What are the oldest disputed fossils on Earth? Why are they disputed?
Today, we wrap up our tour of Nuvvuagittuq in northern Quebec, 3.8 billion years old, March 3rd on the Earth Calendar. In 2017, microscopic rusty threads were discovered inside these rocks, thinner than a human hair. Were they bacteria, or something else entirely? Stay tuned to find out!
Extra Credit: Learn how to make a chemical garden, or find a piece of chert, flint, jasper, agate, or onyx.
When did the Moon's craters form? Can they tell us any stories about the ancient Solar System?
Today, we'll learn some early explanations for lunar features, meet a "lunatic asylum" of planetary geologists, and learn how the larger planets might have bullied their smaller neighbors.
Extra Credit: Watch Apollo 13, or The Right Stuff.
How did the Man in the Moon form? What does the Moon's Far Side look like?
Today, we'll learn about the most visible remnant of the ancient world- the pattern of dark lunar rocks that stares down on us each night. On the way, we'll hitch a ride with a flying fax machine, play a game with crystals in magma, and learn why bananas are slightly radioactive (and why that doesn't really matter).
Extra Credit: Try to send me a fax, or just eat a banana.
My guest today is Dr. Joti Rouillard, a research fellow at the University of Science and Technology in Hefei, China. Dr. Rouillard talks about his research on the earliest fossils on Earth, microscopic bacteria 3.5 billion years old. It turns out, identifying a fossil bacteria is extremely difficult since they resemble other tiny non-living objects. We also talk about working in the Australian Outback, kangaroo encounters, and what happens when you mix alcohol and rocks.
Dr. Rouillard's email: joti.rouillard@gmail.com
My guest today is Dr. Nadja Drabon, a new professor at Harvard University. Dr. Drabon talks about her new discoveries of zircon crystals from South Africa that are more than 4 billion years old, some of the oldest fragments of Earth. Together, we learn just how much we don't know about Earth's earliest days, and what her discoveries can teach us about our planet's ancient secrets. We also talk about her field location in South Africa: the Barberton Greenstone Belt, a new UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Dr. Drabon's website: https://drabon.eps.harvard.edu
