Recommended Podcasts: 99% Invisible

The podcast 99% Invisible delves into the stories of people, places, and objects that people tend to overlook. Many of these unusual topics are related to technology, architecture, history, and artwork, among several other fascinating subjects. It is a high quality, well-produced podcast done in a similar fashion to many NPR segments with each episode lasting about 30 to 45 minutes. I mention this because there are a few episodes that are related to Earth science:
  • Making It Rain
    Past and present attempts to alter the weather from rain dances to geoengineering.
  • The Vault
    The seed vault in northern Norway where plant seeds from around the world are stored in case of war, drought, or other national or international stress.
  • Fire and Rain
    Past and present California wildfire prevention measures and their effectiveness.
  • Welcome to Jurassic Art
    The changing perception of dinosaurs depicted in art from lumbering, lethargic reptiles to feathered, lively creatures.
  • Crude Habit
    Re-purposing derelict offshore oil and gas platforms to marine habitats to improve the health of the oceans.
There may be a few more archived; I just selected a few of the more recent ones that I have listened to. Perhaps you may find it of interest. If you know of any other podcasts related to geoscience, let me know and I'll give them a listen!

Update (July 22, 2019): A new episode, "Built on Sand", is a great episode! As well as "Depave Paradise", an episode on some of the geology of Mexico City.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Arkansas Paleozoic Stratigraphy Database is live!

Image
A new project I've been working on is now on the blog: the Arkansas Paleozoic Stratigraphy Database . This is a searchable database of the Paleozoic lithostratigraphic nomenclature in Arkansas with some related information. Within this database, you can search for stratigraphic names that not only are currently in use, but names that are now abandoned and replaced, as well as some that have recently been proposed. For each name you can find its age, any sub-divisions, proper usage as used by the USGS and AGS, historical usage (including past and present names), type locality or type area, type section location (if available), primary reference section location (if available), geographic distribution, etymology of the name, and citation of the original publication the name was used in. Also included for each name is a downloadable stratigraphic chart (PDF file) of either the Ozark or Ouachita/Arkansas River Valley region (whichever the unit is best exposed in) that illustrates the s...
Read more

Microscopic Meteorites Are All Around Us

Image
Various types of micrometeorites (credit: ©  Jon Larsen ) In 1970, a machine was rigged onto a high-altitude atmospheric balloon and sent 21.7 miles (35 km) into the sky over Texas. The machine, lovingly named the Vacuum Monster after a creature in The Beatles' Yellow Submarine  movie, collected microscopic particles as small as two micrometers (microns) in diameter. Some of which were determined to be extraterrestrial, marking this as the first time "space dust", or more precisely, micrometeorites, were collected at altitude. Micrometeorites are a niche area of study within astrogeology (the study of the geology of extraterrestrial bodies), but has recently been expanding as it is now more accessible for researchers. On a large scale, international space agencies have devoted funding for missions to collect material directly from asteroids and comets, such as the ongoing  Hayabusa 2  mission to the asteroid  Ryugu , which has very recently completed its ...
Read more

Naturally Historical Coins from the UK

Image
Just recently, I found out that The Royal Mint of the United Kingdom is releasing three versions of a newly designed 50 pence coin. These coins celebrate the grandmother of paleontology, Mary Anning. Coincidentally, Anning is the focus of a new film, "Ammonite" also (full disclosure: I've yet to see the film, but it seems to be loosely based on Anning's life, much of which is unknown to us today, particularly her romantic life). These coins bear the illustrations of an two marine reptiles, a Plesiosaurus and an icthyosaur called Temnodontosaurus, and a flying reptile called Dimorphodon. All three lived during the Jurassic Period and were discovered by Anning in the early 1800s. The Royal Mint even offers color imbued and gold versions of these coins for a higher price. After finding out about the Mary Anning coins, I immediately found out that The Royal Mint had also produced three versions of the 50 pence coin featuring dinosaurs in 2019! I immediately opened my wall...
Read more