Exploring Exploration: with Jon Waterman, Atlas of Wild America, National Geographic

<p>Hello everyone! </p><p>This week on The Cosmic Companion, we explore exploration, exploring the human need to… explore. Later in the show, we’ll be talking with Jon Waterman, creator of Atlas of Wild America from National Geographic.</p><p>From the dawn of time, humans have been driven by a primal urge: the need to explore. This innate curiosity has shaped our history, propelling us from the confines of caves to the vast expanse of our planet, and beyond.</p><p>Let’s take a detour down memory lane. Somewhere between 75,000 and 50,000 years ago, a group of mobile Homo sapiens decided to take humankind’s first road trip out of Africa. Even without roads. Talk about wanderlust! This migration wasn’t just a change of scenery — it resulted in a monumental shift for our species, shaping human evolution.</p><p></p><p><em>Jon Waterman appears on The Cosmic Companion 4 November 2023. Creative Commons 4.0 Attribution 2023 The Cosmic Companion.</em></p><p></p><p>And who could forget the Ancient Greeks and Phoenicians? They were among the original sea-faring explorers, navigating the Mediterranean long before GPS and Google Maps. </p><p>Wait. [HOLD EARBUD] I’m getting a notification that we have a surprise guest on the show this week. Yes, (is this real? are you sure, Max? Wow. Ok.) Everyone, in a special chronophone interview from 330 BCE, please welcome famed navigator, astronomer, and all-around curious fellow, Pytheas. </p><p> — </p><p>χαίρετε!<strong> </strong>Name’s Pytheas. I’m just your average merchant from Massilia… what? Oh, it’s somewhere in what you would call the Provence region of southern France<em>. </em></p><p>Anyway, I’ve always had this thing for stories. The wilder, the better. [FULL OPEN] More than 23 centuries before your time, I heard tales of mythical lands, strange creatures, and seas that stretch beyond the horizon. Most folks just dismissed them as sailor’s yarns. No, no. That’s a thing. You’d be surprised how many sailors enjoy macrame…</p><p>But me? Hearing these stories, I thought, “Why not