Peyote is a tiny cactus that has had a giant impact on history and culture. It is one of the most ancient hallucinogens - finds near the Texas-Mexico border indicate that humans have been consuming this Plant of the Gods for over 6000 years. Many credit Aldous Huxley's 1954's book "The Doors of Perception" - based on his experiences with mescaline, the mos ... Show More
Dec 2023
John Perlin, "The Forest Journey: The Story of Trees and Civilization" (Patagonia, 2023)
A Foundational Conservation Story Revived.Ancient writers observed that forests always recede as civilizations develop and grow. The great Roman poet Ovid wrote that before civilization began, “even the pine tree stood on its own very hills” but when civilization took over, “the ... Show More
28m 27s
Oct 2024
Italian sweets, chocolate, vanilla, jujubes
Pastry chef Victoria Granof relishes the diverse, and often misunderstood, sweets of Sicily. Essayist and poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil explains the laborious process of cultivating vanilla and the fragile state of its existence. Rowan Jacobsen travels deep into the Bolivian Amazon ... Show More
59m 34s
May 2025
Between Two Rivers: Ancient Mesopotamia and The Birth of History | Dr Moudhy Al-Rashid
We sit down with Dr Moudhy Al-Rashid, author of "Between Two Rivers: Ancient Mesopotamia and The Birth of History" an honorary fellow at Wolfson College, University of Oxford. She takes us on an incredible journey through ancient Mesopotamia, exploring the region's rich history, ... Show More
1h 3m
Jan 2025
Deyo, Le Flem, de Leon: 2024 The Year in Review
In this program, we look at the discoveries that made 2024 unique, Join us as we uncover, new temples, geoglyphs, the Yugas, a ancient Maya City, Cleopatra tomb and much more.
Panelist include:
Jenn Deyo has spent decades out in the field unearthing artifacts and researching anci ... Show More
2h 14m
Sep 2024
Whitney Barlow Robles, "Curious Species: How Animals Made Natural History" (Yale UP, 2023)
Dive into the world of animals with Whitney Barlow Robles in her captivating new book, Curious Species: How Animals Made Natural History (Yale UP, 2023). Can corals truly build worlds? Do rattlesnakes possess a mystical charm? What secrets do raccoons hold? These questions reflec ... Show More
54m 3s
Aug 7
The Olmec: Mother of Mesoamerican Civilisations
Iconic monumental stone heads, the intriguing Lord of Las Limas, the enigmatic 'were-jaguar' figures, so much survives from the ancient Olmec civilisation.Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. Jillian Mollenhauer to unravel the Olmec's sophisticated artistry, the symbolic significance ... Show More
1h 8m
Aug 2024
179. The Golden Road: Rise of the Indosphere
For a millennium and a half, India was a confident exporter of its diverse civilisation, creating around it a vast empire of ideas. Indian art, religions, technology, astronomy, music, dance, literature, mathematics and mythology blazed a trail across the world, along a Golden Ro ... Show More
43m 58s