Bedrock: Earth's Earliest History
Dylan Wilmeth
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Recent Episodes
Life Update: Medical Hiatus
This brief update explains the long pause in episodes. A month ago, my girlfriend had a major, sudden hospital visit. The operation went smoothly, but there are many more hospital visits in the next…
52: The Thing in the Ice
Until now, all the clues for ancient life have been microscopic, beyond the realm of sight. Today, that begins to change. Ten years ago, a team of scientists showed the world a weird, lumpy rock that…
Hometown Geology Pilot: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Here's a new monthly podcast that Dylan's releasing on Patreon! Hometown Geology focuses on cities/locations around the world, chosen by patrons. This pilot episode highlights Dylan's current…
51: The Latest News on the Oldest Life
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…
Bedrock Patreon Is Up Now!
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…
50: The Oldest Evidence for Life?
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…
50th Episode Fireside Chat: What's Next?
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…
49: The Fossil Quest
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…
48: The Impossible Rock
What is the hardest rock to make? Today's rock is very common in Earth's ancient past, and it should be everywhere today. However, it's nearly impossible to form in nature or the laboratory. Some…
47: The Limestone Family
Donate to support the show- anything is appreciated!Today is a tale of two sisters: limestone and dolomite. Limestone is far more popular and well-behaved, one of the most common stones in nature and…
46: Rising From the Ashes
What types of volcanoes were erupting 3.8 billion years ago? Today, we meet a new type of rock and a new type of volcano, far more powerful and dangerous than those we've met so far. The old volcano…
45: As Above, So Below
What was Earth's mantle like 3.8 billion years ago, and how do we know? The mantle is a realm that humans have never visited, and examining it is only harder in the ancient past. Fortunately, the…
44: From the Abyss
What is the world's oldest slice of mantle, and how did it reach the surface? Today, we'll meet the first tangible piece of the world below the crust, a world humans still have not visited. Along the…
43: Postcards From the Edge
In 1971, two geologists traveled to the edge of Greenland's ice sheet. What they found were the oldest rocks known at the time, 3.8-3.7 billion years old. Shockingly, they were in decent condition,…
Audience Survey Results
Two months ago, I made an audience survey focusing on one topic: how would you like to support the show? Many folks answered, and here's what you said about donations, Patreon, ads, and merch. If you…
42: The Question of Life
Nearly 30 years ago, one paper claimed to find the oldest evidence for life on Earth. How does that evidence hold up in 2025? Are these fossils or duds? Don’t panic, we’ll answer these questions to…
41: The Oldest Seafloor
In 1991, a mysterious, striped red and gray rock was discovered on a cold Greenland isle. Years later, this rock would rock the scientific world with multiple debates about the early oceans and life.…
40: The Time War
How old is the oldest slice of Earth's seafloor? The answer is more contentious than you would think. Today, we visit one of the most debated locations in the show: a small island off the Greenland…
39: The Shattered Planet
Earth’s crust is shattered into dozens of moving plates, but many other worlds operate very differently. What are some alternatives to plate tectonics?Today, we’ll compare tectonics on Earth with…
38: Hidden Gems
This season's final arc is set in Greenland. Let's start with the most common rocks in the region: what are they and what stories do they tell about the world 3.9 billion years ago?Along the way,…
Frequently Asked Questions
Bedrock: Earth's Earliest History has published 74 episodes since February 2022, covering topics in Earth Sciences, Life Sciences.
Bedrock: Earth's Earliest History is currently sporadic with new episodes every 2 weeks. Average episode length is 19m.
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