Episode summary introduction:
This episode of GEOY is dedicated to brilliant interdisciplinary scientist, and pioneer polar explorer Alfred Wegener, whose theory of continental drift shook the foundations of geology, paleontology, and biology research. While today continental drift and plate tectonics are firmly established concepts, when first proposed Alfred Wegener’s theory was ridiculed and received immense push-back by the scientific community. In this episode geology researchers Janne Liebmann and Bryant Ware take you on a science odyssey from initial rejection of Wegener’s ideas as a “geo fairy tale” to the accumulation of evidence that finally prompted its acceptance and laid the groundwork for the theory of plate tectonics.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
If you enjoyed listening to this episode about Alfred Wegener’s life and scientific achievements and are curios to learn more, we recommend the biography written by Mott T. Greene “Alfred Wegener Science, Exploration, and the Theory of Continental Drift”, and the biographical novel by Jo Lendle “All the land” (German orig. “Alles Land”). These two books heavily influenced the writing of this episode.
Host Information:
Dr. Bryant Ware is a geology researcher (an isotope geochemist, and geochronologist for those who want to know exactly) at Curtin University in Western Australia. He knows all about the nitty gritty details of the geochemical analysis of rocks to produce the data that help us to understand the processes that shape our planet. Despite spending an excessive amount of time in the clean lab, he loves the outdoors and spending time in the field. As a member of the Traveling Geologist Team, and the Geology Podcast Network he enjoys to share his excitement about geology with others.
Janne Liebmann recently completed her PhD in geology at Curtin University in Western Australia. Her research aims to create a more accurate picture of the ancient Earth (2-3 billion years ago), and the processes that primed our planet for the development of complex life. She is fascinated by the multiple-billion year-long history of the universe and our planet, dwarfing humans to just ‘a recent blip in the cosmos’. As a member of the Traveling Geologist Team, and the Geology Podcast Network she enjoys sharing her excitement about geology with others.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.