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 they claimed was the oldest microbial colony. Like a sci-fi movie, this specimen was found under melting ice in the high Arctic, unveiled from 3.7 billion years ago. But is it actually a fossil? Welcome to the debate that has defined my corner of geology.

Extra Credit: Check your house for hard water damage, or watch The Thing (1982).

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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 hometown of Grand Rapids, MI, home of gypsum mines, coal forests, and mastodon skeletons.

Want to hear next month's episode on Asuncion, Paraguay's capital, or to pick your own destination? Click here to sign up on Patreon!

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 latest technology to reveal this rock's secrets, including research published this year. What have they found?

Extra Credit: Make a time capsule or play a record.

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