Are we the first advanced civilization on earth? 🧐
In this episode, Mattimore explores a thought experiment known as the Silurian Hypothesis. The Silurian Hypothesis seeks to answer a seemingly obvious question: Are we the first advanced civilization on earth? How do we know?
Topics Discussed:
- What is the Silurian Hypothesis?
- Why this thought experiment is useful
- Defining “advanced civilization”
- Looking back through earth’s history
- The development of hominid species
- Pre-hominid boom and bust cycles
- The 6 mass extinction events
- Limitations to seeing into the past
- Traces of civilization that survive longest
- The archaeological method
- Plate tectonics, weather, entropy
- Conditions needed for fossilization
- What makes PETM especially interesting
- Assessing the Silurian hypothesis
- References in ancient history
- The search for exoplanets
Future Scenarios:
- Worst cast scenario
- Best case scenario
- Most likely scenario
Thanks for tuning in 🔭
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