{"podcast":{"title":"EarthDate","slug":"earthdate-7713094","podcast_index_feed_id":7713094,"rss_url":"https://feeds.blubrry.com/feeds/3957418.xml","website_url":"http://blubrry.com/3957418/","image_url":"https://assets.blubrry.com/coverart/1400/3957418-201603.jpg","author":"Switch Energy Alliance","episode_count":300,"summary":"EarthDate is a short-format weekly audio program delivering concise, science-based stories about the Earth: its geology, environments, and the processes that shape our planet over deep time and today. Beginning in 2026, EarthDate is managed by Switch Energy Alliance and hosted by SEA's founder Dr. Scott W. Tinker. Together, we explore earth systems, natural resources, and their relevance to everyday life, with a focus on clear, accessible science education for broad audiences. EarthDate is written and directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker Harry Lynch, and researched by Lynn Kistler. We search for captivating stories to remind listeners that science can enlighten, educate and entertain.","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/earthdate-7713094"},"episode":{"title":"What Did We Domesticate First?","slug":"what-did-we-domesticate-first","published_at":"2026-05-15T14:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/earthdate-7713094/what-did-we-domesticate-first","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/earthdate-7713094","url":"https://blubrry.com/3957418/153852838/what-did-we-domesticate-first/","audio_url":"https://media.blubrry.com/3957418/content.blubrry.com/3957418/EarthDate_S14_E12.mp3","summary":"Here’s a trivia question for you: what did humans domesticate first? Before any bird, before anything with hooves, before crops, even long before the dog. The answer is a fungus. That’s right, anthropologists now believe that early humans fermented fruit as much as 100,000 years ago—and through that process domesticated yeast. Of course, we didn’t know we were doing it. Even when ancient Sumerians and Egyptians started making beer and bread, they had no idea that yeast did the fermentation. They just put some of the old fermented stuff in the new stuff, and it kept on fermenting. It wasn’t until the 1600’s that scientists recognized yeast was responsible. And 200 years later that we understood yeast is a single-celled fungus. Scientists believe yeast evolved naturally to consume sugar and excrete alcohol as a self-defense mechanism. Yeast is able to withstand concentrations of 12 percent alcohol or more, where other microbes die at just 5 percent concentration. Brewers and vintners carefully monitor their yeast’s sugar consumption and alcohol production when making different beers and wines. Bakers value yeast’s CO2 production, which makes dough rise and gives bread its light texture. Today, yeast is carefully cultivated for the flavor it imparts to many of our foods and remains a vital and healthy part of our food system.","meta_description":"Here’s a trivia question for you: what did humans domesticate first? Before any bird, before anything with hooves, before crops, even long before the dog.…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":120,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/earthdate-7713094/episodes/what-did-we-domesticate-first/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/earthdate-7713094/what-did-we-domesticate-first.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}