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Ancient Finds, Changing Times with Andrew Schwartz

Published on: 2nd April, 2025

What if the key to understanding our future was hidden in the teeth of creatures that lived millions of years ago? In this episode, we dive into the world of dental microwear with paleontologist Andrew Schwartz (@eyesonthedirt), who takes us from the fossil beds of ancient Wyoming to the jungles of Costa Rica and the highlands of the Wari Empire. Along the way, we uncover how past climate shifts reshaped life on Earth—and what that means for us today.

We explore:

  • How capuchin monkeys and ancient Andean civilizations left clues in their teeth
  • What the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) can teach us about modern climate change
  • Why some mammals shrank while others thrived
  • What a warming world could mean for our ecosystems, agriculture, and future survival

Links & Resources:

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About the Podcast

The Wild Life
A show about the wonder and wildness of life, following the threads that connect us to the natural world.
An optimistic, curiosity-chasing show about the wonder and wildness of life, following the threads that connect us to the natural world. The Wild Life is, always has been, and always will be a show about the diversity of life within the animal kingdom, but it's about more than that. It's about connections. It's about how the natural world inspires our culture, movies, and technologies. It's about the patterns that persist throughout not just life, but the universe itself. It's about us.
The Wild Life is a place for the curious, the adventurous, the hopeful, and the hopeless to discover the natural world through unique perspectives. Between the blog and podcasts, The Wild Life seeks to bring the traditional naturalist experience into the 21st century by merging immersive storytelling and foley art with technology and creative experiences. It’s an exploration of truth, common ground, and shared places as we attempt to fill each episode with wonder, connectedness, intrigue, and humor.

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Contact | devonlbowker@gmail.com
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Devon Bowker