Foraminifera: The one-celled predators that shaped our planet (and kept the receipts)
Summary
Hosts Sam Jones and Deboki Chakravarti explore foraminifera, single-celled organisms whose fossilized shells help scientists reconstruct Earth’s climate history and understand past sea-level changes. They discuss how these tiny predators contribute to carbon cycling and how their isotopic records distinguish natural variability from modern human-caused warming. The episode also features a "Tiny Show and Tell" segment covering new research on dogs’ ability to read human facial expressions and the confirmation of a carnivorous plant species Darwin once studied.
Topics discussed
Sponsor messages from Progressive Insurance
Introduction to Foraminifera and their fossil record
Welcome to Tiny Matters and host introductions
Forams' evolution, niches, and importance in geology
The Cambrian explosion and evolutionary arms race
Foram shell types and predatory behaviors
Ad break and Pale Blue Dot podcast promo
Using oxygen isotopes to reconstruct past climates
Mass spectrometry and ice age climate cycles
Miocene Climate Optimum and modern sea level rise
How Himalayan uplift and forams cooled the planet
Tiny Show and Tell: Dogs reading human facial expressions
Tiny Show and Tell: Darwin's carnivorous plant mystery solved
Credits, outro, and final sponsor messages
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