Long before humans built reactors, the Earth ran its own. In this episode of The History AI Podcast, Chuck and Marco dive into the astonishing story of natural nuclear fission—how ancient uranium deposits in Gabon went critical two billion years ago, self-regulated with groundwater, and quietly “powered” geologic time. We unpack the detective work that revealed the Oklo and Bangombé reaction zones, what their isotopic fingerprints tell us about reactor physics, and why these fossil reactors matter today—from nuclear waste containment to testing whether the constants of physics have changed over deep time. Along the way, we zoom out to the bigger picture: the world has always been nuclear, from the Sun’s fusion to Earth’s radiogenic heat to the reactors we engineer now.

Stay tuned after the episode for our original song, “When the Earth Learned the Trick.”

Why you’ll love this episode

• A clear, story-driven tour of natural fission and the Oklo discovery
• How a rock “turns itself on and off” with built-in safety feedback
• What Oklo teaches us about modern reactors, waste repositories, and fundamental physics
• Evergreen history + science you can revisit anytime

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Credits Hosted by Chuck & Marco