Ice Age Americans and the Giant Python Problem: How Early Humans Settled the Southeast

One of archaeology’s biggest debates is when and how people first arrived in the Americas. To get at that question, this talk turns to a surprising and terrifying source: Burmese pythons in the Florida Everglades.

These are not small creatures. They are massive, stealthy apex predators capable of swallowing animals whole and reshaping entire ecosystems. Introduced just a few decades ago, they have spread across the Everglades with shocking speed, leaving silence where once there was movement. Watching their expansion is like watching a takeover in real time.

Now imagine a different kind of arrival. During the Ice Age, small groups of humans pushed into the wild, unfamiliar landscapes of what is now the southeastern United States. No maps. No roads. Just wetlands, forests, and risk. And yet, they moved, adapted, and made these places home.

By putting these two stories side by side, this talk offers a vivid new…