Tim. “A 76-Year-Old Man Went On a Hike—and Stumbled Upon a 1,500-Year Old Trap.” Popular Mechanics. 11/21/2025. https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/archaeology/a69441460/reindeer-trap/ Nordin, Gunilla. “Ancient wolves on remote Baltic Sea island reveal link to prehistoric humans.” Stockholm University. Via EurekAlert. 11/24/2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1106807 Oster, Sandee. “DNA confirms modern Bo people are descendants of ancient Hanging Coffin culture.” Phys.org. 12/6/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-dna-modern-bo-people-descendants.html Oster, Sandee. “Rare disease possibly identified in 12th century child's skeletal remains.” PhysOrg. 10/10/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-rare-disease-possibly-12th-century.html Osuh, Chris and Geneva Abdul. “Lost grave of daughter of Black abolitionist Olaudah Equiano found by A-level student.” The Guardian. 11/1/2025. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/nov/01/lost-grave-daughter-black-abolitionist-olaudah-equiano-found-by-a-level-student Silvia Albizuri et al, The oldest mule in the western Mediterranean. The case of the Early Iron Age in Hort d'en Grimau (Penedès, Barcelona, Spain), Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105506 Skok, Phoebe. “Ancient shipwrecks rewrite the story of Iron Age trade.” PhysOrg. 10/14/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-ancient-shipwrecks-rewrite-story-iron.html The History Blog. “600-year-old Joseon ship recovered from seabed.” 11/15/2025. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/74652 The History Blog. “Ancient pleasure barge found off Alexandria coast.” 12/9/2025. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/74860 The History Blog. “Charred Byzantine bread loves stamped with Christian imagery found in Turkey.” 10/13/2025. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/74352 The History Blog. “Early medieval silver treasure found in Stockholm.” 10/12/2025. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/74343 The History Blog. “Roman amphora with sardines found in Switzerland.” 12/15/2025. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/74904 The Straits Times. “Wreck of ancient Malay vessel discovered on Pulau Melaka.” 10/31/2025. https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/wreck-of-ancient-malay-vessel-discovered-on-pulau-melaka Thompson, Sarah. “The forgotten daughter: Eliza Monroe Hay’s story revealed in her last letters.” W&M News. 9/30/2025. https://news.wm.edu/2025/09/30/the-forgotten-daughter-eliza-monroes-story-revealed-in-her-last-letters/ Tuhkuri, Jukka. “Why Did Endurance Sink?” Polar Record 61 (2025): e23. Web. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/polar-record/article/why-did-endurance-sink/6CC2C2D56087035A94DEB50930B81980 Universitat de Valencia. “The victims of the Pompeii eruption wore heavy wool cloaks and tunics, suggesting different environmental conditions in summer.” 12/3/2025. https://www.uv.es/uvweb/uv-news/en/news/victims-pompeii-eruption-wore-heavy-wool-cloaks-tunics-suggesting-different-environmental-conditions-summer-1285973304159/Novetat.html?id=1286464337848&plantilla=UV_Noticies/Page/TPGDetaillNews University of Glasgow. “Archaeologists recover hundreds of Jacobite projectiles in unexplored area of Culloden.” 10/30/2025. https://www.gla.ac.uk/news/headline_1222736_en.html University of Vienna. “Neanderthal DNA reveals ancient long-distance migrations.” 10/29/2025. https://www.univie.ac.at/en/news/detail/neanderthal-dna-reveals-ancient-long-distance-migrations Zhou, H., Tao, L., Zhao, Y. et al. Exploration of hanging coffin customs and the bo people in China through comparative genomics. Nat Commun 16, 10230 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-65264-3 Zinin, Andrew. “Ancient humans mastered fire-making 400,000 years ago, study shows.” Phys.org. 10/10/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-ancient-humans-mastered-years.html See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds..... Yes, its another chance to hear Charlie Higson reach the third of his Neds, Edward III and for once in our story he actually turned out to be a half decent king, or so it was thought at the time.Find out how he contended with fighting the Scots, the French and the Black Death.Charlie's proper historian this episode is Helen Carr, author of the best-selling book The Red Prince: John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster.And speaking of books, don't forget that the book of this podcast, Willie Willie Harry Stee is out now, the perfect feast for your eyes as this podcast is a feast for your ears.https://www.amazon.co.uk/Willie-Harry-Stee-brand-new-hilarious/dp/0008741050 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

- The infamous drunken raccoon incident- Waymo Babies- Stolen bus obeys the rules- A sandwich for the record books- Black Death roots- Silly Silly buttholes- Trapped in a giant vagina- Surfing Otter attack!

Movie reviews #57-1 (Pied Piper 1972) This be a rated G movie about the Black Death with an obviously stoned looking Donovan as the Pied Piper. surprising that Donovan never wrote a song called “get the cash up front”.2 (Watch out we're Mad 1974) Your decade under the influence crew has watched several Italian 70's films that had some good political and even queer representation, but they all also had horrible sexual assault of women scenes. Enter this film that does not have horrid assault, just two guys spending all their time together being frenemies and wanting 2 dune buggy's, that's it, annnnd we found it quite refreshing.
3 (Murder by death 1976) Peter Sellers and many other talented people star in this zany whodunnit, but Sellers plays an extremely racist character, soooooo just watch Clue!
4 (Amityville Horror 1979) The older brother from Goonies, Dad has great hair in this movie, in the beginning. As his demonic possession marches on his hair care routine goes right out the window. Better reporter, and superman's girlfriend is here too, and the whole thing would be fine if the damned priest she asked to cleanse their new house knew what he was doing.
5 (Strangers, the story of a mother and daughter 1979) Bette Davis and Gena Rowlands star in this serious but also campy rad made for tv movie about A Mother who don wanna talk and a Daughter who does, who will win.
6 (Brubaker 1980) Wow this has a great top four, Robert Redford, Yaphet Kotto, Jane Alexander, and the mighty Morgan Freeman in one of 2 movies he did that year where he is stuck in prison. This film is great and is about prison reform which it still desperately needs. Reform hmmmmm maybe revolution.
folks that's this batch of films and we will see ya next time. Please drop us a review, and thanks for listening.

1200 - 1449 - Step into the fourteenth century, a world caught between collapse and rebirth. As the Mongol Empire fractures, new powers rise across Europe, Asia and Africa. From the birth of the Ming dynasty to the brilliance of Mali and the devastation of the Black Death, this episode explores a century that reshaped societies, ignited new dynasties and transformed the course of history.

Get ready for another BIG and BRILLIANT journey into science on this week’s Science Weekly! We’re uncovering the amazing science that gets planes off the ground and diving deep into the ocean to explore one of the most extreme environments on Earth. In Science in the News, we investigate whether a volcanic eruption helped trigger the Black Death, take a closer look at a mysterious earthquake in England, and meet Jonathan Growcott from Exeter University to discover the powerful science behind a lion’s mighty roar. We also answer your questions... Patrice wants to know what the oldest living thing on Earth is, and Demetrios Venetsanos from Imperial College London explains exactly how planes work. Dangerous Dan is back with another strange and surprising creature, the cinnabar rock. And in Battle of the Sciences, Dr. Ben Moat takes us out to sea to explore the hidden world beneath the ocean’s surface. Plus, Marina Ventura returns with another Ocean Adventure, revealing how oceans benefit humans and help keep our planet alive. This week, we learn about: How planes are able to fly What causes earthquakes and deadly volcanic effects Why a lion’s roar is so powerful The mysteries of the deep ocean How oceans help humans survive All that and more on this week’s Science Weekly!Join Fun Kids Podcasts+: https://funkidslive.com/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We usually remember Genghis Khan as history's ultimate destroyer but what if he was also its first great economic integrator? In this episode, we rethink the Mongol Empire not as pure terror, but as the largest continuous free‑trade zone the world has ever seen, stretching from Korea to Ukraine. By reopening the Silk Road after a thousand years, the Mongols allowed ideas, technologies, and capital to flow from China to Europe; paper, gunpowder, money, insurance, trade associations, even early globalisation itself. The same networks that spread innovation also carried the Black Death, halving Europe's population and accidentally laying the economic foundations for the Renaissance. From biological warfare to free movement of people and goods, this is the story of how a nomadic empire reshaped the global economy, and why globalization is far older, darker, and stranger than we like to admit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why don't woodpeckers experience head concussions after all that vigorous pecking on trees with their beaks? Dave Robinson summarizes a November 6th research paper. Leslie Moise reads a poem she wrote about woodpeckers. Then, why does a December 4th paper claim that volcanoes might be responsible for the Black Death pandemic (that killed up to half of the European population in the 14th century)? Finally, Scott Miller narrates a story about the birth of a black hole, written by AI to sound like a fairy tale. ‘Bench Talk: The Week in Science' is a weekly program that airs on WFMP Louisville FORward Radio 106.5 FM (forwardradio.org) every Monday at 7:30 pm, Tuesday at 11:30 am, and Wednesday at 7:30 am. Visit our Facebook page for links to the articles discussed in this episode: https://www.facebook.com/BenchTalkRadio Music (the 'Pineapple Rag' by Scott Joplin ; 1908) is modified from a public domain version performed by Vinheteiro in 2022.

In this episode of SpaceTime, we tackle some of the most intriguing cosmic mysteries and discoveries that could reshape our understanding of the universe.Unraveling Uranus: The Mystery of Its Radiation BeltsFor 39 years, the intense electron radiation belts surrounding Uranus have puzzled scientists since NASA's Voyager 2 flyby in 1986 revealed unexpectedly high levels of radiation. New analyses suggest these findings may be explained by a solar wind structure interacting with the Uranian system during Voyager 2's visit. This research opens up new questions about the fundamental physics governing these extreme energy levels and the unique characteristics of Uranus itself.Mapping Martian River Systems: A Historic FirstA groundbreaking study has mapped ancient river systems on Mars, identifying 16 large drainage basins that could have supported life billions of years ago. By synthesizing previous data on Martian river valleys, lakes, and canyons, scientists have outlined how these systems could have formed a global network, similar to Earth's most biodiverse river basins. This research enhances our understanding of Mars' geological history and its potential for past life.2026 Australasian Sky Guide ReleasedThe 2026 Australasian Sky Guide has officially been released, offering skywatchers a detailed monthly map of celestial events. Highlights include supermoons, planetary alignments, and eclipses, providing an exciting year ahead for astronomy enthusiasts. Dr. Nick Glom shares insights into the guide's features and the astronomical events to look forward to in the coming year.www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com✍️ Episode ReferencesProceedings of the National Academy of SciencesCommunications Earth and EnvironmentBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/spacetime-your-guide-to-space-astronomy--2458531/support.(00:00:00) Scientists may have finally resolved 39 year old mystery about Uranus radiation belts(00:03:55) A new study has begun the task of mapping ancient river systems on Mars(00:08:06) The 2026 Australasian Sky Guide has just been released(00:10:23) The book tells readers what's up in the sky for each month(00:11:39) Total eclipse of the moon in March is spectacular and easy to photograph(00:14:22) A new study suggests volcanic activity may have paved the way for the Black Death(00:15:37) A new study claims people who want children are more likely to find older faces attractive(00:17:33) Tim Mendham warns about the dangers of taking medical advice on social media(00:20:08) Spacetime is available through bitesz.com and other podcasting platforms

For many people, bubonic plague is an illness that seems squarely situated in medieval times. But each year, a handful of human cases pop up in the western United States. Plague can be treated successfully with modern medicine. But why does it still exist, and how should we think about it both locally and globally? Plague researcher Viveka Vadyvaloo joins Host Flora Lichtman to talk all things spread and containment.Guest: Dr. Viveka Vadyvaloo is a plague researcher and director of the Allen School for Global Health at Washington State University.Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com.  Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.

Volcanic eruption may have triggered Europe’s deadly Black Death plague: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy5gr2x914ro Why Is Bubonic Plague Still With Us? https://pca.st/dpq9v01j Life, Death and Gladiators in Roman London https://pca.st/hoqf4tnn (via ChatGPT) Plague Bacteria Evolution https://chatgpt.com/share/69387669-585c-8006-99a6-cf3a14ca3aad (via ChatGPT) Bamboo synchronous flowering https://chatgpt.com/share/6938764e-5a6c-8006-8827-35bd9fbeb3f1 Bamboo, the Queen of dramatic botanics https://youtube.com/shorts/u2GZd4ynHVc?si=OXcD-jekvmBKhLX0 canal do radinho no telegram: http://t.me/radinhodepilha meu perfil no Threads: https://www.threads.net/@renedepaulajr meu perfil no BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/renedepaula.bsky.social meu twitter http://twitter.com/renedepaula aqui está o link para a caneca no Colab55: https://www.colab55.com/@rene/mugs/caneca-rarissima para xs raríssimxs internacionais, aqui está nossa caneca no Zazzle: https://www.zazzle.com/radinhos_anniversary_mug-168129613992374138 minha lojinha no Colab55 (posters, camisetas, adesivos, sacolas): http://bit.ly/renecolab meu livro novo na lojinha! blue notes https://www.ko-fi.com/s/550d7d5e22 meu livro solo https://www.ko-fi.com/s/0f990d61c7 o adesivo do radinho!!! http://bit.ly/rarissimos minha lojinha no ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/renedepaula/shopmuito obrigado pelos cafés!!! http://ko-fi.com/renedepaula The post o que causou a Peste Negra? Londres x Londinium, o complô mundial dos bambus appeared first on radinho de pilha.

When they gazed at the moon, medieval people around the globe saw an object that was at once powerful and fragile, distant and intimate—and sometimes all this at once. The moon could convey love, beauty, and gentleness; but it could also be about pain, hatred, and violence. In its circularity the moon was associated with fullness and fertility. Yet in its crescent and other shifting forms, the moon could seem broken, even wounded.  In this beautifully illustrated history The Medieval Moon: A History of Haunting and Blessing (Yale UP, 2025), Ayoush Lazikani reveals the many ways medieval people felt and wrote about the moon. Ranging across the world, from China to South America, Korea to Wales, Lazikani explores how different cultures interacted with the moon. From the idea that the Black Death was caused by a lunar eclipse to the wealth of Persian love poetry inspired by the moon's beauty, this is a truly global account of our closest celestial neighbour. Ayoush Lazikani is a lecturer at the University of Oxford. A specialist in medieval literature, she is the author of Cultivating the Heart and Emotion in Christian and Islamic Contemplative Texts, 1100–1250, and an associate editor for the Palgrave Encyclopedia of Medieval Women's Writing in the Global Middle Ages. Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube Channel: here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

When they gazed at the moon, medieval people around the globe saw an object that was at once powerful and fragile, distant and intimate—and sometimes all this at once. The moon could convey love, beauty, and gentleness; but it could also be about pain, hatred, and violence. In its circularity the moon was associated with fullness and fertility. Yet in its crescent and other shifting forms, the moon could seem broken, even wounded.  In this beautifully illustrated history The Medieval Moon: A History of Haunting and Blessing (Yale UP, 2025), Ayoush Lazikani reveals the many ways medieval people felt and wrote about the moon. Ranging across the world, from China to South America, Korea to Wales, Lazikani explores how different cultures interacted with the moon. From the idea that the Black Death was caused by a lunar eclipse to the wealth of Persian love poetry inspired by the moon's beauty, this is a truly global account of our closest celestial neighbour. Ayoush Lazikani is a lecturer at the University of Oxford. A specialist in medieval literature, she is the author of Cultivating the Heart and Emotion in Christian and Islamic Contemplative Texts, 1100–1250, and an associate editor for the Palgrave Encyclopedia of Medieval Women's Writing in the Global Middle Ages. Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube Channel: here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

When they gazed at the moon, medieval people around the globe saw an object that was at once powerful and fragile, distant and intimate—and sometimes all this at once. The moon could convey love, beauty, and gentleness; but it could also be about pain, hatred, and violence. In its circularity the moon was associated with fullness and fertility. Yet in its crescent and other shifting forms, the moon could seem broken, even wounded.  In this beautifully illustrated history The Medieval Moon: A History of Haunting and Blessing (Yale UP, 2025), Ayoush Lazikani reveals the many ways medieval people felt and wrote about the moon. Ranging across the world, from China to South America, Korea to Wales, Lazikani explores how different cultures interacted with the moon. From the idea that the Black Death was caused by a lunar eclipse to the wealth of Persian love poetry inspired by the moon's beauty, this is a truly global account of our closest celestial neighbour. Ayoush Lazikani is a lecturer at the University of Oxford. A specialist in medieval literature, she is the author of Cultivating the Heart and Emotion in Christian and Islamic Contemplative Texts, 1100–1250, and an associate editor for the Palgrave Encyclopedia of Medieval Women's Writing in the Global Middle Ages. Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube Channel: here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/gender-studies

When they gazed at the moon, medieval people around the globe saw an object that was at once powerful and fragile, distant and intimate—and sometimes all this at once. The moon could convey love, beauty, and gentleness; but it could also be about pain, hatred, and violence. In its circularity the moon was associated with fullness and fertility. Yet in its crescent and other shifting forms, the moon could seem broken, even wounded.  In this beautifully illustrated history The Medieval Moon: A History of Haunting and Blessing (Yale UP, 2025), Ayoush Lazikani reveals the many ways medieval people felt and wrote about the moon. Ranging across the world, from China to South America, Korea to Wales, Lazikani explores how different cultures interacted with the moon. From the idea that the Black Death was caused by a lunar eclipse to the wealth of Persian love poetry inspired by the moon's beauty, this is a truly global account of our closest celestial neighbour. Ayoush Lazikani is a lecturer at the University of Oxford. A specialist in medieval literature, she is the author of Cultivating the Heart and Emotion in Christian and Islamic Contemplative Texts, 1100–1250, and an associate editor for the Palgrave Encyclopedia of Medieval Women's Writing in the Global Middle Ages. Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube Channel: here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/middle-eastern-studies

When they gazed at the moon, medieval people around the globe saw an object that was at once powerful and fragile, distant and intimate—and sometimes all this at once. The moon could convey love, beauty, and gentleness; but it could also be about pain, hatred, and violence. In its circularity the moon was associated with fullness and fertility. Yet in its crescent and other shifting forms, the moon could seem broken, even wounded.  In this beautifully illustrated history The Medieval Moon: A History of Haunting and Blessing (Yale UP, 2025), Ayoush Lazikani reveals the many ways medieval people felt and wrote about the moon. Ranging across the world, from China to South America, Korea to Wales, Lazikani explores how different cultures interacted with the moon. From the idea that the Black Death was caused by a lunar eclipse to the wealth of Persian love poetry inspired by the moon's beauty, this is a truly global account of our closest celestial neighbour. Ayoush Lazikani is a lecturer at the University of Oxford. A specialist in medieval literature, she is the author of Cultivating the Heart and Emotion in Christian and Islamic Contemplative Texts, 1100–1250, and an associate editor for the Palgrave Encyclopedia of Medieval Women's Writing in the Global Middle Ages. Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube Channel: here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/critical-theory

The Eurovision Song Contest has been thrown into turmoil after four nations said they would boycott next year's event. Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia had wanted Israel to be excluded because of the war in Gaza, but a meeting of the European Broadcasting Union said it could take part. Other countries, including Germany, had threatened to walk out if Israel could not participate. Also: A prominent Palestinian militia leader and Hamas opponent has been killed in Gaza. The US military says it conducted another deadly strike on a boat suspected of carrying illegal narcotics as questions mount over the legality of previous attacks. Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo sign a peace deal in Washington. A British inquiry has found that Vladimir Putin bears "moral responsibility" for the poisoning of a woman in England with the nerve agent Novichok in 2018. And how a volcanic eruption may have helped spread the Black Death in the 1300s.The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk

Friday, December 5. The seven stories you need to know today.Read today's briefing.If you're not a subscriber, click here to start.

Coming up, we explore the UK's plans to rollout facial recognition technology. Is it a bold move to catch violent criminals, or scientific and ethical overreach? Also, why volcanic eruptions may have aided the spread of the second wave of the Black Death in Europe, what caused damage to Russia's space launchpad in Kazakhstan, and whether bacteria can help us build habitats on Mars. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Israel and Lebanon hold their first direct talks in decades, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo sign a Trump-backed peace deal at the White House, Putin vows to seize Ukraine's Donbas by force, The FBI arrests a suspect in the Jan. 6 pipe bomb case, A 13-year-old reportedly carries out a Taliban-sanctioned execution in Afghanistan, An Oklahoma University instructor is placed on leave following a religious bias complaint, Former U.S. special counsel Jack Smith is subpoenaed for a closed-door interview, Memory chipmaker Micron exits its consumer business, A study theorizes that volcanic eruptions may have led to Europe's Black Death plague, and Neuralink patients demonstrate the ability to control robotic arms with their thoughts. Sources: Verity.News  

Almost 40 years ago, the first treatment was approved for HIV, but it came with a warning: “This is not a cure.” On the week of World AIDS Day, Kate Bishop, principal group leader at the Francis Crick Institute, tells us how science may now have finally found a “functional” cure for the virus that causes AIDS. How are tree rings, volcanoes, trade routes and Europe's deadly Black Death pandemic connected? Professor Ulf Büntgen from the University of Cambridge explains how matching tree ring data with historical records shows that Italian city-states importing grain accidentally introduced the Black Death to Europe. Plus science broadcaster Caroline Steel is in the studio to discuss her favourite new scientific discoveries. To discover more fascinating science content, head to bbc.co.uk search for BBC Inside Science and follow the links to The Open University. Presenter: Tom Whipple Producers: Jonathan Blackwell, Ella Hubber, Tim Dodd, Alex Mansfield, and Hannah Fisher Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

Do you have the not-so-creeping feeling that the world is ending? You might be right. The world's ended before, and the world will end again—just not in the way we see in TV and movies. Lizzie Wade's new book, Apocalypse: How Catastrophe Transformed Our World and Can Forge New Futures, explores how events like the colonial extermination of indigenous peoples or the Black Death were the end of the world for the affected people, as well as what came next. This week, Adam sits with Lizzie to talk about why it feels like the world is ending, and what that actually means for us it's true. Find Lizzie's book at factuallypod.com/books--SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/adamconoverSEE ADAM ON TOUR: https://www.adamconover.net/tourdates/SUBSCRIBE to and RATE Factually! on:» Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/factually-with-adam-conover/id1463460577» Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0fK8WJw4ffMc2NWydBlDyJAbout Headgum: Headgum is an LA & NY-based podcast network creating premium podcasts with the funniest, most engaging voices in comedy to achieve one goal: Making our audience and ourselves laugh. Listen to our shows at https://www.headgum.com.» SUBSCRIBE to Headgum: https://www.youtube.com/c/HeadGum?sub_confirmation=1» FOLLOW us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/headgum» FOLLOW us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/headgum/» FOLLOW us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@headgum» Advertise on Factually! via Gumball.fmSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Massive population shocks are nothing new; just look at the Mongol invasions or the Black Death. But is the demographic collapse of today comparable to those historic cases?Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://bit.ly/4pjcFgH

Katie and Matt discuss ASMR, 50-year mortgages, Fannie and Freddie, housing as a positional good, indentured servitude, assumable and/or portable mortgages, Matt’s mortgage rate, optimal exercise of prepayment options, proxy adviser competition, shareholder proposals, good governance, index fund voting, hedge fund talent constraints, gardening leave, the Black Death and the AI Ph.D. pipeline.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What did Queen Isabella of France do to deserve the nickanem She-Wolf? What sex scandals happened in the 14th century? And why did the Black Death improve peoples' sex lives?!Joining Kate today is the fantastic author and historian, Helen Carr, to take us back to this time to find out.This episode was edited by Tim Arstall and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  You can take part in our listener survey here.All music from Epidemic Sounds.Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Could the plucked backside of a chicken really cure the plague? If that question has ever crossed your mind, then this episode is for you. Today, we're diving into the Black Death - where it originated, how it tore across continents at terrifying speed, and the gruesome symptoms it unleashed.We're joined by Helen Carr, author of 'Sceptred Isle', a new history of the 14th century. She takes us through this tale of a deadly pandemic, bizarre cures, and a continent in crisis…Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.We'd love to hear your feedback - you can take part in our podcast survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on.You can also email the podcast directly at ds.hh@historyhit.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's episode we're off to the least populated historic county of Wales, Radnorshire on the Welsh Marches!As for why Radnorshire has been so depopulated and wild for quite so long, it has a lot to do with war, and plenty to do with the Black Death. We discuss how these traumas, combined with the destruction of castles, have left the county speckled with desolate empty hillforts and ghost villages - a landscape filled with tales of murder and tragedy, as well as lots of fascinating superstitions...These include the ways in which 'Spirit Nights' were organised, how 'Sin Eaters' were employed to absorb the errors of the dead, and plenty else, from the donation of graveside 'Shovel Money' to 'Rag Knife Men' and the vigilante groups known as Rebecca and her Daughters. All this aside, we chat about the Cat Man of Radnor Forest, the drowned Giant's Graves now sunk within a reservoir, the Llandrindod Wells Sheela Na Gig, the county's link to the Elizabethan magus Doctor Dee, and plenty else besides, interspersed with some extracts from this Saturday's upcoming interview with award-winning Welsh storyteller and author Michael Harvey.All of which leads up to Martin's story for this week, "Davies and the Devil" through which a lowly orphan turns the tables on the Dark One across a hundred years of mischief.We hope that you enjoy the episode, and will speak to you again on Thursday with a new Three Ravens Bestiary episode all about Wargs and Werewolves and - if you're a Patreon supporter - our November Exclusive episode about the history and folklore of the Gunpowder Plot!The Three Ravens is a Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon.Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on a historic county, exploring the heritage, folklore and traditions of the area, from ghosts and mermaids to mythical monsters, half-forgotten heroes, bloody legends, and much, much more. Then, and most importantly, the pair take turns to tell a new version of an ancient story from that county - all before discussing what that tale might mean, where it might have come from, and the truths it reveals about England's hidden past...Bonus Episodes are released on Thursdays plus Local Legends episodes on Saturdays - interviews with acclaimed authors, folklorists, podcasters and historians with unique perspectives on that week's county.With a range of exclusive content on Patreon too, including audio ghost tours, the Three Ravens Newsletter, and monthly Three Ravens Film Club episodes about folk horror films from across the decades, why not join us around the campfire and listen in?Learn more at www.threeravenspodcast.com, join our Patreon at www.patreon.com/threeravenspodcast, and find links to our social media channels here: https://linktr.ee/threeravenspodcastProud members of the Dark Cast Network.Visit our website Join our Patreon Social media channels and sponsors Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! ⁠⁠ This is an episode about a plague that killed up to 100 million people by the time it was done—as many as 60% of its victims. It's the first documented occurrence of a pandemic that we have, and it's the first documented outbreak of the deadlyYersinia pestis. No, we're not talking about the Black Death of Medieval Europe. We're talking about the Plague of Justinian. The Plague of Justinian was just one part of the fallout of the global volcanic eruption of 536 AD. Three eyewitness accounts have survived--and, in the grand tradition of this podcast, we decided to read them to you whilst Yule-level drunk. Buckle up. It is a wild, plague-tastic ride. Sponsors and Advertising This podcast is a member of Airwave Media podcast network. Want to advertise on our show? Please direct advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

‘Unforgettable characters, written with irrepressible verve and historical accuracy [...] thrums with swordswinging energy.' ― Simon Sebag Montefiore  The Hundred Years' War was an age-defining conflict. The violent struggle between England and France spanned over a century and permanently transformed the art of European warfare itself. Rich with stories of iconic figures, from Joan of Arc to Henry V, the sheer scale of it continues to inspire fictional retellings today.  In his Essex Dogs trilogy, bestselling historian and author Dan Jones retells the battles and bloodshed through the eyes of the Essex Dogs, a fictional platoon. Now, as the series reaches its climax, he joins us on stage for an exploration of war, plague, and the third and final instalment of the trilogy – Lion Hearts.  Jones' story resumes as the Black Death is tearing through Europe. The Essex Dogs have scattered: Romford thrives in the glittering court of King Edward III, Loveday struggles with loss and a reluctant return to violence, and Millstone and Thorp enlist themselves on a deadly mission to escort a princess to Castille. Yet an explosive turn of events is set to pull them back together.  Jones returned to Intelligence Squared to explore the brutal realities of the Hundred Years' War, the profound impact of the bubonic plague, and the craft of weaving together fact and fiction.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

‘Unforgettable characters, written with irrepressible verve and historical accuracy [...] thrums with swordswinging energy.' ― Simon Sebag Montefiore  The Hundred Years' War was an age-defining conflict. The violent struggle between England and France spanned over a century and permanently transformed the art of European warfare itself. Rich with stories of iconic figures, from Joan of Arc to Henry V, the sheer scale of it continues to inspire fictional retellings today.  In his Essex Dogs trilogy, bestselling historian and author Dan Jones retells the battles and bloodshed through the eyes of the Essex Dogs, a fictional platoon. Now, as the series reaches its climax, he joins us on stage for an exploration of war, plague, and the third and final instalment of the trilogy – Lion Hearts.  Jones' story resumes as the Black Death is tearing through Europe. The Essex Dogs have scattered: Romford thrives in the glittering court of King Edward III, Loveday struggles with loss and a reluctant return to violence, and Millstone and Thorp enlist themselves on a deadly mission to escort a princess to Castille. Yet an explosive turn of events is set to pull them back together.  Jones returned to Intelligence Squared to explore the brutal realities of the Hundred Years' War, the profound impact of the bubonic plague, and the craft of weaving together fact and fiction.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What did Medieval people think about rats? Did they have any idea that they were the cause of the Black Death? How did they use charms and poisons to try to get rid of them? Today we explore the world of the Black Death Rat with Kathleen Walker-Meikle, historian of Medieval pets and animals whose books include 'Medieval Pets', 'Cats in Medieval Manuscripts', 'Dogs in Medieval Manuscripts'.This episode was edited by Tom Delargy and produced by Freddy Chick. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.You can now watch After Dark on Youtube! www.youtube.com/@afterdarkhistoryhitSign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  You can take part in our listener survey here.All music from Epidemic Sounds.After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal is a History Hit podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Beautifully Broken, where healing meets high performance. In this reflective episode, I explore the concept of bio-individuality—how each of us carries a unique blueprint of DNA that unfolds into a living, breathing expression of life. I share personal stories of illness, healing, and loss that illuminate the incredible polarity of the human experience: how some of us are biologically resilient, while others are profoundly sensitive to the same environmental triggers.We'll look at the scientific and spiritual sides of this truth—from how genetic mutations shaped survival during the Black Death and malaria epidemics, to the modern emotional weight of watching friends fall ill far too young. I unpack what it means to live with awareness of your blueprint without fear of it—to recognize that while nature may be impartial, the choices we make each day can color our genetic expression.This episode is both a meditation on grief and a celebration of life's exquisite design. It's an invitation to move through the world with kindness, curiosity, and reverence for your own human blueprint. Episode Highlights [00:00] – Opening reflection: our DNA as a living blueprint, shaped but not ruled by environment[01:12] – Defining bio-individuality and why some people seem “immune” to illness[03:35] – Honoring grief: remembering friends lost to illness and the fragility of life[05:50] – Personal reflection on cancer, Lyme, and surviving 100% of hard days[08:12] – The science of resilience: HIV resistance, the CR5 mutation, and evolutionary advantage[09:50] – The double edge of genetics: how the sickle cell trait both protects and harms[10:36] – Why our genetic diversity ensures the survival of humanity[12:48] – The power of choice, compassion, and connection in shaping our gene expression[13:44] – Closing reminder: the same individuality that causes suffering also enables miracles Links & Resources Biological Blueprint Program (Freddie's custom coaching): https://www.beautifullybroken.world/biological-blueprintBeam Minerals: https://beamminerals.com/beautifullybroken — Code: BEAUTIFULLYBROKENSilver Biotics: https://bit.ly/3JnxyDD — Code: BEAUTIFULLYBROKENLightPathLED: https://lightpathled.pxf.io/c/3438432/2059835/25794 — Code: beautifullybroken CONNECT WITH FREDDIEWork with Me: https://www.beautifullybroken.world/biological-blueprintWebsite and Store: (http://www.beautifullybroken.world) Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/beautifullybroken.world/) YouTube: (https://www.youtube.com/@freddiekimmel Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.