Ancient Diets, Human Carnivory, Mammoth Hunting, Clovis Culture & Origin of Native Americans

About the guest: Ben Potter, PhD is an archaeologist & Professor of Anthropology at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. James Chatter, PhD is a retired archaeologist and paleontologist. They recently published a paper on the diet of the Clovis people of North America at the end of the last Ice Age.

Episode summary: Nick talks to Dr. Potter & Dr. Chatters about: the Clovis culture and initial human colonization of the Americas; human diet since the last Ice Age; ancient human diets; hunting of Mammoths and other large herbivores; Clovis technology & culture, including projectile weapons; and more.

*This content is never meant to serve as medical advice

00:00:00 Episode Intro
00:03:05 Guest Intro
00:04:28 Clovis Culture & Its Characteristics
00:16:03 Clovis Culture & Mammoth Hunting
00:31:24 Recent Paper on Clovis Diet
01:11:09 Implications of Clovis Diet on Modern Populations
01:15:21 Evolutionary History & Food Sensitivities
01:21:09 Projectile Weapons & Hunting Techniques
01:26:10 Extinction Patterns & Ecological Impacts
01:34:56 Cultural Artifacts & Belief Systems
01:45:24 Global Human Migration & Adaptation
01:48:14 Final Thoughts