371 | Kyle Harper on How Humans Have Shaped Life on Earth
Summary
Historian Kyle Harper discusses his new book, *The Last Animal*, exploring how human impact on biodiversity began with Pleistocene megafauna extinctions rather than the Industrial Revolution. Harper argues that humans, as social predators using fire and domesticated animals, fundamentally altered ecosystems long before modern times, leading to a "first great homogenization" of life. The conversation also touches on how ancient DNA is reshaping our understanding of Roman history, revealing cultural shifts without significant genetic migration.
Topics discussed
Sponsorships: Stamps.com and Zero Shoes
Introduction to the Sixth Mass Extinction
Kyle Harper's background: History meets Natural Science
Ancient DNA and the mystery of Roman colonization
The shifting baseline problem in measuring human impact
Sponsorship: Scribe AI
Defining 'Human' and early population dynamics
Pleistocene megafauna and the first human-driven extinctions
Human hunting strategies, fire, and the wolf partnership
Sponsorship: Scribe AI
Sponsorship: Quince
Domestication, commensal species, and the housefly
Biological homogenization and the loss of wild landscapes
Sponsorship: Wealthfront
The rise of cities, writing, and ecological transformation
Invasive species and the extinction of the Dodo
Industrial Revolution, climate change, and synthetic nitrogen
Marine biodiversity and the history of whaling
Valuing biodiversity and the role of moral progress
Closing remarks and sponsorships
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