Bedrock: Earth's Earliest History

This episode, we focus on just one special boulder from the Greenland tundra, a rock that might have Earth's oldest fossils. Over the past 10 years, scientists from around the world have used the latest technology to reveal this rock's secrets, including research published this year. What have they found? Extra Credit: Make a time capsule or play a record.Patreon for monthly donations One-off donations

Visit patreon.com/bedrockpodcast for bonus perks like new episodes, voting rights, and topic selection! P.S. Thanks to a bad cold, both my voice and the audio quality are not on par today. P.P.S. The cold has also delayed Episode 51, which will be up later this week.

Donate to support the show- anything is appreciated!Finally, 3.7 billion years ago, we reach some of the strongest evidence for life on Earth yet. It takes a while to find, and it only looks like a few dark crystals, but it's better than anything else we've seen so far. Along the way, we'll meet three scientists who helped define the quest for Earth's oldest fossils, including one of my old bosses.Extra Credit: Sharpen your pencils, spackle some cracks, or thank a mentor in your life.

In this casual chat, Dylan talks about the show's growth, the upcoming end of Season 2, a potential career shift to science communication, and other podcast recommendations. Thank you all for bringing this show to 50 episodes- here's to 50 more!Donate to support the show- anything is appreciated!

Many folks have claimed to find Earth's oldest fossils in the Greenland rocks, 3.7 billion years old. Before we meet and judge these contenders, we need to learn what counts as a fossil. This early in Earth history, nothing has any bones or teeth or shells, so researchers need to search for other clues. Today, I'll show you four ways to look for fossils in Earth's oldest rocks, including my personal field of study: fossilized bacteria. Extra Credit: Find different types of organic carbon in your day, or eat a burger.