Screens of the Stone Age

The podcast where scientists review movies about prehistoric people! From The Flintstones to The Croods, from Iceman to Encino Man, from Year One to One Million Years BC, we dig into popular movies about the ancient past and sift the facts from the fiction. Hosts with expertise in archaeology, paleoanthropology, human evolution, paleontology, and paleogenetics take you behind the scenes to learn the truth about cave people like Neanderthals and Cro Magnons, and Pleistocene Megafauna like woolly mammoths and sabretooth cats. Plus, history movies, science fiction, pseudoarchaeology, and dinosaurs!

Screens of the Stone Age is a education podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 139 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts Screens of the Stone Age, a education show with 139 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #135

  Episode 135: Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women (1968)

  Aug 16, 202644 min

  Today we’re reviewing Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women (1968), the story of a cool Russian sci-fi movie about an exploratory mission to Venus which an American studio dubbed and re-cut to include telepathic “prehistoric” women, for some reason. In truth there’s very little prehistory in this one, so we get to talk about space travel for forty minutes! (Astronomers and engineers, please send your complaints and corrections to screensofthestoneage@gmail.com) Get in touch with us! Bluesky: @sotsapodcast.bsky.social Facebook: @SotSAPodcast Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/ Website: https://screensofthestoneage.com Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com 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 Voyage to the P lanet of Prehistoric Women (1968) on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6mHuM8SWs4 Watch Planeta Bur (Planet of Storms) (1962) on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VTF23EFvEM Watch Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet (1965) on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1dtqIPlERU Asimov’s Three Rules of Robotics: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Laws_of_Robotics Mant! – Matinee (1993): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-brLyrdTyA Venus: https://science.nasa.gov/venus/ Missions to Venus: https://science.nasa.gov/venus/exploration/ Venus Life Finder: https://www.planetary.org/space-missions/rocket-lab-venus-mission Self-driving cars and the Trolley Problem: https://www.technologyreview.com/2018/10/24/139313/a-global-ethics-study-aims-to-help-ai-solve-the-self-driving-trolley-problem/ The Passengers by John Marrs: https://www.johnmarrsauthor.com/the-passengers Are Autonomous Vehicles safer than Human Drivers? https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2026/the-safety-data-on-autonomous-vehicles Bicycle Couriers in Canada can claim food as a fuel expense: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/sole-proprietorships-partnerships/report-business-income-expenses/completing-form-t2125/line-8523-meals-entertainment-allowable-part-only.html#extra

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  Episode #133

  Episode 133: First Man (2017)

  Jul 19, 20261h 17m

  First Man (2017) is a “documentary” with an interesting relationship to scientific facts and a disturbing view of human nature. It follows human evolution through four reconstructed ancestors: an early beta cuck ape from Spain; a Tate stan basal hominin from Chad; an ancestral alpha mogger from South Africa; and a brainmaxxing sigma arsonist from China. Join us as we break down the silly walks, unnecessarily blurred monkey genitals, and (content warning!) graphic sexual assault. Get in touch with us! Bluesky: @sotsapodcast.bsky.social Facebook: @SotSAPodcast Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/ Website: https://screensofthestoneage.com Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com 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: Pierolapithecus : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierolapithecus Sahelanthropus : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sahelanthropus Gigantopithecus : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gigantopithecus Sivapithecus/Ramapithecus : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sivapithecus Paranthropus : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paranthropus Graecopithecus : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graecopithecus Peking Man ( Homo erectus ): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peking_Man Harbin/Dragon Man: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harbin_cranium Our episode on Skullduggery (1970): https://screensofthestoneage.com/podcast/episode-34-skullduggery-1970/ Our episode on Sasquatch S unset (2024): https://screensofthestoneage.com/podcast/episode-106-sasquatch-sunset-2024/ Grieving chimpanzee carries dead baby for months: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yj4Wk-hujPY Zhoukoudian: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhoukoudian_Peking_Man_Site The myth of the alpha wolf: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-the-alpha-wolf-idea-a-myth/ Parsimony: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximum_parsimony Boma predator deterrent: https://news.mongabay.com/2017/09/keeping-lions-at-bay-to-keep-them-going/ Gao et al. (2017) Evidence of hominin use and maintenance of fire at Zhoukoudian: https://doi.org/10.1086/692501 Laughter in animals: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laughter_in_animals Pusceddu et al. (2025) Animal medical systems from Apis to apes: history, recent advances and future perspectives: https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.70060 Ventro-ventro position (doggy is not the only style): https://synapsida.blogspot.com/2015/12/doggy-is-not-only-style.html Man vs. horse races (horses have won): https://ultrarunninghistory.com/man-vs-horse/ Persistence hunting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persistence_hunting Aiello and Wheeler (1995) The Expensive-tissue hypothesis: The brain and the digestive system in human and primate evolution: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2744104 Wrangham (2009) Catching Fire: How Cooking Made us Human: https://heb.fas.harvard.edu/publication/catching-fire-how-cooking-made-us-human

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  Episode #131

  Episode 132: Classic Caveman Cartoons (Part 2)

  Jun 21, 202659 min

  Ehh, what’s up, doc? But in this case the “doc” is a PhD. Get it? Because we’re... Never mind, we’re back with more classic cartoons! As we move into the second half of the Twentieth Century the characters become more recognizable: Porky Pig, Mighty Mouse, Pink Panther, Woody Woodpecker – we ruin the fun of all these characters by trying to assess what species they are! (Oh wait, I should have said “what’s up, post-doc?”. I’ll keep workshopping it) (Part 2 of 2). Get in touch with us! Bluesky: @sotsapodcast.bsky.social Facebook: @SotSAPodcast Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/ Website: https://screensofthestoneage.com Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com 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 Cartoons featured in this episode: Springtime in the Rock Age (1940): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ivk88NXvc_k Way Back When Women had their Weigh (1940): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUcPMfEGfeI Prehistoric Porky (1940): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZK6quxW5pc0 Mighty Mouse – Prehistoric Perils (1952): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAdUiP_giPY Peabody's Improbable History S3E17 "The First Caveman" (1961):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1r5SZElTzQ   Pink Panther – Prehistoric Pink (1968): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Io5oqdC_1co Pink Panther – Extinct Pink (1969): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y3lt2oWh_0 Prehistoric Super Salesman (1969): https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8imjrh Other Links: Meganeura : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meganeura Snail tape measure: https://yarn-fun.com/products/snail-tape-measure Black Panthers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_panther King Cheetah: https://www.reddit.com/r/Awwducational/comments/ga8css/king_cheetahs_are_variety_of_cheetahs_with_a_rare/ What’s Opera, Doc? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9doSQ1cHAw Bjorn Kurten’s Pleistocene Mammals of Europe : https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315126470 Which big cats like catnip? https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/8td7ut/does_catnip_affect_wild_felines_the_same_way_it/ Do big cats like catnip? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEdpDl1hSz4 Oldest bows and arrows: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bow_and_arrow#History Strawberry leopard: https://nypost.com/2019/08/20/rare-strawberry-leopard-photographed-in-south-africa/ Woody is an Ivory Billed Woodpecker: https://ivory-billedwoodpecker1.blogspot.com/2012/03/woody-woodpecker.html

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  Episode #130

  Episode 130: Classic Caveman Cartoons (Part 1)

  Jun 7, 202651 min

  Today we’re digging deep into the Stone Age of cinema and reviewing classic cartoons about prehistoric people. From the world’s first animated dinosaur to the advent of colour film, we watched cartoons featuring Felix the Cat, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Daffy Duck, a seriously copyright-infringing couple of mice, and a disturbing amount of sexual violence. (Part 1 of 2) Get in touch with us! Bluesky: @sotsapodcast.bsky.social Facebook: @SotSAPodcast Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/ Website: https://screensofthestoneage.com Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com 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 Cartoons featured in this episode: Gertie the Dinosaur (1914): https://youtu.be/32pzHWUTcPc Why they love cavemen (1921): https://youtu.be/5ikoWsHLicA Felix in the Bone Age (1922): https://youtu.be/ 97V_6O3iHbE Stone Age Stunts (1930): https://youtu.be/ Ojdjl3VEnn4 The Stone Age – Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (1931): https://youtu.be/ wqayvsVPnlo Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur (1939): https://youtu.be/ X2tgbncOoMk Other topics: Mr. DNA’s Science Lesson – Jurassic Park : https://youtu.be/1Uq5WSzUaTQ Microraptor : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microraptor The I nvention of P rehistory (2024) by Stefanos Geroulanos: https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324091455/ Anas rubripes , the American Black Duck: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_black_duck Black Swedish duck: https://livestockconservancy.org/swedish-duck/ Sinclair Oil: https://www.sinclairoil.com/dino-history

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  Episode #129

  Episode 129: Gendy Tartakovsky’s Primal (2019-)

  May 24, 202650 min

  Primal (2019-) is an animated series by Gendy Tartakovsky set in an alternate prehistory in which Neanderthals and dinosaurs coexist. Setting aside the anachronisms, this series has received critical acclaim for its emotional depth and unique visual storytelling format. Kim doesn’t care about that—she was too traumatized by the first episode to watch any further. Get in touch with us! Bluesky: @sotsapodcast.bsky.social Facebook: @SotSAPodcast Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/ Website: https://screensofthestoneage.com Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com 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 Gendy Tartakovsky’s Primal on the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/primal-s-2-e-10/Primal+S1E1.mp4 Listen to our episode on Ironmaster (1983): https://screensofthestoneage.com/podcast/episode-58-ironmaster-1983/ Platt et al. (2026) Interbreeding between Neanderthals and modern humans was strongly sex biased: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aea6774 Weaver and Hublin (2009) Neandertal birth canal shape and the evolution of human childbirth: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0812554106 Ceratosaurus : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceratosaurus Giganotosaurus : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giganotosaurus Dinosaur colouration: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinosaur_coloration Darwin's Acid - Baba Brinkman - Rap Guide to Evolution: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apICqy01jo4 Neanderthal fishing: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106731 Trinkaus and Villotte (2017) External auditory exostoses and hearing loss in the Shanidar 1 Neandertal: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0186684 Megalania : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalania Voay : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voay Mekosuchus : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mekosuchus

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