Latest Earthscience Podcast Episodes
Is the metaverse doomed?
Oxford Sparks Big Questions - January 25, 2023 12:30 - 16 minutes ★★★★★ - 10 ratingsAsk an internet aficionado what the 'next big thing' is, and they might respond with 'the metaverse'. This is the idea that we could soon be wandering in a virtual world - a kind of global, immersive video game. But are we really just one VR headset away from paradise? Or is the metaverse doomed...
Can you cure jet lag?
Oxford Sparks Big Questions - January 11, 2023 12:30 - 14 minutes ★★★★★ - 10 ratingsIf our internal body clock is telling us it's 3am, but the external environment is telling us it's 12 noon, that's called jet lag. It's a mis-match between what's going on inside our bodies and what's happening outside. Those who have travelled abroad - particularly to somewhere in a significant...
Should I feel guilty eating turkey at my Christmas dinner?
Oxford Sparks Big Questions - December 14, 2022 12:30 - 11 minutes ★★★★★ - 10 ratingsWhile the tradition of eating turkey at Christmas can be traced back to Henry VIII, it's really only been a staple part of our Christmas dinner since the early 20th Century. However, in the UK, it's now hard to imagine a Christmas spread without a turkey at its centre! But - with meat consumptio...
How can a simulation help treat kidney stones?
Oxford Sparks Big Questions - November 30, 2022 12:30 - 11 minutes ★★★★★ - 10 ratingsAround 10% of us will experience kidney stones at some point in our life. They occur when waste products in the blood form small crystals, which gather together in the kidneys to form hard lumps. Small kidney stones (<4mm in diameter) usually pass through the body naturally, with no medical inte...
How were new craters on Mars discovered?
Oxford Sparks Big Questions - November 16, 2022 12:30 - 12 minutes ★★★★★ - 10 ratingsWhen a space rock smashes into the surface of a planet, a hole - or crater - is formed. New craters might be relatively straightforward to identify on Earth, but what about on other planets, such as Mars? In this episode we hear from Dr Ben Fernando, a researcher from Oxford's Department of Phys...
Radioactive dating - how does it tell us how old rocks are?
GEO Podcast - November 12, 2022 15:00 - 7 minutesRocks can contain radioactive elements that breakdown (decay) over time at a set rate. We can use this decay to work out the age of the rocks. In this episode, we do a brief look at the process, and how we know it works. Visit our Members Section - Over 90 teaching resources that are classroo...
The History of the theory of Plate Tectonics
GEO Podcast - November 04, 2022 08:00 - 9 minutesWhere did the Theory of Plate Tectonics come from? How did it evolve? What started it all off and how did new evidence change the theory? Visit our Members Section - Over 90 teaching resources that are classroom-ready to help you teach Earth science. Check them out! Support the Show.
What makes the human brain so special?
Oxford Sparks Big Questions - November 02, 2022 12:30 - 10 minutes ★★★★★ - 10 ratingsWe often hear that we're remarkably similar to our primate relatives, both in terms of our genetics and our behaviour. We're social beings. We use tools. But only humans have come to dominate the planet - why? Could the answer lie in the small differences between the human brain and that of othe...
What are the mechanisms that drive Plate Tectonics?
GEO Podcast - October 28, 2022 08:00 - 5 minutesWhat drives the movement of the Earth's huge lithospheric tectonic plates? In this episode, we talk about mantle convection currents and slab pull - the too well-accepted theories for what is driving Plate Tectonics. Visit our Members Section - Over 90 teaching resources that are classroom-read...
Sand - why do we see such variations?
GEO Podcast - October 21, 2022 04:00 - 7 minutesWhy do we see such variation in the sand around the world - white, yellow, black and green, and more! What can the grains of sand tell us about the age of the sand? And how can sand on an island that contains just black rocks have white sand? This one is for the sand collectors! Support ...
Why is the UK still in a drought?
Oxford Sparks Big Questions - October 19, 2022 11:30 - 10 minutes ★★★★★ - 10 ratingsHere in the UK, we have a reputation for grey, drizzly weather. But there's no denying that this summer was HOT and this summer was DRY. With soaring temperatures and little to no rain for weeks on end, it was no surprise that we found ourselves in a drought, with a ban on hosepipes declared and...
Missing time - what are unconformities?
GEO Podcast - October 14, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutesEarth scientists in the field recognize that a sequence of rocks may be missing layers of rocks that represent a period of time. We call those unconformities. In this episode, we discuss what an unconformity is and the four main types of unconformities - angular, paraconformity, disconformity,...
Seeing inside the Earth
GEO Podcast - October 07, 2022 08:00 - 6 minutesHow do we know about the inside of the Earth? Using earthquake waves and visitors from out of space (meteorites), we can see the layers and work out the chemistry of the layers that make up our planet. Visit us at GEOetc.com to learn more about our amazing planet! Support the Show.
Kristina Pistone on what it's like to work as a climate scientist
For the Love of Science - October 03, 2022 18:47 - 27 minutes ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsWhat’s it like to work as a climate scientist today? In this episode I speak with climate scientist Kristina Pistone about her research, her role on the sustainability commission for the city of Sunnyvale in California, and how our current system of science funding impacts her ability to do her ...
Trilobites - King of the fossils!
GEO Podcast - September 30, 2022 08:00 - 5 minutesTrilobites are amazing fossils! They can be used for accurate correlation between sedimentary layers because they evolved rapidly, lived in almost all marine environments, and have exoskeletons that were easy to preserve. Here is a link to the activities mentioned in the episode: Trilobite...
The Earth's layers explained
GEO Podcast - September 23, 2022 08:00 - 8 minutesThe Earth is made up of layers - and we can define those layers in two ways - as being chemical (crust, mantle, core) or mechanical (lithosphere, asthenosphere, mesosphere, outer core, inner core). This episode explains the layers and why they are important for plate tectonics and more. Teach...
What is a glacier?
GEO Podcast - September 16, 2022 08:00 - 7 minutesWhat is a glacier? How is it formed? Where can I find them and how are they classified? Support the Show.
Why are dikes awesome?
GEO Podcast - September 09, 2022 14:00 - 6 minutesA dike is a planar igneous intrusion that cuts through the existing rocks. They have always fascinated me - and in this episode, I talk a little about them and why I think they are awesome! Support the Show.
Why is Iceland an island?
GEO Podcast - September 02, 2022 16:00 - 5 minutesWhy does the island of Iceland exist? Learn how two major geological phenomena occur together to make this amazing and unique place on our planet. Plate Tectonics and Mantle Plumes interact to provide us with a beautiful island. Support the Show.
The researchers ready for the James Webb Space Telescope - Part II: Jesse Bregman
For the Love of Science - July 05, 2022 17:39 - 27 minutes ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsIn this two-part series we meet two researchers who will soon be working with data from the recently launched James Webb Space Telescope. In Part II, I speak with Jesse Bregman, an astrophysicist who has spent his 50 year career at NASA Ames, and been part of some pretty amazing leaps in infrare...
The researchers ready for the James Webb Space Telescope - Part I: Taylor Bell
For the Love of Science - July 05, 2022 17:31 - 18 minutes ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsIn this two-part series we meet two researchers who will soon be working with data from the recently launched James Webb Space Telescope. In this episode, Part I, I speak with early career astronomer Taylor Bell about his work categorizing exoplanets and the path that led him to where he is toda...
Why is the James Webb Space Telescope a big deal?
Oxford Sparks Big Questions - June 15, 2022 11:30 - 14 minutes ★★★★★ - 10 ratingsAre we alone in the Universe? What exactly lies at the centre of our galaxy? Just like our podcast, the James Webb Space Telescope aims to answer some *very big questions*. Launched on Christmas Day 2021 and hurtling towards an orbit 1.5 million miles from the Earth, the JWST (as it's known to t...
What is green steel?
Oxford Sparks Big Questions - June 01, 2022 11:30 - 11 minutes ★★★★★ - 10 ratingsSteel has become an essential commodity in modern society - used in everything from our cars and our buildings to the cutlery we use to eat our dinner. Unfortunately, the process used to traditionally produce steel (mining iron ore and combining it with carbon in a blast oxygen furnace) releases...
How do you create autonomous robots that can investigate under the sea?
Oxford Sparks Big Questions - May 18, 2022 12:30 - 14 minutes ★★★★★ - 10 ratingsHow do you retrieve data from sensors embedded in underwater settings - such as those monitoring ecosystem change, for example? Well, when human divers aren't an option (which is often the case) it's over to the autonomous robots! In this episode of the Big Questions Podcast we speak to Prof Nic...
How do you grow the perfect tomato?
Oxford Sparks Big Questions - May 04, 2022 12:30 - 12 minutes ★★★★★ - 10 ratingsIs there anything nicer than a fresh, juicy, home-grown tomato on a summer's day? Whether you like them sliced up in a sandwich or blended into a delicious sauce, in this episode of the Big Questions podcast we reveal the secrets behind growing the perfect tomato. Let us transport you to Trap Gr...
How is misinformation about the war in Ukraine spreading?
Oxford Sparks Big Questions - April 20, 2022 12:30 - 15 minutes ★★★★★ - 10 ratingsMisinformation about the war in Ukraine - and countless other topics, such as the pandemic and climate change - spreads like wildfire online. It aims to confuse people, make them question their own knowledge, and ultimately raise suspicion and doubt. But how exactly does this misinformation spre...
How does a pandemic end?
Oxford Sparks Big Questions - April 06, 2022 12:30 - 14 minutes ★★★★★ - 10 ratingsMasks, social distancing, lockdowns. We've become intimately familiar with numerous COVID-19 control measures over the past two years. Now, with most restrictions gone (at least here in England), does that mean that the pandemic is really over? In this episode, we chat to Erica Charters, Profess...
Why do we develop bad habits?
Oxford Sparks Big Questions - March 23, 2022 12:30 - 11 minutes ★★★★★ - 10 ratingsFrom biting our nails to idly scrolling on our phones, we all have those habits we wish we didn't. In this episode of the Big Questions Podcast, we chat to neuroscientist Charlotte Collingwood about what makes a habit, why we develop them, and how we might go about kicking a bad habit.
Is the energy crisis going to get worse?
Oxford Sparks Big Questions - March 09, 2022 12:30 - 12 minutes ★★★★★ - 10 ratingsOver the past year, we've seen our energy bills reach unimaginable heights. The war in Ukraine is having devastating effects for Ukrainians and creating ripples for international fuel costs. We're now in the midst of a 'perfect storm' when it comes to energy supply - but where are we in the stor...
Is ordering a pizza bad for the climate?
Oxford Sparks Big Questions - February 23, 2022 12:30 - 14 minutes ★★★★★ - 10 ratingsIn this episode of the Big Questions podcast, we're talking about one of our favourite guilty pleasures - ordering a pizza! From the machinery required to harvest the wheat for the dough, to the cardboard packaging your finished pizza is delivered in, we're considering all aspects of a pizza's j...
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