29: The Goldilocks Planet

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, or find a cleaning product with ammonia.

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About the Podcast

Bedrock: Earth's Earliest History

Explore Earth's history from the beginning.

This podcast starts at the beginning of Earth's prehistory and works forward through time. Bedrock will explore the first 90% of Earth’s past, a time known as the Precambrian Era. Before humans, before dinosaurs… there was the Precambrian.
The Earth was an incredibly alien world, but not a dead one.
Along the way, you will build a mental toolkit to see the world like a geologist. You will never look at a mountain, the moon, or pond scum in quite the same way again.

Welcome to Bedrock.
For transcripts, visuals, and references, check out https://www.bedrockpodcast.com