Screens of the Stone Age

Happy Longnight! Today is the December Solstice, and to celebrate we’re reviewing a very special holiday episode of 2007 sitcom Cavemen, based on the popular Geico insurance commercials. Everyone is invited, whether we like them or not, so grab a slice of forager’s pie and a glass of Beef Fizz and settle in to listen to your favourite palaeo researchers trying to explain basic astronomy. To the cow! Get in touch with us! Bluesky: @sotsapodcast.bsky.social Facebook: @SotSAPodcast Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/ Website: https://screensofthestoneage.com Email: [email protected] ArchPodNet: APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet Merch Store: https://archpodnet.com/shop In this Episode: Watch Cavemen S01E09 Caveman Holiday on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqtbPiIMQ2g&list=PL81C5835E560AE6BE&index=26 Listen to our review of Cavemen S01E01: https://screensofthestoneage.com/podcast/episode-78-cavemen-s01e01-her-embarrassed-of-caveman-2007/ Neanderthal diet: https://www.sapiens.org/biology/neanderthal-diet/ Weyrich et al. (2017). Neanderthal behaviour, diet, and disease inferred from ancient DNA in dental calculus: https://www.nature.com/articles/nature21674 Richards and Trinkaus (2009). Isotopic evidence for the diets of European Neanderthals and early modern humans: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0903821106 Beasley et al. (2025). Neanderthals, hypercarnivores, and maggots: Insights from stable nitrogen isotopes: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adt7466 Fellows Yates et al. (2021). The evolution and changing ecology of the African hominid oral microbiome: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2021655118 Adler et al. (2017). Evolution of the Oral Microbiome and Dental Caries: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40496-017-0151-1 Phytoliths: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytolith Chinique de Armas et al. (2015). Starch analysis and isotopic evidence of consumption of cultigens among fisher–gatherers in Cuba: the archaeological site of Canímar Abajo, Matanzas: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2015.03.003 Solstice: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solstice Analemma: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analemma Crazy Ancient Greek planet math: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deferent_and_epicycle The Antikythera Mechanism – Pseudoarchaeology Podcast: https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/pseudo/96 Beef fizz: https://vinepair.com/articles/beef-fizz-drink-history/

Today we’re reviewing the paradoxically and yet aptly named Teenage Cave Man (1958), the story of a 30-something teenage rebel who dares to break the rules and explore beyond his Stone Age tribe’s borders – and discovers a shocking twist!! In this episode we talk about [REDACTED: SPOILERS], [REDACTED: SPOILERS], and how much Josh hates Game of Thrones. Get in touch with us! Bluesky: @sotsapodcast.bsky.social Facebook: @SotSAPodcast Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/ Website: https://screensofthestoneage.com Email: [email protected] ArchPodNet: APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet Merch Store: https://archpodnet.com/shop In this Episode: Watch Teenage Cave Man (1958) on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0lRWQfQx0c Watch Teenage Cave Man (1958) on MST3K: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XG0zAjYMvE The mutant wolves of Chernobyl: https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/animals/a46799706/mutant-wolves-of-chernobyl/ One Million B.C. (1940) lizard fight (TW: animal cruelty): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utmDH1iwTpw Game of Thrones Ikea rug fur capes: https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2017/08/166757/game-of-thrones-jon-snow-fur-secret-ikea-rugs Game of Thrones Starbucks cup: https://www.refinery29.com/en-ca/2019/05/232192/game-of-thrones-starbucks-coffee-cup-memes-season-8 The Man from UNCLE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tM5gbwUrIgw Long-term nuclear waste warning messages: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-term_nuclear_waste_warning_messages 99 Percent Invisible: Ten Thousand Years: https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/ten-thousand-years/ The Twilight Zone – The Old Man in the Cave: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Old_Man_in_the_Cave Pidgins, creoles, and the language instinct: https://www.discovermagazine.com/kids-creoles-and-the-coconuts-40017 Genie the feral child: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jul/14/genie-feral-child-los-angeles-researchers Critical period hypothesis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_period_hypothesis Atkinson (2011) Phonemic Diversity Supports a Serial Founder Effect Model of Language Expansion from Africa: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1199295

This week, by popular request, we are reviewing Prey (2022), a prequel to the Predator franchise in which the eponymous alien hunter meets his match on the American Great Plains of 1719. We’re joined by archaeologist Dr. Carlton Shield Chief Gover, who helps us navigate the movie’s medicinal plants, upside-down archery draws, and inadvisable sharpening techniques, and reminds us why we should never whistle at night. Listen to the Great Plains Archaeology Podcast on APN: https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/great-plains-archaeology Get in touch with us! Bluesky: @sotsapodcast.bsky.social Facebook: @SotSAPodcast Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/ Website: https://screensofthestoneage.com Email: [email protected] ArchPodNet: APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet Merch Store: https://archpodnet.com/shop In this episode: Fatal cougar attacks in North America: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_cougar_attacks_in_North_America Cougar stalks hiker – YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Pg2CDCm34w Cougars in Boulder, Colorado, during Covid lockdown: https://www.dailycamera.com/2020/04/18/mountain-lions-sighted-during-snowy-week-for-boulder/ Medicinal Wild Plants of the Prairie by Kelly Kindscher: https://prairieedge.com/all-products/medicinal-wild-plants-of-the-prairie-an-ethnobotanical-guide-book/ Breadroot/Biscuitroot: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pediomelum_esculentum Calendula: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calendula Carolina dog: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolina_Dog No rats in Alberta: https://www.alberta.ca/albertas-rat-control-program Native American Gender Roles: https://plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/doc/egp.gen.026.html Chert and Flint: https://www.britannica.com/science/chert Knife River Flint: https://albertashistoricplaces.com/2019/07/24/knife-river-flint-quarries-and-the-alberta-connection/ Archery bow draws: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bow_draw Devin Pettigrew and Justin Garnett: https://basketmakeratlatl.com/ Comanche bow and arrow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G1Vo9GV2H8 Taylor et al. (2023) Early dispersal of domestic horses into the Great Plains and northern Rockies: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adc9691 Pia Mupitzi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comanche#Children Legends of the Northern Lights: https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/longform/legends-of-the-northern-lights/ Never Alone: https://store.steampowered.com/app/295790/Never_Alone_Kisima_Ingitchuna/ Playlist of songs featuring Cougar/Jaguar screams: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzzOAyef3DyqWudpeqU1BckUBAotcsuCP

We’ve dug too far! We overshot the Stone Age and hit the Dinosaur Age again! Today we’re joined by palaeontologist Joe Wood to review The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), the second movie in the Jurassic franchise (and the last good one). We talk about lumpers, splitters, slappers, clappers, and everything you ever wanted to know about our fine feathered friends. Joe’s links: An Hour of Our Time podcast:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/an-hour-of-our-time/id1357779625  and  https://open.spotify.com/show/0Mc5nXRa8XEn1UJJvhySXY?si=5EtqTooBRCqW4ccaNYoRnw The Shifting Realms Dungeons and Dragons actual play: https://youtube.com/@quasirealpublishing?si=XakeSxGg8CrFO_Xa Get in touch with us! Bluesky: @sotsapodcast.bsky.social Facebook: @SotSAPodcast Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/ Website: https://screensofthestoneage.com Email: [email protected] ArchPodNet: APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet Merch Store: https://archpodnet.com/shop In this episode: List of Dinosaurs Compsognathus (“Compies”): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compsognathus Sinosauropteryx (preserved feathers!): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinosauropteryx Stegosaurus (not tail-draggers!): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stegosaurus Tyrannosaurus (Ty-what? Never heard of it): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyrannosaurus Edmontosaurus (Cretaceous cows): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmontosaurus Pachycephalosaurus (boneheads): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachycephalosaurus Parasaurolophus (“The one with the pompadour! Elvis!”): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasaurolophus Mamenchisaurus (OK, that neck is actually too long): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamenchisaurus Pinacosaurus (the one with the syrinx): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinacosaurus Velociraptor (slapper vs. clapper): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velociraptor Citipati (Big Mama): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citipati Palaeontologists David Hone: https://www.davehone.co.uk/ Robert Bakker: https://jurassicpark.fandom.com/wiki/Robert_Bakker Jack Horner: https://jurassicpark.fandom.com/wiki/Jack_Horner Books Michael Crichton – Dragon Teeth: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31287693-dragon-teeth Mark Jaffe – The Gilded Dinosaur: https://archive.org/details/gildeddinosaur00mark Edward Dolnick – Dinosaurs at the Dinner Party: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199798305-dinosaurs-at-the-dinner-party Other talking points Holotype: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holotype Huxley proposed that birds evolved from dinosaurs: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/thomas-henry-huxley-and-the-dinobirds-88519294/ The Huxley-Wilberforce Debate: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1860_Oxford_evolution_debate Which dinosaurs had feathers? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feathered_dinosaur Phylogenetic bracketing: https://fossil.fandom.com/wiki/Phylogenetic_bracketing Dinosaur syrinx: https://www.livescience.com/extremely-rare-fossilized-dinosaur-voice-box-suggests-they-sounded-birdlike Crocodile heart shunt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrfrtGzazKI Stegosaurus gular armour: https://archosaurmusings.wordpress.com/2011/10/17/gular-armour/ Lumpers vs splitters: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lumpers_and_splitters Enchodus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enchodus Ben Shapiro doesn’t understand lions (Behind the Bastards podcast): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdm6bFMoqh4 Do palaeontologists really call it a “thagomizer”? https://www.reddit.com/r/Dinosaurs/comments/1axr07u/the_thagomizer/ Terrible Lizards podcast: https://terriblelizards.libsyn.com/

We’re continuing spooky month with a movie that’s as confused about theology as it is about evolution: The Lost Tribe (2009) tells the story of some insufferable tech bros and their girlfriends who stumble into the middle of a Catholic conspiracy to cover-up undeniable proof of human evolution, in the form of a bloodthirsty tribe of “primevil” hominins! Get in touch with us: Bluesky: @sotsapodcast.bsky.social Facebook: @SotSAPodcast Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/ Website: https://screensofthestoneage.com Email: [email protected] ArchPodNet: APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet Merch Store: https://archpodnet.com/shop In this episode: Watch The Lost Tribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaOfWV72vmM Saltation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saltation_(biology) Richard Klein (2000) The Archaeology of Human Behaviour: https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1520-6505(2000)9:1%3C17::AID-EVAN3%3E3.0.CO;2-A Darwin and the Church: https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/commentary/religion/darwin-and-church Colour vision in animals: https://askabiologist.asu.edu/colors-animals-see Sagittal crest: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagittal_crest Nails and claws in primate evolution: https://doi.org/10.1006/jhev.1998.0263 Homo floresiensis and island dwarfism: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-22166736 Ebu gogo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebu_gogo Gamer dent: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/gamer-dent Piltdown Man: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piltdown_Man Genus Gansus: https://dinopedia.fandom.com/wiki/Gansus Baháʼí Faith: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bah%C3%A1%CA%BC%C3%AD_Faith Justin Baldoni, Blake Lively, and It Ends With Us: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Ends_with_Us_controversy “The Implication” (IASIP): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgUvwcU6P7I