Podcast appearances and mentions of David J Meltzer

On this episode of A Life in Ruins Podcast, Carlton is off galivanting across Europe and you know what that means; chaos. Connor and David talk about megafauna, the overkill hypothesis and get real weird.Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodnet.com/ruins/138Literature Recommendations Population reconstructions for humans and megafauna suggest mixed causes for North American Pleistocene extinctions by Jack M. Broughton & Elic M. Weitzel (2018) in Nature Communications Overkill, glacial history, and the extinction of North America's Ice Age megafauna by David J. Meltzer (2020) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) Synchronous extinction of North America's Pleistocene mammals by J. Tyler Faith and Todd A. Surovell (2009) in in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) Test of Martin's overkill hypothesis using radiocarbon dates on extinct megafauna Todd A. Surovell, Spencer R. Pelton, Richard Anderson-Sprecher, and Adam D. Myers (2015) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)Contact Email: alifeinruinspodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @alifeinruinspodcast Facebook: @alifeinruinspodcast Twitter: @alifeinruinspod Website: www.alifeinruins.com Ruins on APN: https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/ruins Store: https://www.redbubble.com/people/alifeinruins/shopArchPodNet APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet Tee Public StoreAffiliates Wildnote TeePublic Timeular Motion

On this episode of A Life in Ruins Podcast, Carlton is off galivanting across Europe and you know what that means; chaos. Connor and David talk about megafauna, the overkill hypothesis and get real weird.Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodnet.com/ruins/138Literature Recommendations Population reconstructions for humans and megafauna suggest mixed causes for North American Pleistocene extinctions by Jack M. Broughton & Elic M. Weitzel (2018) in Nature Communications Overkill, glacial history, and the extinction of North America's Ice Age megafauna by David J. Meltzer (2020) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) Synchronous extinction of North America's Pleistocene mammals by J. Tyler Faith and Todd A. Surovell (2009) in in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) Test of Martin's overkill hypothesis using radiocarbon dates on extinct megafauna Todd A. Surovell, Spencer R. Pelton, Richard Anderson-Sprecher, and Adam D. Myers (2015) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)Contact Email: alifeinruinspodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @alifeinruinspodcast Facebook: @alifeinruinspodcast Twitter: @alifeinruinspod Website: www.alifeinruins.com Ruins on APN: https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/ruins Store: https://www.redbubble.com/people/alifeinruins/shopArchPodNet APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet Tee Public StoreAffiliates Wildnote TeePublic Timeular Motion

Photo: No known restrictions on publication. @Batchelorshow 1/4: #Bestof2021: The First World Island (Eurasia) Invasion: 1/4: The greatest migration. David J. Meltzer, SMU. @NatureMagazine (Originally aired July 28, 2021) "Peopling of the Americas as inferred from ancient genomics." David J. Meltzer, SMU. @NatureMagazine @NatureScience https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03499-y "In less than a decade, analyses of ancient genomes have transformed our understanding of the Indigenous peopling and population history of the Americas. These studies have shown that this history, which began in the late Pleistocene epoch and continued episodically into the Holocene epoch, was far more complex than previously thought. It is now evident that the initial dispersal involved the movement from northeast Asia of distinct and previously unknown populations, including some for whom there are no currently known descendants. The first peoples, once south of the continental ice sheets, spread widely, expanded rapidly and branched into multiple populations. Their descendants—over the next fifteen millennia—experienced varying degrees of isolation, admixture, continuity and replacement, and their genomes help to illuminate the relationships among major subgroups of Native American populations. Notably, all ancient individuals in the Americas, save for later-arriving Arctic peoples, are more closely related to contemporary Indigenous American individuals than to any other population elsewhere, which challenges the claim—which is based on anatomical evidence—that there was an early, non-Native American population in the Americas. Here we review the patterns revealed by ancient genomics that help to shed light on the past peoples who created the archaeological landscape, and together lead to deeper insights into the population and cultural history of the Americas."

Photo: No known restrictions on publication. @Batchelorshow 2/4: #Bestof2021: The First World Island (Eurasia) Invasion: 2/4: The greatest migration. David J. Meltzer, SMU. @NatureMagazine (Originally aired July 28, 2021) "Peopling of the Americas as inferred from ancient genomics." David J. Meltzer, SMU. @NatureMagazine @NatureScience https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03499-y "In less than a decade, analyses of ancient genomes have transformed our understanding of the Indigenous peopling and population history of the Americas. These studies have shown that this history, which began in the late Pleistocene epoch and continued episodically into the Holocene epoch, was far more complex than previously thought. It is now evident that the initial dispersal involved the movement from northeast Asia of distinct and previously unknown populations, including some for whom there are no currently known descendants. The first peoples, once south of the continental ice sheets, spread widely, expanded rapidly and branched into multiple populations. Their descendants—over the next fifteen millennia—experienced varying degrees of isolation, admixture, continuity and replacement, and their genomes help to illuminate the relationships among major subgroups of Native American populations. Notably, all ancient individuals in the Americas, save for later-arriving Arctic peoples, are more closely related to contemporary Indigenous American individuals than to any other population elsewhere, which challenges the claim—which is based on anatomical evidence—that there was an early, non-Native American population in the Americas. Here we review the patterns revealed by ancient genomics that help to shed light on the past peoples who created the archaeological landscape, and together lead to deeper insights into the population and cultural history of the Americas."

Photo: No known restrictions on publication. @Batchelorshow 3/4: #Bestof2021: The First World Island (Eurasia) Invasion: 3/4: The greatest migration. David J. Meltzer, SMU. @NatureMagazine (Originally aired July 28, 2021) "Peopling of the Americas as inferred from ancient genomics." David J. Meltzer, SMU. @NatureMagazine @NatureScience https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03499-y "In less than a decade, analyses of ancient genomes have transformed our understanding of the Indigenous peopling and population history of the Americas. These studies have shown that this history, which began in the late Pleistocene epoch and continued episodically into the Holocene epoch, was far more complex than previously thought. It is now evident that the initial dispersal involved the movement from northeast Asia of distinct and previously unknown populations, including some for whom there are no currently known descendants. The first peoples, once south of the continental ice sheets, spread widely, expanded rapidly and branched into multiple populations. Their descendants—over the next fifteen millennia—experienced varying degrees of isolation, admixture, continuity and replacement, and their genomes help to illuminate the relationships among major subgroups of Native American populations. Notably, all ancient individuals in the Americas, save for later-arriving Arctic peoples, are more closely related to contemporary Indigenous American individuals than to any other population elsewhere, which challenges the claim—which is based on anatomical evidence—that there was an early, non-Native American population in the Americas. Here we review the patterns revealed by ancient genomics that help to shed light on the past peoples who created the archaeological landscape, and together lead to deeper insights into the population and cultural history of the Americas."

Photo: No known restrictions on publication. @Batchelorshow 4/4: #Bestof2021: The First World Island (Eurasia) Invasion: 4/4: The greatest migration. David J. Meltzer, SMU. @NatureMagazine (Originally aired July 28, 2021) "Peopling of the Americas as inferred from ancient genomics." David J. Meltzer, SMU. @NatureMagazine @NatureScience https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03499-y "In less than a decade, analyses of ancient genomes have transformed our understanding of the Indigenous peopling and population history of the Americas. These studies have shown that this history, which began in the late Pleistocene epoch and continued episodically into the Holocene epoch, was far more complex than previously thought. It is now evident that the initial dispersal involved the movement from northeast Asia of distinct and previously unknown populations, including some for whom there are no currently known descendants. The first peoples, once south of the continental ice sheets, spread widely, expanded rapidly and branched into multiple populations. Their descendants—over the next fifteen millennia—experienced varying degrees of isolation, admixture, continuity and replacement, and their genomes help to illuminate the relationships among major subgroups of Native American populations. Notably, all ancient individuals in the Americas, save for later-arriving Arctic peoples, are more closely related to contemporary Indigenous American individuals than to any other population elsewhere, which challenges the claim—which is based on anatomical evidence—that there was an early, non-Native American population in the Americas. Here we review the patterns revealed by ancient genomics that help to shed light on the past peoples who created the archaeological landscape, and together lead to deeper insights into the population and cultural history of the Americas."

Steven Rinella talks with Metin Eren, David J. Meltzer, John Hayes, Clay Newcomb, Spencer Neuharth, Phil Taylor, and Corinne Schneider. Topics discussed: How Steve feels insecure about his grip strength; archaeology living under the umbrella of anthropology; getting your hands all cut up by Clovis points; using your teeth to sharpen edges; curiosity as an adaptive strategy; the average age of early man; planned births; very, very old footprints in the sand; ruppia, or ditch grass; DNA in sediment; anonymous peer reviews and how you ought to have the right to know your critics; David's book, The Mountaineer Site: A Folsom Winter Camp in the Rockies; MeatEater does science: our bison butchery experiment using Clovis points; when you really want the rock you find to be an ancient tool; using human bodies for cut mark experiments; measuring microware on bones; and more.  Connect with Steve and MeatEater Steve on Instagram and Twitter MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube Shop MeatEater Merch See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Photo: No known restrictions on publication. CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor CBS Audio Network @Batchelorshow 1/4: First peoples.  1/4: "Peopling of the Americas as inferred from ancient genomics." David J. Meltzer, SMU. @NatureMagazine @NatureScience https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03499-y "In less than a decade, analyses of ancient genomes have transformed our understanding of the Indigenous peopling and population history of the Americas. These studies have shown that this history, which began in the late Pleistocene epoch and continued episodically into the Holocene epoch, was far more complex than previously thought. It is now evident that the initial dispersal involved the movement from northeast Asia of distinct and previously unknown populations, including some for whom there are no currently known descendants. The first peoples, once south of the continental ice sheets, spread widely, expanded rapidly and branched into multiple populations. Their descendants—over the next fifteen millennia—experienced varying degrees of isolation, admixture, continuity and replacement, and their genomes help to illuminate the relationships among major subgroups of Native American populations. Notably, all ancient individuals in the Americas, save for later-arriving Arctic peoples, are more closely related to contemporary Indigenous American individuals than to any other population elsewhere, which challenges the claim—which is based on anatomical evidence—that there was an early, non-Native American population in the Americas. Here we review the patterns revealed by ancient genomics that help to shed light on the past peoples who created the archaeological landscape, and together lead to deeper insights into the population and cultural history of the Americas.

Photo: No known restrictions on publication. CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor CBS Audio Network @Batchelorshow 2/4: First peoples.  2/4: "Peopling of the Americas as inferred from ancient genomics." David J. Meltzer, SMU. @NatureMagazine @NatureScience https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03499-y "In less than a decade, analyses of ancient genomes have transformed our understanding of the Indigenous peopling and population history of the Americas. These studies have shown that this history, which began in the late Pleistocene epoch and continued episodically into the Holocene epoch, was far more complex than previously thought. It is now evident that the initial dispersal involved the movement from northeast Asia of distinct and previously unknown populations, including some for whom there are no currently known descendants. The first peoples, once south of the continental ice sheets, spread widely, expanded rapidly and branched into multiple populations. Their descendants—over the next fifteen millennia—experienced varying degrees of isolation, admixture, continuity and replacement, and their genomes help to illuminate the relationships among major subgroups of Native American populations. Notably, all ancient individuals in the Americas, save for later-arriving Arctic peoples, are more closely related to contemporary Indigenous American individuals than to any other population elsewhere, which challenges the claim—which is based on anatomical evidence—that there was an early, non-Native American population in the Americas. Here we review the patterns revealed by ancient genomics that help to shed light on the past peoples who created the archaeological landscape, and together lead to deeper insights into the population and cultural history of the Americas.

Photo: No known restrictions on publication. CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor CBS Audio Network @Batchelorshow 3/4: First peoples.  3/4: "Peopling of the Americas as inferred from ancient genomics." David J. Meltzer, SMU. @NatureMagazine @NatureScience https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03499-y "In less than a decade, analyses of ancient genomes have transformed our understanding of the Indigenous peopling and population history of the Americas. These studies have shown that this history, which began in the late Pleistocene epoch and continued episodically into the Holocene epoch, was far more complex than previously thought. It is now evident that the initial dispersal involved the movement from northeast Asia of distinct and previously unknown populations, including some for whom there are no currently known descendants. The first peoples, once south of the continental ice sheets, spread widely, expanded rapidly and branched into multiple populations. Their descendants—over the next fifteen millennia—experienced varying degrees of isolation, admixture, continuity and replacement, and their genomes help to illuminate the relationships among major subgroups of Native American populations. Notably, all ancient individuals in the Americas, save for later-arriving Arctic peoples, are more closely related to contemporary Indigenous American individuals than to any other population elsewhere, which challenges the claim—which is based on anatomical evidence—that there was an early, non-Native American population in the Americas. Here we review the patterns revealed by ancient genomics that help to shed light on the past peoples who created the archaeological landscape, and together lead to deeper insights into the population and cultural history of the Americas.

Photo: No known restrictions on publication. CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor CBS Audio Network @Batchelorshow 4/4: First peoples.  4/4: "Peopling of the Americas as inferred from ancient genomics." David J. Meltzer, SMU. @NatureMagazine @NatureScience https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03499-y "In less than a decade, analyses of ancient genomes have transformed our understanding of the Indigenous peopling and population history of the Americas. These studies have shown that this history, which began in the late Pleistocene epoch and continued episodically into the Holocene epoch, was far more complex than previously thought. It is now evident that the initial dispersal involved the movement from northeast Asia of distinct and previously unknown populations, including some for whom there are no currently known descendants. The first peoples, once south of the continental ice sheets, spread widely, expanded rapidly and branched into multiple populations. Their descendants—over the next fifteen millennia—experienced varying degrees of isolation, admixture, continuity and replacement, and their genomes help to illuminate the relationships among major subgroups of Native American populations. Notably, all ancient individuals in the Americas, save for later-arriving Arctic peoples, are more closely related to contemporary Indigenous American individuals than to any other population elsewhere, which challenges the claim—which is based on anatomical evidence—that there was an early, non-Native American population in the Americas. Here we review the patterns revealed by ancient genomics that help to shed light on the past peoples who created the archaeological landscape, and together lead to deeper insights into the population and cultural history of the Americas.

Photo: Ancient Indian burial mounds. Moundsville, W.Va.  Great Mound at Grave Creek There's a similar one in nearby Marietta, Oho. @Batchelorshow 3/4:  #ClassicNature: The greatest migration. David J. Meltzer, SMU. @NatureMagazine (Originally aired July 28, 2021) "Peopling of the Americas as inferred from ancient genomics." David J. Meltzer, SMU. @NatureMagazine @NatureScience https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03499-y "In less than a decade, analyses of ancient genomes have transformed our understanding of the Indigenous peopling and population history of the Americas. These studies have shown that this history, which began in the late Pleistocene epoch and continued episodically into the Holocene epoch, was far more complex than previously thought. It is now evident that the initial dispersal involved the movement from northeast Asia of distinct and previously unknown populations, including some for whom there are no currently known descendants. The first peoples, once south of the continental ice sheets, spread widely, expanded rapidly and branched into multiple populations. Their descendants—over the next fifteen millennia—experienced varying degrees of isolation, admixture, continuity and replacement, and their genomes help to illuminate the relationships among major subgroups of Native American populations. Notably, all ancient individuals in the Americas, save for later-arriving Arctic peoples, are more closely related to contemporary Indigenous American individuals than to any other population elsewhere, which challenges the claim—which is based on anatomical evidence—that there was an early, non-Native American population in the Americas. Here we review the patterns revealed by ancient genomics that help to shed light on the past peoples who created the archaeological landscape, and together lead to deeper insights into the population and cultural history of the Americas."

Photo:  Pleistocene: Smilodon and Canis dirus   @Batchelorshow 1/4:  #ClassicNature: The greatest migration. David J. Meltzer, SMU. @NatureMagazine (Originally aired July 28, 2021) "Peopling of the Americas as inferred from ancient genomics." David J. Meltzer, SMU. @NatureMagazine @NatureScience https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03499-y "In less than a decade, analyses of ancient genomes have transformed our understanding of the Indigenous peopling and population history of the Americas. These studies have shown that this history, which began in the late Pleistocene epoch and continued episodically into the Holocene epoch, was far more complex than previously thought. It is now evident that the initial dispersal involved the movement from northeast Asia of distinct and previously unknown populations, including some for whom there are no currently known descendants. The first peoples, once south of the continental ice sheets, spread widely, expanded rapidly and branched into multiple populations. Their descendants—over the next fifteen millennia—experienced varying degrees of isolation, admixture, continuity and replacement, and their genomes help to illuminate the relationships among major subgroups of Native American populations. Notably, all ancient individuals in the Americas, save for later-arriving Arctic peoples, are more closely related to contemporary Indigenous American individuals than to any other population elsewhere, which challenges the claim—which is based on anatomical evidence—that there was an early, non-Native American population in the Americas. Here we review the patterns revealed by ancient genomics that help to shed light on the past peoples who created the archaeological landscape, and together lead to deeper insights into the population and cultural history of the Americas."

Photo: Holocene — dodo from The Geology of the South-East of England The Holocene extinction is, first of all, the extinction of nearly all large mammal species after the end of the ice age. This is attributed to hunting by humans, and climate change @Batchelorshow 2/4:  #ClassicNature: The greatest migration. David J. Meltzer, SMU. @NatureMagazine (Originally aired July 28, 2021) "Peopling of the Americas as inferred from ancient genomics." David J. Meltzer, SMU. @NatureMagazine @NatureScience https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03499-y "In less than a decade, analyses of ancient genomes have transformed our understanding of the Indigenous peopling and population history of the Americas. These studies have shown that this history, which began in the late Pleistocene epoch and continued episodically into the Holocene epoch, was far more complex than previously thought. It is now evident that the initial dispersal involved the movement from northeast Asia of distinct and previously unknown populations, including some for whom there are no currently known descendants. The first peoples, once south of the continental ice sheets, spread widely, expanded rapidly and branched into multiple populations. Their descendants—over the next fifteen millennia—experienced varying degrees of isolation, admixture, continuity and replacement, and their genomes help to illuminate the relationships among major subgroups of Native American populations. Notably, all ancient individuals in the Americas, save for later-arriving Arctic peoples, are more closely related to contemporary Indigenous American individuals than to any other population elsewhere, which challenges the claim—which is based on anatomical evidence—that there was an early, non-Native American population in the Americas. Here we review the patterns revealed by ancient genomics that help to shed light on the past peoples who created the archaeological landscape, and together lead to deeper insights into the population and cultural history of the Americas."

Photo: Illustration of Paleo-Indians hunting a glyptodon @Batchelorshow 4/4:  #ClassicNature: The greatest migration. David J. Meltzer, SMU. @NatureMagazine (Originally aired July 28, 2021) "Peopling of the Americas as inferred from ancient genomics." David J. Meltzer, SMU. @NatureMagazine @NatureScience https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03499-y "In less than a decade, analyses of ancient genomes have transformed our understanding of the Indigenous peopling and population history of the Americas. These studies have shown that this history, which began in the late Pleistocene epoch and continued episodically into the Holocene epoch, was far more complex than previously thought. It is now evident that the initial dispersal involved the movement from northeast Asia of distinct and previously unknown populations, including some for whom there are no currently known descendants. The first peoples, once south of the continental ice sheets, spread widely, expanded rapidly and branched into multiple populations. Their descendants—over the next fifteen millennia—experienced varying degrees of isolation, admixture, continuity and replacement, and their genomes help to illuminate the relationships among major subgroups of Native American populations. Notably, all ancient individuals in the Americas, save for later-arriving Arctic peoples, are more closely related to contemporary Indigenous American individuals than to any other population elsewhere, which challenges the claim—which is based on anatomical evidence—that there was an early, non-Native American population in the Americas. Here we review the patterns revealed by ancient genomics that help to shed light on the past peoples who created the archaeological landscape, and together lead to deeper insights into the population and cultural history of the Americas."

Photo: An Olmec colossal head at the Xalapa Museum of Anthropology, in Veracruz, Mexico Note that Dr Ivan van Sertima points to the similarity between Olmec faces and some African physiognomies. CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor CBS Audio Network @Batchelorshow 1/4: "Peopling of the Americas as inferred from ancient genomics." David J. Meltzer, SMU. @NatureMagazine https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03499-y "In less than a decade, analyses of ancient genomes have transformed our understanding of the Indigenous peopling and population history of the Americas. These studies have shown that this history, which began in the late Pleistocene epoch and continued episodically into the Holocene epoch, was far more complex than previously thought. It is now evident that the initial dispersal involved the movement from northeast Asia of distinct and previously unknown populations, including some for whom there are no currently known descendants. The first peoples, once south of the continental ice sheets, spread widely, expanded rapidly and branched into multiple populations. Their descendants—over the next fifteen millennia—experienced varying degrees of isolation, admixture, continuity and replacement, and their genomes help to illuminate the relationships among major subgroups of Native American populations. Notably, all ancient individuals in the Americas, save for later-arriving Arctic peoples, are more closely related to contemporary Indigenous American individuals than to any other population elsewhere, which challenges the claim—which is based on anatomical evidence—that there was an early, non-Native American population in the Americas. Here we review the patterns revealed by ancient genomics that help to shed light on the past peoples who created the archaeological landscape, and together lead to deeper insights into the population and cultural history of the Americas."

Photo: A depiction of the Serpent Moundin southern Ohio—Marietta—as published in the magazine The Century, April 1890 . CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor CBS Audio Network @Batchelorshow 2/4: "Peopling of the Americas as inferred from ancient genomics." David J. Meltzer, SMU. @NatureMagazine https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03499-y "In less than a decade, analyses of ancient genomes have transformed our understanding of the Indigenous peopling and population history of the Americas. These studies have shown that this history, which began in the late Pleistocene epoch and continued episodically into the Holocene epoch, was far more complex than previously thought. It is now evident that the initial dispersal involved the movement from northeast Asia of distinct and previously unknown populations, including some for whom there are no currently known descendants. The first peoples, once south of the continental ice sheets, spread widely, expanded rapidly and branched into multiple populations. Their descendants—over the next fifteen millennia—experienced varying degrees of isolation, admixture, continuity and replacement, and their genomes help to illuminate the relationships among major subgroups of Native American populations. Notably, all ancient individuals in the Americas, save for later-arriving Arctic peoples, are more closely related to contemporary Indigenous American individuals than to any other population elsewhere, which challenges the claim—which is based on anatomical evidence—that there was an early, non-Native American population in the Americas. Here we review the patterns revealed by ancient genomics that help to shed light on the past peoples who created the archaeological landscape, and together lead to deeper insights into the population and cultural history of the Americas."

Photo: Engraving after Jacques le Moyne, showing the burial of a Timucua chief. CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor CBS Audio Network @Batchelorshow 3/4: "Peopling of the Americas as inferred from ancient genomics." David J. Meltzer, SMU. @NatureMagazine https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03499-y "In less than a decade, analyses of ancient genomes have transformed our understanding of the Indigenous peopling and population history of the Americas. These studies have shown that this history, which began in the late Pleistocene epoch and continued episodically into the Holocene epoch, was far more complex than previously thought. It is now evident that the initial dispersal involved the movement from northeast Asia of distinct and previously unknown populations, including some for whom there are no currently known descendants. The first peoples, once south of the continental ice sheets, spread widely, expanded rapidly and branched into multiple populations. Their descendants—over the next fifteen millennia—experienced varying degrees of isolation, admixture, continuity and replacement, and their genomes help to illuminate the relationships among major subgroups of Native American populations. Notably, all ancient individuals in the Americas, save for later-arriving Arctic peoples, are more closely related to contemporary Indigenous American individuals than to any other population elsewhere, which challenges the claim—which is based on anatomical evidence—that there was an early, non-Native American population in the Americas. Here we review the patterns revealed by ancient genomics that help to shed light on the past peoples who created the archaeological landscape, and together lead to deeper insights into the population and cultural history of the Americas."

Photo: Julius Popper with a killed Ona. In the late 19th century some estancieros and gold prospectors launched a campaign of extermination against the indigenous peoples of Tierra del Fuego.  Not the first arrivals, but later Europeans were incomprehensibly cruel. Tierra del Fuego is considered the southernmost town in South America. Four native peoples were there in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries: two lived on land, two lived almost exclusive in canoes on the water.            The name "Tierra del Fuego" may refer to the fact that both Selk'nam and Yamana had their fires burn in front of their huts (or in the hut). In Magellan's time Fuegians were more numerous, and the light and smoke of their fires presented an impressive sight if seen from a ship or another island. Yamanas also used fire to send messages by smoke signals, for instance if a whale drifted ashore. The large amount of meat required notification of many people, so that it would not decay.They might also have used smoke signals on other occasions, but it is possible that Magellan saw the smokes or lights of natural phenomena. Both Selk'nams and Yámanas were almost obliterated by diseases brought in by colonization,[2][51] and probably made more vulnerable to disease by the crash of their main meat supplies (whales and seals) due to the actions of European and American fleets.[2] CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor CBS Audio Network @Batchelorshow 4/4: "Peopling of the Americas as inferred from ancient genomics." David J. Meltzer, SMU. @NatureMagazine https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03499-y "In less than a decade, analyses of ancient genomes have transformed our understanding of the Indigenous peopling and population history of the Americas. These studies have shown that this history, which began in the late Pleistocene epoch and continued episodically into the Holocene epoch, was far more complex than previously thought. It is now evident that the initial dispersal involved the movement from northeast Asia of distinct and previously unknown populations, including some for whom there are no currently known descendants. The first peoples, once south of the continental ice sheets, spread widely, expanded rapidly and branched into multiple populations. Their descendants—over the next fifteen millennia—experienced varying degrees of isolation, admixture, continuity and replacement, and their genomes help to illuminate the relationships among major subgroups of Native American populations. Notably, all ancient individuals in the Americas, save for later-arriving Arctic peoples, are more closely related to contemporary Indigenous American individuals than to any other population elsewhere, which challenges the claim—which is based on anatomical evidence—that there was an early, non-Native American population in the Americas. Here we review the patterns revealed by ancient genomics that help to shed light on the past peoples who created the archaeological landscape, and together lead to deeper insights into the population and cultural history of the Americas.

The hosts discuss four hypotheses for the arrival of humans into the New World: Beringian Land Bridge, Coastal Highway, Solutrean, and Oceanic. They discuss the early Paleoindian site complexes such as Folsom and Clovis in which David (allegedly) reveals the existence of the Clovis Organized Crime Syndicate. A large part of the episode centers around "pre-Clovis" sites and whether they would belong to the Coastal Highway or Solutrean hypotheses. According to Carlton, the Solutreans crossed the Atlantic to get that sweet, sweet Old Bay seasoning. #OldBayAllDay We wrap up the show with a discussion about which hypotheses each host believes explains the archaeological record best. Recommended Literature: David J. Meltzer 2010: First Peoples in a New World: Colonizing Ice Age America Dennis. J. Stanford, Bruce A. Bradley & Michael Collins 2013: Across Atlantic Ice: The Origin of America's Clovis Culture Tom. D Dillehay 1997: Monte Verde: a Late Pleistocene settlement in Chile, Vol.2, The Archaeological Context and Interpretation Jon M. Erlandson et al. 2007: The Kelp Highway Hypothesis: Marine Ecology, the Coastal Migration Theory, and the Peopling of the Americas Contact Email: alifeinruinspodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @alifeinruinspodcast Facebook: @alifeinruinspodcast Twitter: @alifeinruinspod Website: www.alifeinruins.com Affiliates Wildnote TeePublic Timeular

Steven Rinella talks with David J. Meltzer, Phil Taylor, Spencer Neuharth, Corinne Schneider, and Phil Taylor. Topics discussed: Making sure that your local humane society is not The Humane Society of the United States; Jim H. encouraging hunters to be true to the message of conservation and favor wolf recovery even if it costs them a few extra elk tags; Covid vaccines for mink and great apes; Spencer saves bird lives; spotting an arrowhead by the side of the road as a bus driver holding the door open for a kid; delving deeper into the Folsom Site; a beautiful theory killed by a horrible fact; what to make of 34,000 bone scraps smaller than the size of your fingernail; how it’d be cool if you bought a book that came with an attached Folsom point; tribal vs. human and culture vs. genetics; the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act; ancient peoples being successful at moving far distances; dogs as the first animal that humans ever domesticated; how there's dog DNA in wolves but no wolf DNA in dogs; anthropology classes as a resume builder; where you can find all of David's fascinating books; and more. Connect with Steve and MeatEater Steve on Instagram and Twitter MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube Shop MeatEater Merch

Steven Rinella talks with David J. Meltzer and Janis Putelis. Subjects discussed: Understanding radio carbon dates; crossing the Bering Land Bridge; who were the first Americans?; the early human aversion to incest; ecotones, or where a bunch of good shit comes together; glyptodons and 3-ton ground sloths; a big extinction on one fine Tuesday; Rambo; the tidy appeal of the blitzkreig hypothesis; Clovis points; cross examining conventionalisms; snacking on bison tongue; and more.   Connect with Steve and MeatEater Steve on Instagram and Twitter MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube Shop MeatEater Merch    

David J. Meltzer‘s new book is a meticulous study of the controversy over human antiquity in America, a dispute that transformed North American archaeology as a practice and discipline, tracing it from 1862-1941. The Great Paleolithic War: How Science Forged an Understanding of Americas Ice Age Past (University of Chicago Press, 2015) traces the heated and multi-disciplinary debates over the existence of a Pleistocene human antiquity in North America. Meltzer's book is a thick history that introduces readers not only to the major conceptual, epistemological, and methodological issues at stake in the controversy, but also to the figures who debated the nature and scope of human antiquity in America. Anyone with an interest in the history of archaeology or the study of human origins should check it out! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David J. Meltzer‘s new book is a meticulous study of the controversy over human antiquity in America, a dispute that transformed North American archaeology as a practice and discipline, tracing it from 1862-1941. The Great Paleolithic War: How Science Forged an Understanding of Americas Ice Age Past (University of Chicago Press, 2015) traces the heated and multi-disciplinary debates over the existence of a Pleistocene human antiquity in North America. Meltzer's book is a thick history that introduces readers not only to the major conceptual, epistemological, and methodological issues at stake in the controversy, but also to the figures who debated the nature and scope of human antiquity in America. Anyone with an interest in the history of archaeology or the study of human origins should check it out! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David J. Meltzer‘s new book is a meticulous study of the controversy over human antiquity in America, a dispute that transformed North American archaeology as a practice and discipline, tracing it from 1862-1941. The Great Paleolithic War: How Science Forged an Understanding of Americas Ice Age Past (University of Chicago Press, 2015) traces the heated and multi-disciplinary debates over the existence of a Pleistocene human antiquity in North America. Meltzer’s book is a thick history that introduces readers not only to the major conceptual, epistemological, and methodological issues at stake in the controversy, but also to the figures who debated the nature and scope of human antiquity in America. Anyone with an interest in the history of archaeology or the study of human origins should check it out! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David J. Meltzer‘s new book is a meticulous study of the controversy over human antiquity in America, a dispute that transformed North American archaeology as a practice and discipline, tracing it from 1862-1941. The Great Paleolithic War: How Science Forged an Understanding of Americas Ice Age Past (University of Chicago Press, 2015) traces the heated and multi-disciplinary debates over the existence of a Pleistocene human antiquity in North America. Meltzer’s book is a thick history that introduces readers not only to the major conceptual, epistemological, and methodological issues at stake in the controversy, but also to the figures who debated the nature and scope of human antiquity in America. Anyone with an interest in the history of archaeology or the study of human origins should check it out! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David J. Meltzer‘s new book is a meticulous study of the controversy over human antiquity in America, a dispute that transformed North American archaeology as a practice and discipline, tracing it from 1862-1941. The Great Paleolithic War: How Science Forged an Understanding of Americas Ice Age Past (University of Chicago Press, 2015) traces the heated and multi-disciplinary debates over the existence of a Pleistocene human antiquity in North America. Meltzer’s book is a thick history that introduces readers not only to the major conceptual, epistemological, and methodological issues at stake in the controversy, but also to the figures who debated the nature and scope of human antiquity in America. Anyone with an interest in the history of archaeology or the study of human origins should check it out! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David J. Meltzer‘s new book is a meticulous study of the controversy over human antiquity in America, a dispute that transformed North American archaeology as a practice and discipline, tracing it from 1862-1941. The Great Paleolithic War: How Science Forged an Understanding of Americas Ice Age Past (University of Chicago Press, 2015) traces the heated and multi-disciplinary debates over the existence of a Pleistocene human antiquity in North America. Meltzer’s book is a thick history that introduces readers not only to the major conceptual, epistemological, and methodological issues at stake in the controversy, but also to the figures who debated the nature and scope of human antiquity in America. Anyone with an interest in the history of archaeology or the study of human origins should check it out! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David J. Meltzer‘s new book is a meticulous study of the controversy over human antiquity in America, a dispute that transformed North American archaeology as a practice and discipline, tracing it from 1862-1941. The Great Paleolithic War: How Science Forged an Understanding of Americas Ice Age Past (University of Chicago Press, 2015) traces the heated and multi-disciplinary debates over the existence of a Pleistocene human antiquity in North America. Meltzer’s book is a thick history that introduces readers not only to the major conceptual, epistemological, and methodological issues at stake in the controversy, but also to the figures who debated the nature and scope of human antiquity in America. Anyone with an interest in the history of archaeology or the study of human origins should check it out! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David J. Meltzer‘s new book is a meticulous study of the controversy over human antiquity in America, a dispute that transformed North American archaeology as a practice and discipline, tracing it from 1862-1941. The Great Paleolithic War: How Science Forged an Understanding of Americas Ice Age Past (University of Chicago Press, 2015) traces the heated and multi-disciplinary debates over the existence of a Pleistocene human antiquity in North America. Meltzer’s book is a thick history that introduces readers not only to the major conceptual, epistemological, and methodological issues at stake in the controversy, but also to the figures who debated the nature and scope of human antiquity in America. Anyone with an interest in the history of archaeology or the study of human origins should check it out! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices