Astrobiologist Explains How Geographical History ‘Shaped Human History’

Astrobiologist Lewis Dartnell’s new book looks at how human history has been nudged, influenced and shaped by the history of the Earth — for as long as humans have been on it. From lakes in the East African Rift Valley that helped push human evolution, to how London’s underlying rock formations have shaped the city’s skyline to how wind patterns affected trade routes to California. Dartnell, a professor at the University of Westminster, joins Forum to explain how the Earth’s past informs our future, and discuss his book “Origins: How Earth’s History Shaped Human History.”