The Ancients The Ice Age
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Dec 28, 2025 Cody Cassidy, an author and science writer known for exploring survival strategies from past disasters, dives into the harsh realities of the Ice Age. He explains how Gravettian cultures adapted with unique hunting techniques, including the use of atlatls to capture mammoths. Listeners will also discover the dynamic relationships among different groups and Cassidy's hypothetical survival tips. Plus, he shares insights from his book on surviving historical disasters, making ancient challenges tangible and entertaining.
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Ice Age Is A Long Geological State
- The term "Ice Age" is misleading; Earth has been in an ice age for ~3 million years due to long-term CO2 sequestration.
- Shorter glacial cycles (tilt/wobble) caused the last glacial maximum ~25,000 years ago by shifting ocean carbon storage.
Tectonics Can Trigger Global Cooling
- Major tectonic collisions in the tropics can drive global cooling by exposing mafic rock that captures atmospheric CO2.
- Over millions of years this rock weathering locks carbon into limestone and reduces Earth's greenhouse blanket.
A Familiar Yet Alien Ice Age Landscape
- The last glacial maximum produced a strange landscape: huge ice sheets, dry plains, but nutrient-rich lowlands with lush river valleys.
- Familiar animals lived in unexpected mixes, e.g., lions and reindeer together across the steppe.