Episode Details
In this episode, we talk about When Humans Nearly Vanished: The Catastrophic Explosion of the Toba Volcano by Donald R. Prothero while drinking a bottle of the 2016 Brassfield Eruption Red Blend (California). Cheers!
Book:
When Humans Nearly Vanished—The Catastrophic Explosion of the Toba Volcano (Buy now at Bookshop.org! Support local bookstores; shop online with Bookshop.)
Author: Donald J. Prothero
Publisher/Date (book): Smithsonian Books; October 16, 2018
Audio edition—Publisher/Date: Dreamscape Media; October 16, 2018, 6 CDs, 408 minutes; narrated by Qarie Marshall
Booze:
Type: Wine
Producer: Brassfield Estate
Label: Eruption Red Blend
Vintage: 2016
Links & Other Source Material
Dr. Donald Prothero: Paleontologist – Geologist – Science Writer – Lecturer
- Dr. Prothero’s Website
- Prothero on The Thinking Atheist— “Basic Evolution (for Creationists): with Dr. Donald Prothero”
- Donald Prothero’s IMDB page
Books and Journals
- Rampino, Michael & Ambrose, Stanley. (2000). Volcanic winter in the Garden of Eden: The Toba supereruption and the late Pleistocene human population crash. 10.1130/0-8137-2345-0.71.
- Supervolcano: The Catastrophic Event That Changed The Course Of Human History
- Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883 by Simon Winchester
Volcanoes
- Wikipedia entry—Toba Catastrophe Theory
- Wikipedia entry— Large Volcanic Eruptions
- Wikipedia entry—Volcanic Explosivity Index
- Mystery of the Mega Volcano (PBS Video)
- 2018 Update to the U.S. Geological Survey National Volcanic Threat Assessment
- “18 Most Dangerous Volcanoes in the United States” (Gizmodo Magazine; October 26, 2018)
Konstantinos Kostas
What a great podcast, Brad! You brought together a volcanic eruption, that came astonishingly close to decimating our species, with Brassfield Estate’s Eruption Red Blend (creative choice, btw!) and conveyed the essence of what it means to be human: that regardless of any slight genetic difference, we all evolved from an infinitesimal group of Homo sapiens that survived the Toba eruption a mere 75,000 years ago. Your message, especially right now during this time of unrest in the US, was on point, sensitive and thought provoking. Just like a good wine, your podcast left me with a psychological aftertaste that made me glad I tuned in…