Bedrock: Earth's Earliest History

Why are some ancient rocks well-preserved, while others are extremely messed up? Today, we'll take a side quest from our Greenland arc to learn more about metamorphosis, which changes rocks beneath our feet. On the way, we'll transform toast into cookies, take an elevator ride deep into the crust, and meet an ancient rock with a babyface. Extra credit: make some toast, or go looking for butterflie...

What is the oldest *major* slice of rock, one that's relatively well-preserved, one that's fueled a half-century of research? The episode's name kinda gives it away, but stay tuned as we meet the last location of Season 2: a series of rocks near Greenland's capital. Along the way, we'll meet the different groups of people who have settled on this remote island, and a geologist from the other side...

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 C...

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.

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 ago, 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 chemica...

Where does humanity get most of its' iron, and what do these rocks tell us about the ancient Earth? Today, we'll learn about banded iron formations, the backbone of the modern steel industry an important stop in the search for early life and oxygen, and a rock that is impossible to make today. It's rare to find a rock as important to both economics and research. Along the way, we'll take a breath...

What are Earth's oldest volcanic rocks, and how did they form? Today, we'll explore the seafloor 3.8 billion years ago through dark basalt rocks in Nuvvuagittuq, northern Quebec. Along the way, we'll earn a green belt in geology, rest our heads on volcanic pillows and journey to the deepest spot in the modern ocean. Extra Credit: Try to find dark black basalt in a building or countertop near you.

What's the next step after the oldest rock on Earth? Today, we'll move the story forward 200 million years and 1,000 miles. The time : 3.8 billion years ago... or maybe much older (March 3 on the Earth Calendar). The place: Nuvvuagittuq (noo-voo-ah-git-took), Quebec, Canada, in the lands of the Inuit. In this episode, we'll learn how this seaside outcrop was found and the ongoing debate about its'...

If the sun was dimmer 4 billion years ago, how did the Earth stay warm? Today, we learn how just a small percent of Earth's atmosphere goes a long way in controlling global climate, both today and in the ancient past. Along the way, we'll visit an imaginary frozen Earth without any sun, a hazy giant moon of Saturn, and learn exactly what the greenhouse effect is. Extra credit: Visit a greenhouse,...

How has the Sun changed over the past 4 billion years? While the Sun may seem unalterable, it has brightened dramatically over Earth's history, with major implications for our world. Today, we'll meet a team of women who catalogued thousands of stars in the 1800s, play in a galactic ball pit, and puzzle over a cosmic paradox alongside Carl Sagan. Extra Credit: Watch Cosmos (1980)

Is there any place today that resembles the Earth 4 billion years ago? Surprisingly, the answer is yes... ish. Today, we'll learn a secret recipe for continents, one that made the very oldest rocks on Earth and is still making the island of Iceland today. Along the way, we'll freeze a magma chamber solid, meet some politically contentious metals, and cross a real bridge from one tectonic plate to...

Hi folks, Thanks for your patience- it's been a busy month for me. The next episode will be up on December 4, followed by a more regular schedule for the following weeks. In the meantime, I've updated Episodes 25 and 26, streamlining them to better flow into the next episode. This update also gives a brief explanation for why Bedrock has such large gaps. In short, the podcast is just one part of a...

What did the oldest rock look like 4 billion years ago, before it was pressure-cooked? Today, we'll answer that question by melting chocolate chip ice cream, meeting one of granite's less famous cousins, and returning to our old friends: zircon crystals. Extra credit: Eat some ice cream, go on a skiing trip, or both!

How old is the oldest rock, where was it found, and what type of rock is it? To answer that question, we'll journey into Canada's Northwest Territories, deep underground to the breaking point of rocks, and we'll run into a shrimpy friend from Episode 10.

Welcome to Season 2 of Bedrock! This episode introduces Season 2's subject: the Eoarchean (ee-oh-ar-key-an) chapter of Earth's history. The Eoarchean lasted from 4 to 3.6 billion years ago, from February 15 to March 19 on the Earth Calendar. In future episodes, we'll meet Earth's oldest rocks, the Man in the Moon, and a faint young sun. Since this is our first big chapter break, we'll also learn h...

Get caught up to speed on Season 1, a time known as The Hadean. The Hadean covers Earth's earliest days from 4.6 to 4 billion years ago, January 1 to Feb 14 on the Earth Calendar. This is a time of many firsts, including the formation of the Earth, Moon, oceans, islands, and perhaps life. Check out previous episodes for more details, like the women who mapped the Earth's inner core (6) and seafloo...

Season 1 Finale. What was the first living thing on Earth, when did it live, and what did it do? Today, we end Season 1 by meeting LUCA, the oldest ancestor for every living thing on Earth today. On the way, we'll tackle how complex life formed in a chaotic universe and why it hasn't formed again, take a trip down life's family tree, and meet a deadly modern microbe- one of the closest relatives o...

How and where did the first cells form on planet Earth, 4 billion years ago? To answer that question, we investigate why oil and water hate each other, explore the seafloor with the Titanic's discoverer, and take a relaxing dip inside a hot spring. Extra credit: drop some olive oil into water, or make a trip to the closest hot spring in your local area.

When did DNA show up in Earth's past, and how does it actually work today? In this episode, we brush up on biology, learning about DNA's hardworking but underrated sister RNA, how cells turn genetic code into meat, and inch closer to actual living things in the Hadean. Extra Credit: Help someone make a tasty dish in the kitchen today, or thank someone you think doesn't get enough credit for their...

How did the Earth transform simple carbon into the complex ingredients of life? Today, we'll meet a troubled Charles Darwin hunting for fossils, we'll create slime from thin air in one of the greatest laboratory experiments, and we'll learn what was in Earth's earliest atmosphere. Extra Credit: Breathe in, breathe out, and have a sip of your favorite soup.

How did the ingredients of life arrive on Earth? Today, we look at how asteroids brought organic material from the depths of space to Earth's surface. On the way, we'll run into an old friend from Episode 4, meet an ancient Greek astronomer, and search for aliens hidden in Antarctic ice. Extra credit: Eat something with glutamic acid in it- meat, mushrooms, or soy sauce. Extra extra credit if you...

How were life’s ingredients assembled billions of years ago? Today, we journey to the deepest reaches of space to take the first steps from non-living molecules to life. On the way, we learn what it really means to be organic, how to break a rainbow, and what space smells like. Extra credit: Separate light using a prism, or cook a steak.

When did life begin on planet Earth? That's a big question to tackle, one that will take a few episodes to answer. Today, we start this new arc by introducing three key ingredients of life: proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. These three molecules can be found in the food we eat, our own bodies, and as we'll see in future episodes, in the voids between stars. Extra credit: Keep tabs on which foods...

Miniseries Episode 7: The oldest rocks on Earth are hidden deep in the Canadian North, 4 billion years old. For our final stop of our tour, we sneak a peek at these and other rocks we'll meet soon in the main series, including reefs made from bacteria and mysterious stones hidden beneath Greenland's glaciers.

Miniseries Episode 6: Most of Europe is very young, geologically- only millions of years old instead of billions. Today, we travel to eastern and northern Europe to see how its' modern borders match ancient shorelines, how coal is made, and a special type of granite you can probably find in your nearest city.