Best Dylan Wilmeth Podcasts (2024)

1
Life Update: The Job Hunt 2:35

6d ago2:35

2:35

Hi folks, If you’re a long-term listener, you know this show often takes long, multi-week breaks. This break has been much longer than normal, and will likely continue for a few months. What’s going on? Right now, I have one goal on my mind: to find a new, permanent job. My three-year contract at Grand Valley State University will end in April. I k…

1
Schedule Update: Iceland Field Trip 2:34

4M ago2:34

2:34

Hi folks! I've just been invited by my university to join a field trip to Iceland next week, one of the best spots in the world to study geology. This means there will be a slight hiccup in our programming. Episode 38 will drop early next week, while Episode 39 will hopefully drop the first week of August. If I have time and space, I might try some…

1
37: Metamorphosis 29:07

5M ago29:07

29:07

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 cre…

1
36: The Ghosts of Greenland 22:44

5M ago22:44

22:44

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 r…

1
35: The Man in the Moon 24:07

6M ago24:07

24:07

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 radioac…

1
34: Bombardment 22:19

6M ago22:19

22:19

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.…

1
33: A Thin Line 25:44

7M ago25:44

25:44

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 f…

1
32: Pumping Iron 26:30

9M ago26:30

26:30

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…

1
31: Trench Warfare 20:17

9M ago20:17

20:17

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 b…

1
30: Alternative Canadian Rock 20:03

10M ago20:03

20:03

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 ou…

1
29: The Goldilocks Planet 25:49

10M ago25:49

25:49

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 greenh…

1
28: The Dark Side of the Sun 21:34

11M ago21:34

21:34

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. E…

1
27: Rare Earth 22:44

12M ago22:44

22:44

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, a…

1
Update: New Episode on Dec 4, Revised Episodes 2:37

12M ago2:37

2:37

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…

1
26: The Magma Forge 17:30

1y ago17:30

17:30

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!…

1
25: The Oldest Rock on Earth 19:54

1y ago19:54

19:54

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.By Dylan Wilmeth

1
24: A New Dawn (Season 2 Premiere) 17:43

1y ago17:43

17:43

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 …

1
Season 1 Recap: The Hadean 14:16

1y ago14:16

14:16

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…

1
23: It's Alive! 20:54

1+ y ago20:54

20:54

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 dea…

1
22: Cell's Kitchen 22:21

1+ y ago22:21

22:21

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 …

1
21: Cracking Life's Code 16:28

1+ y ago16:28

16:28

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 some…

1
20: Primordial Soup 21:26

1+ y ago21:26

21:26

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 favori…

1
19: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 18:37

1+ y ago18:37

18:37

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, m…

1
18: We Are Stardust 20:48

1+ y ago20:48

20:48

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.…

1
17: The Building Blocks of Life 20:09

1+ y ago20:09

20:09

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 betw…

1
The Oldest Rocks In: North America 16:07

2y ago16:07

16:07

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.…

1
The Oldest Rocks In: Europe 14:22

2y ago14:22

14:22

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.…

1
The Oldest Rocks In: Asia 14:32

2y ago14:32

14:32

Miniseries Episode 5: Asia is the largest continent, and has a lot of ancient rocks to share with the world. Today, we learn how to map a hidden continent using magnets, how copper forms in undersea castles, and how the Himalayas were born.By Dylan Wilmeth

1
The Oldest Rocks In: South America 10:02

2y ago10:02

10:02

Miniseries Episode 4: South America has impressive geology, but most of its' ancient rocks are found in just once country. Today, we'll learn about ancient connections between Brazil and Africa, how Pangaea split apart, and how most iron mines got their start.By Dylan Wilmeth

1
The Oldest Rocks In: Africa 14:25

2y ago14:25

14:25

Miniseries Episode 3: Africa is a continent with many different nations and rocks. Today, we learn how most of Africa was fused together billions of years ago, and which pockets preserve the best evidence for ancient life (South Africa, Zimbabwe). Along the way, we'll meet the richest human in history, a giant knife made from magma, and a two-billi…

1
Update: Bedrock will return in January 2023! 4:25

2y ago4:25

4:25

Thank you all for your patience these few months as I've started a new professor position in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Moving and preparing my first classes took all of my time and mental energy, but now I'm at a place where I can make episodes again! I'm excited to continue the story and I hope you are as well. More details are in the episode but in…

1
The Oldest Rocks In: Australia 11:17

2+ y ago11:17

11:17

Miniseries Episode 2: Australia is one of the top destinations for people who love the ancient Earth. Today, we take a brief tour around the three oldest regions in Australia: the Yilgarn Craton near Perth, the Pilbara Craton near Port Hedland, and the Gawler Craton near Adelaide. On the way, we'll meet the oldest minerals, the oldest fossils, and …

1
The Oldest Rocks In: Antarctica 8:57

2+ y ago8:57

8:57

Miniseries Episode 1: The frozen continent holds many secrets, including some of the most ancient stones in the world, the Napier Complex 3.8 billion years old. Today we'll learn what things lurk in the ice, and a harrowing story of polar survival from an Australian geologist, Sir Douglas Mawson.By Dylan Wilmeth

1
Schedule Update 2:37

2+ y ago2:37

2:37

Our story will take a brief pause while I'm on summer vacation and fieldwork, including rocks more than three billion years old in Western Australia. But don't worry! In the meantime, there will be a seven-part miniseries on the oldest rocks of each continent. Tune in to find out which are closest to you, or use these as guides for a geology-themed…

1
Interview: Fossil Imposters with Dr. Joti Rouillard 18:26

2+ y ago18:26

18:26

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…

1
16: Life Before Fossils 17:37

2+ y ago17:37

17:37

When did life arise on planet Earth? Today, we look at the search for biological remains in the oldest minerals on Earth, the Jack Hills zircons of Western Australia, 4.4-4.0 billion years ago. We learn why carbon is an excellent building block for life, how to turn that carbon into diamonds and graphite, and why it's very hard to find conclusive f…

1
15: Sea Change 15:47

2+ y ago15:47

15:47

How do we know when the first oceans existed? Water leaves its' fingerprints over every surface of Earth, even in the oldest, toughest crystals. Today, we'll take an imaginary ride through the earliest oceans, examine how water slowly transforms everything it touches, and how these changes are recorded in the Jack Hills zircons, 4.4 billion years a…

1
14: Waterworld 15:11

2+ y ago15:11

15:11

How did water arrive on planet Earth? Today, we learn just how much water Earth has, and where it came from in the first place. We'll take a joyride around the early solar system, climb a snow-capped peak, and learn how Jupiter may have played a crucial role in making Earth's oceans. Extra credit: Drink some water, make a snowball, or watch the Kev…

1
13: Message in a Bottle 17:17

2+ y ago17:17

17:17

When did Earth's crust form? It's easy to take the ground beneath our feet for granted, but the story of our crust's origins is one of the most hotly debated topics in Earth history. Today, we'll learn how elements inside tiny crystals help solve this mystery. On the way, we'll meet two researchers who helped keep gold and scientists out of German …

1
12: Scratching the Surface 17:04

2+ y ago17:04

17:04

How is new crust made, and why isn't the Earth constantly expanding like a party balloon? To answer these questions, we'll track the life, death, and rebirth of Earth's surface. Stops along the way include the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a fight to the death beneath New Zealand, and a stop for some Italian dessert. Extra credit: Experiment with your carpet…

1
11: Heretics and Heroes 16:23

2+ y ago16:23

16:23

The idea of plate tectonics is the cornerstone of modern geology. But it wasn't always that way, and it wasn't an easy idea to sell. Today, we'll meet two scientists who faced ridicule for proposing continental drift: a German climatologist and an American cartographer, the greatest of her generation. We'll also meet a lost expedition to Greenland,…

1
10: The Oldest Thing on Earth 14:34

2+ y ago14:34

14:34

What is the oldest thing on our planet? How old is it, and where was it found? Today, we tell the story of a worldwide, decades-long hunt for a single grain of sand. We'll journey to underground magma chambers, the sun-baked Australian Outback, and the lair of a giant shrimp. Extra credit: Let a handful of sand run through your fingers, or go press…

1
9: The Great Gig in the Sky 19:08

2+ y ago19:08

19:08

The Earth of 4.5 billion years ago was perhaps the most alien version of our world, thanks to a collision with a rogue planet. Days and nights were six times shorter, the newborn Moon was as close as a weather satellite, and everything was covered with a sea of magma. Today, we learn how the Moon transformed from a giant Eye of Sauron into our pale…

1
Interview: Earth's Baby Photos with Dr. Nadja Drabon 20:43

2+ y ago20:43

20:43

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 ab…

1
Interview: Fixing Climate Change with Dr. Ella Holme 15:52

2+ y ago15:52

15:52

My guest today is Dr. Ella Holme, a postdoc at Yale University. Dr. Holme talks about her research on the mineral olivine as a potential antidote for climate change. Olivine can remove carbon dioxide from air and water, and further research into this mineral can help counteract increasing CO2 emissions. We also talk about how olivine is like the Hu…

1
8: Bad Moon Rising 17:16

2+ y ago17:16

17:16

If you've ever wondered where the Moon came from, this the episode for you! To answer that question, we'll collect Moon rocks with Neil Armstrong, spin merry-go-rounds with Charles Darwin's son, and play planetary billiards. In the end, truth is stranger than fiction. Extra credit: Take some time for yourself and have a good long look at the moon.…

1
7: An Ocean of Magma 18:16

2+ y ago18:16

18:16

Earth's first oceans were hundreds of times deeper than the Pacific and made of molten rock. Where did they come from, where did they go? What stuff was in them, how do we know? Today, let's dive in and see how these oceans turned into today's mantle. Extra credit: Drink a glass of ice water, watch The Core (2003), or see if you can find a garnet i…

1
6: Working Out the Core 17:22

2+ y ago17:22

17:22

Today, we'll learn how deep humans have traveled into the planet, and how we know what's even deeper down. We'll meet mineral oozes, coils of liquid iron, and a Danish woman from the 1930s who discovered the center of the Earth. Extra credit: Make a tin-can telephone, find an inductor in one of your electric appliances, or look for an aurora.…

1
5: Building the Underworld 17:15

2+ y ago17:15

17:15

How did Earth grow from ant-size to, well… Earth-size? What perils did it face along the way? And how is the Earth's interior like a fine vinaigrette? Find out as we move forward in time from 4.6 to 4.5 billion years ago. Extra credit: try to freeze a mixture of oil and vinegar before they separate, find an iron meteorite at your local museum, or l…

1
4: The Cradle of Stardust (Season 1 Premiere) 22:49

3y ago22:49

22:49

Season 1 Premiere We finally start the tale of Earth’s history from the beginning, in the cold depths of outer space. The Sun is born and the first asteroids assemble. When these asteroids crash into Earth today, they provide time capsules from the beginning of the solar system. Extra credit: look for the Orion Nebula in the night sky, or go meteor…

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