This week, Anna and Amber bring you the result of episode planning by two hosts who have had a VERY long year and who refuse to back down from a dumb joke. We're talking Mersons of Interest, aquatic apes, men who wear fish, and more! Make sure to listen through the end for...what can only be described as a musical masterpiece. Links * Are mermaids real? (NOAA National Ocean Service) [https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/mermaids.html#:~:text=Mermaids%20%2D%20those%20half%2Dhuman%2C,of%20them%20in%20The%20Odyssey.] * Did Human Evolution Include a Semi-Aquatic Phase? (The Scientist [not the Coldplay song]) [scientist.com/reading-frames/did-human-evolution-include-a-semi-aquatic-phase--67306#:~:text=Morris%20mentioned%20Hardy%27s%20%E2%80%9Caquatic%20ape,so%20helpless%20and%20quickly%20drown.%E2%80%9D">https://www.the-scientist.com/reading-frames/did-human-evolution-include-a-semi-aquatic-phase--67306#:~:text=Morris%20mentioned%20Hardy%27s%20%E2%80%9Caquatic%20ape,so%20helpless%20and%20quickly%20drown.%E2%80%9D] * The African ape-like foot of Ardipithecus ramidus and its implications for the origin of bipedalism (Elife) [https://elifesciences.org/articles/44433] * The Neanderthal Ear—Prone to Irritating Infections (Sapiens) [https://www.sapiens.org/column/field-trips/neanderthal-ear-infections/] * Fantastically Wrong: The Murderous, Sometimes Sexy History of the Mermaid (Wired) [https://www.wired.com/2014/10/fantastically-wrong-strange-murderous-sometimes-sexy-history-mermaid/] * An Archaeological Puzzle on the Danube (The New York Times) [europe-migration.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/20/science/archaeology-europe-migration.html] * Lepenski Vir (Atlas Obscura) [https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/lepenski-vir] * The genomic history of southeastern Europe (Nature) [https://www.nature.com/articles/nature25778] * The Ichthyophagi: Fishing for Monstrosity in Alexander Romances (EsoterX) [https://esoterx.com/2014/08/20/the-ichthyophagi-fishing-for-monstrosity-in-alexander-romances/] * Olaus Magnus (Strange Science) [https://www.strangescience.net/omagnus.htm] * Olaus Magnus, A Description of the Northern Peoples, 1555: Volume III, Volume 3 (via Google Books) [https://books.google.com/books?dq=ichthyophagi%20iceland&hl=en&id=CvhKDwAAQBAJ&lpg=PT456&ots=bhqnLuhNSw&pg=PT456&sa=X&sig=ACfU3U2VBjjTwBH_RJcCQ9EQukCBHKPX0w&source=bl&ved=2ahUKEwjUtpypupftAhWnwVkKHQXXBuU4ChDoATACegQIAhAC#v=onepage&q=ichthyophagi%20iceland&f=false] * The Mythology of Kingship in Neo-Assyrian Art (via Google Books) [https://books.google.com/books?id=5_0h0GUMU0sC&pg=PA150#v=onepage&q&f=false] * Neo-Assyrian fish-apkallu wall panel relief (British Museum) [https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1851-0902-503] * Neo-Assyrian apkallu figurine (British Museum) [https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_-91837] * Berossus on the Creation (Livius) [https://www.livius.org/sources/content/berossus-on-the-creation/] * Oannes: The Best Evidence for Ancient Aliens? (Jason Colavito) [http://www.jasoncolavito.com/blog/oannes-the-best-evidence-for-ancient-aliens] Contact * Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com Affiliates * Wildnote [http://www.wildnoteapp.com/] * TeePublic [https://www.teepublic.com/?ref_id=5724&ref_type=aff] * Timeular [https://timeular.com/ref/chriswebster/] Find this show on the educational podcast app, Lyceum.fm! [http://lyceum.fm/]