How Life Makes More Life Possible

This week, we take a break from nuclear power to talk about larger systems: those of Planet Earth. Professor Andy Knoll, renowned Harvard geologist and author of "A Brief History of Earth," reveals how life itself has shaped Earth's chemistry, climate, and geology. From the oxygenation of Earth's atmosphere to the potential colonization of Mars, we explore the constant and delicate dance between life and the planet.

Order "A Brief History of Earth": https://www.harpercollins.com/product...

Episode title on podcast players: "Cycles of Life"
Read extended shownotes on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/decoupl...

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Website: https://www.decouple.media

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
03:16 The Great Oxygenation Event
09:20 The Nitrogen Cycle
16:52 Phosphate Cycles
22:12 Snowball Earth
29:32 The Carbon Cycle
41:40 Elemental Shortages
46:59 Colonizing Mars
50:34 Human Ingenuity, Action, and Inaction
55:36 Outro