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In this episode of What On Earth?!, we’re diving into geological time. This is Part 1.

Ever wondered how scientists make sense of 4.6 billion years of Earth history? How do you even begin to divide that into something understandable? And why do some chapters of Earth’s past end so dramatically?

We’re going all the way back to the Precambrian and the Paleozoic, a time when Earth was a very different place.

We start in the Precambrian, where life is tiny, the atmosphere is changing, and the planet is still forming into the layered, dynamic system we know today. Think rising oxygen, shifting supercontinents, and even moments where ice may have covered almost the entire globe.

Then we move into the Paleozoic, where life really starts to get interesting. Oceans fill with bizarre creatures, early fish begin to appear, and for the first time ever, life starts making the move onto land. Plants, insects, and eventually vertebrates begin exploring a completely new world.

Along the way, we touch on moving continents, changing climates, and the big events that shape life on Earth, including one of the most dramatic mass extinctions in our planet’s history.

If you like big stories, strange lifeforms, and understanding how our planet became what it is today, this episode is for you.

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In part two of our conversation with Dr. Melanie Stammler, we zoom out to the bigger picture: why rock glaciers matter in a warming world. We explore how these debris–ice landforms, characteristic of periglacial mountain regions, respond to climate change and what their movement and surface changes can tell us about permafrost and water systems. Along the way, we also talk about the realities of academic life, from doctoral research and international collaborations to building a career in geomorphology and environmental systems. It’s a thoughtful discussion about science, climate, and the human side of research.

Do you want to find out more about Dr. Melanie Stammler and her research? Visit this link: https://www.geographie.uni-bonn.de/de/forschung/arbeitsgruppen/ag-schrott/team/melanie-stammler

Or follow her on Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanie-stammler-809020a5/

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What is it like to study rock glaciers high in the Andes? In this episode of What On Earth?!, we talk with Dr. Melanie Stammler about her research on rock glacier dynamics and permafrost landscapes in the Dry Andes of Argentina. She explains how scientists use field measurements, drones, and photogrammetry to track how these slow-moving landforms change over time, and what it’s really like to do fieldwork in remote, high-altitude environments. From logistics and harsh conditions to the excitement of collecting data in the mountains, this episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at real geomorphological research in action. As the first guest on the show we could not be happier that Melanie wanted to join. We hope to see much more of her in the future.

Do you want to find out more about Dr. Melanie Stammler and her research? Visit this link: https://www.geographie.uni-bonn.de/de/forschung/arbeitsgruppen/ag-schrott/team/melanie-stammler

Or follow her on Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanie-stammler-809020a5/