Underwater archeology reveals clues about Ice Age humans

Episode 1400  ·  Sep 23, 10:00 AM
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At the end of the last ice age, glacial melt inundated human settlements near shorelines. Underwater archeologists are uncovering their artifacts.

During the last ice age, America’s coastlines and waterways looked much different than they do today. When glaciers melted, coasts and shorelines were inundated, burying early human settlements underwater. This is where underwater archeology comes in. Donning scuba gear and trowels, researchers are finding remarkably well-preserved artifacts that tell us more about what life was like in the early Americas.

Joining Flora to talk about this is reporter Reid Frazier, who accompanied an underwater archeology team on an excursion in Lake Erie. Then, underwater archeologist Jessi Halligan talks about her discoveries at a key site in Florida.

GUESTS:

Reid Frazier is an energy reporter for The Allegheny Front in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Dr. Jessi Halligan is an underwater archeologist and associate professor at Texas A&M in College Station, Texas. 

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