Ancient American civilisations have been a source of fascination and admiration for generations.
This is no less true of the Maya who boasted some of the most sophisticated cultures of the pre-Columbian Americas with their art, architecture, mathematics, and astronomy.
On the other hand, like many early civilisations there’s nothing they loved more than a good old human sacrifice.
But why did they do it?
Dr Holley Moyes, Professor of Anthropology and Heritage Studies at the University of California joined Jonathan to discuss.
Also on the show, Jonathan was joined by Dr Shane Bergin and Dr Lara Dungan to discuss some of this week's biggest science stories from around the world.
Listen and subscribe to Futureproof with Jonathan McCrea on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.
You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.
