How seashells shaped the world — and predict our future

The Gray Area with Sean Illing

Vox Media Podcast Network

Politics, News, News Commentary, Philosophy, Society & Culture

4.5 • 11.1K Ratings

🗓️ 19 August 2021

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Vox's Benji Jones talks with author and environmental journalist Cynthia Barnett about seashells and her new book, The Sound of the Sea. They discuss the evolutionary function and human appeal of seashells, the surprising role shells played in ancient trade and commerce, and how climate change threatens the creatures that call them home. Host: Benji Jones (@BenjiSJones), Environmental reporter, Vox Guest: Cynthia Barnett (@cynthiabarnett), author References: “Seashells changed the world. Now they’re teaching us about the future of the oceans” by Benji Jones (Vox; Jul. 10) The Sound of the Sea: Seashells and the Fate of the Oceans by Cynthia Barnett (W.W. Norton; 2021) The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum (Sanibel Island, FL) Evolution & Escalation: An Ecological History of Life by Geerat J. Vermeij (Princeton; 1993) Cowrie Shells and Cowrie Money: A Global History by Bin Yang (Routledge; 2020) Scallops in motion (YouTube) Enjoyed this episode? Rate Vox Conversations ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear the next episode of Vox Conversations by subscribing in your favorite podcast app. Support Vox Conversations by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts This episode was made by: Producer: Erikk Geannikis Editor: Amy Drozdowska VP, Vox Audio: Liz Kelly Nelson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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1:01.6	How does C-shell's shape our world and what can they tell us about our future?
1:08.0	I'm Benji Jones, an environmental reporter at Vox.
1:11.6	And today, I'm your host for Vox Conversations.
1:14.6	Think back to the last time you saw a C-shell.
1:27.3	Maybe it was by the ocean poking out of the sand, or perhaps it was at a restaurant,
1:32.4	resting on a bed of ice.
1:34.6	In any case, you probably didn't give it much thought.
1:38.2	It's just a shell.
1:39.1	But as it turns out, those shells, I mean C-shells, have actually played a pretty major role
1:46.6	throughout human history. In centuries past, for example, they help grow entire societies
1:53.4	and even corporations. And today, they help us big time by reabsorbing some of the climate
1:59.7	warming carbon that we emit. And that's to say nothing of the creatures who make them,
2:05.0	which are fascinating in their own right and have some truly bizarre lifestyles.
	...

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