Mastodons and 'Murica, with Lauren Vogelbaum, Part One: American Degeneracy
Summary
Hosts Ben Bolin and Noel Brown welcome back Lauren Vogelbaum to discuss the 18th-century discovery of mastodon fossils in America. They explore how early naturalists misidentified these remains as biblical giants or flood victims before realizing they belonged to extinct species. The episode highlights Thomas Jefferson’s use of mastodon bones to refute French claims of American biological inferiority, setting the stage for part two of this historical deep dive.
Topics discussed
Intro and show history
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Mammoths vs Mastodons
Extinction and Cyclops myths
Deep sea fossils
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Biblical giants and Cotton Mather
Flood theories and underground elephants
Big Bone Lick and Benjamin Franklin
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Franklin's unknown beast
Buffon's degeneracy theory
Jefferson's rebuttal
Outro and credits
Final ad breaks
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