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Join host Tripp Collins for a sweeping conversation with environmental historian and author Dan Flores about his award-winning book Wild New World: The Epic Story of Animals and People in America.

In this episode, Dan takes us on a 65-million-year journey through North America's natural history—from the Chicxulub asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs to the present day. We explore the continent's lost megafauna, including woolly mammoths and dire wolves, and discuss the heartbreaking extinctions of iconic species like the Carolina parakeet and passenger pigeon.

Dan shares insights into his writing process, the challenges of weaving together paleontology, genomics, and environmental history into a compelling narrative, and why he believes books have a unique power to "rearrange the furniture in your head." We also dive into America's evolving relationship with nature—from the hubris of market capitalism and wildlife slaughter to the birth of the conservation movement and the passage of the Endangered Species Act.

Plus: Dan reveals exciting news about his involvement with Colossal Biosciences and their groundbreaking work on de-extinction, including genetically edited dire wolves, and previews his upcoming book project Homestead: Building a Green Lifestyle in the Modern American Countryside.

Topics covered:

• Deep time history and the Chicxulub impact
• Ancient human migration to North America (23,000-year-old footprints at White Sands)
• The extinction crisis and changing attitudes toward conservation
• De-extinction science and CRISPR gene editing
• The role of nature writing in American culture
• Why books matter in an age of podcasts and film

Find Dan Flores:

• Podcast: The American West
• Books: Wild New World, Coyote America, American Serengeti
• All books mentioned on Book Science
  
  

Book Science:

• Website: TrippCollins.com
• Show notes & transcripts: https://www.trippcollins.com/episodes
• Check out the Book Science Book Shop
• Instagram: @booksciencepodcast

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Season One Wrap-Up

We’ve reached the end of Season One of Book Science! In this closing reflection, I look back on the challenges, the guests who made the season possible, and the growth—both personal and creative—that came from finally putting this project into the world.

From my very first conversation with Duane Hamacher to laughing it up with Scott Huler in Episode 8, this season has been full of experiments, stumbles, and a whole lot of learning.

Along the way, we explored:

• Episode 1: Duane Hamacher – The First Astronomer
• Episode 2: The Power of the Sea by Bruce Parker (solo)
• Episode 3: Tessa Hill & Eric Simons – At Every Depth
• Episode 4: Firmament by Simon Clark (solo)
• Episode 5: Lynne Kelly – The Knowledge Gene &n others
• Episode 6: Helen Czerski – Blue Machine & Storm in a Teacup
• Episode 7: Waves and Beaches by Willard Bascom and Kim McCoy (deep dive)
• Episode 8: Scott Huler – Defining the Wind & Delicious Country

I’m deeply grateful to every guest who took a chance on this unknown show, and to everyone who has listened. Thank you for being part of this first season. With your support, this small but mighty club of science book aficionados will only keep growing. See you in Season Two.

Looking Ahead: Season Two launches this October! Guests include Carl Zimmer (Airborne), Dan Flores (Wild New World), Laura Poppick (Strata), Rebecca Lexa (Everyday Naturalist), Kevin Walsh (Planets of the Known Galaxy), Sönke Johnsen (Into the Great Wide Ocean), and Chelsea Wood (Power to the Parasites).

Links & Extras

• Website: TrippCollins.com
• Show notes & transcripts: https://www.trippcollins.com/episodes
• Check out the Book Science Book Shop
• Instagram: @booksciencepodcast

Author Websites

• Scott Huler
• Helen Czerski
• Tessa Hill
• Eric Simons
• Duane Hamacher
• Lynne Kelly
• Simon Clark

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**Update: Audio Issues Fixed Aug. 19 2025**

I was in the local branch of my public library and I came across the title, Defining the Wind. I had never heard of the title, nor the author, Scott Huler. I was blown away by Scott's seemingly bottomless interest, his total commitment to investigation and understanding, and his equanimity when the universe doesn't deliver on expectations. I reached out to Scott with gratitude for the good read, and asking for some advice for an aspiring writer. He was fireworks in response, knife sharp and funny. This was the beginning of our correspondence.

I later read A Delicious Country, another book of full of curiosity and commitment. Scott retraced one of the earliest published accounts of a European trekking through the Carolinas. By this point I had started the podcast and knew Scott would make for a phenomenal chat. He did not disappoint. Scott is full of writerly wisdom, and you are going to love this conversation.

• Scott Huler's Website
• Show notes and full transcript on my website
• Other Episodes
• Check out our Instagram @BookSciencePodcast
• Support the show & get bonus content: Patreon.com/BookScience

Support the show