Todays show is something super special for you guys... Professor Ben Mills joins us in studio (all the way from the UK!) to walk us through what is genuinely one of the most interesting scientific ideas about our planet: the Gaia hypothesis. The Gaia hypothesis posits that life doesn't just passively inhabit habitable conditions on the Earth ... rather, life itself regulates the atmosphere, oceans and climate over billions of years and thus maintains a habitable planet.

Ben explains it all to us, and on the way we walk through his origin story as a mathematician at the University of East Anglia, through his chance introduction to the Gaia hypothesis under PhD supervisor Andy Watson, and into the heart of modern Earth system modelling – where simple equations on a piece of paper are now evolving into 3D simulations of our living planet.

Along the way we get into oxygen, wildfires, cigarettes in bell jars, Daisy World, and what all of this might tell us about finding life on other worlds.

Make sure you're following Wonder wherever you get your podcasts - and chuck that notifications bell on! We release a GeoCo News email newsletter. You wouldn't want to miss out... ⁠⁠sign up here.⁠⁠

Find us on Instagram & TikTok: @thegeoco

Thanks to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Geological Society of Australia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for making this episode of Wonder possible!

GeoCo comes to you from the traditional country of the Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains, South Australia. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present, and emerging.

Today we continue our electrifying conversation with the hilarious Dr Chris Voisey about his impressive experiments and what they tell us about the mysterious ways of gold nugget formation.

Find Chris and friends Nature Geoscience paper here.

Thanks to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Geological Society of Australia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for making this episode of Wonder possible!

Make sure you're following Wonder wherever you get your podcasts - and chuck that notifications bell on! We release a GeoCo News email newsletter. You wouldn't want to miss out... ⁠sign up here.⁠

Find us on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thegeoco or our website ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thegeoco.com.au⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

GeoCo comes to you from the traditional country of the Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains, South Australia. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present, and emerging.

Gold is one of the most chemically inert elements on the periodic table, and the fluids that carry it through the crust contain barely any of it… so how on Earth do we end up with enormous gold nuggets? Dr Chris Voisey, research fellow at Monash University, joins Wonder to talk about the geology of gold deposits, the mystery of how gold nuggets actually form, and the weird property of quartz crystals that might hold the answer: piezoelectricity. This is part 1 of two conversations we have with Chris – say tuned!!

Find more from Dr Chris Voisey from his piece in The Conversation, 'How do you make a giant gold nugget? Take a vein of quartz, add a few thousand earthquakes'. Or check out his article in Nature Geoscience 'Gold nugget formation from earthquake-induced piezoelectricity in quartz'.

Make sure you're following Wonder wherever you get your podcasts - and chuck that notifications bell on! We release a GeoCo News email newsletter. You wouldn't want to miss out... ⁠sign up here.⁠

Find us on Instagram & TikTok: @thegeoco

Thanks to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Geological Society of Australia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for making this episode of Wonder possible!

GeoCo comes to you from the traditional country of the Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains, South Australia. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present, and emerging.

Fifty million years ago, two colliding tectonic plates began building the biggest mountain range on Earth today. Structural geologist Dr Melanie Finch from the University of Melbourne joins Wonder to explain exactly how these mountains are rising: deep in the crust, where it's too hot for rocks to snap, thin layers of rock flow like honey, slowly pushing everything above them skyward. These are shear zones, and just three of these conveyor belts built the entire Himalaya. In this episode, Melanie takes us from the marine fossils sitting on top of Mount Everest to the five kilometre high mountains that once stood in the middle of Australia – where, to our delight, we also detour into the geological story of Uluru.

Find more beautifully written pieces by Melanie in The Conversation, 'The epic, 550-million-year story of Uluṟu, and the spectacular forces that led to its formation' and on her website.

Thanks to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Geological Society of Australia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for making this episode of Wonder possible!

Make sure you're following Wonder wherever you get your podcasts - and chuck that notifications bell on! We release a GeoCo News email newsletter. You wouldn't want to miss out... sign up here.

Find us on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thegeoco or our website ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thegeoco.com.au⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

GeoCo comes to you from the traditional country of the Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains, South Australia. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present, and emerging.

Earth scientists Holly Cooke and Dr Anthony Reid are back in the hot seat for 2026! We're reviewing some of our favourite new scientific discoveries, plus reminding ourselves of last years escapades (into Malaysian jungle with Mark, across the cosmos with Brian, and around ancient stone structures with Heidi...)

Make sure you're following Wonder wherever you get your podcasts - and chuck that notifications bell on!

We release a ⁠GeoCo News⁠ email newsletter. You wouldn't want to miss out... follow that link to sign up.

Thanks to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Geological Society of Australia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for making this episode of Wonder possible!

Find us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thegeoco.com.au⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thegeoco⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Got questions? Get in touch- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

GeoCo comes to you from the traditional country of the Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains, South Australia. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present, and emerging.

Thanks to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Geological Society of Australia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for making this episode of Wonder possible!

Find us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thegeoco.com.au⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thegeoco⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Got questions? Get in touch- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

GeoCo connects to you from the traditional country of the Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains, South Australia. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present, and emerging.

It's the lightest metal on the periodic table and a crucial component in our modern technologies... but lithium also presents a fascinating cosmological problem. Professor Brian Fields joins WONDER podcast from the University of Illinois and shares with us the mysteries of primordial lithium formation in the universe - a story that takes us from interstellar dust to the big bang itself. Turns out, geologists aren't the only ones hunting for lithium...

Thanks to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Geological Society of Australia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for making this episode of WONDER possible!

Find us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thegeoco.com.au⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thegeoco⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Got questions? Get in touch- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

GeoCo connects to you from the traditional country of the Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains, South Australia. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present, and emerging.

Professor Carl Spandler joins WONDER podcast to walk us through the lightest metal of all - lithium! We dive head first into Carl's world of critical minerals, from crystals the size of cars to manipulated markets and the 'science fights' behind the genesis of lithium ore deposits. Enjoy with us these explorations of the geological cycle of metal on Earth... soon enough these stories will take WONDER deep into space and the beginning of time itself...

Carl joins us from the ⁠⁠⁠ARC Critical Resources for the Future⁠⁠, who made this episode of Wonder possible!

Find us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thegeoco.com.au⁠⁠⁠⁠

Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thegeoco⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Got questions? Get in touch- [email protected]

GeoCo connects to you from the traditional country of the Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains, South Australia. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present, and emerging.

On todays episode of WONDER, Holly & Anthony cross live to Washington State for a chat with Nick Zentner! Nick is a professor at Central Washington University and he chats to us live from Ellensberg (not Seattle; close but no cigar for Holly, can't tell you why that brain fade happened!!)... Here we cover the ancient kinship between Australian and North American geology, and also, we explore the sense that human wellbeing deeply links to those conversations about Earth that bring joy and closeness to our lives.

https://www.nickzentner.com/

Thanks to our sponsors at the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Geological Society of Australia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Find us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thegeoco.com.au⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thegeoco⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Got questions?

Get in touch- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

GeoCo connects to you from the traditional country of the Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains, South Australia. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present, and emerging.

Bubbling mud? The origins of life? Field expeditions into Malaysian jungle? On this episode of Wonder, we're joined by the Mud Volcano Guy himself and we cover it all! With Dr Mark Tingay we expore the weird and wonderful world of mud volcanoes, and Mark shares his unbelievable saga to find a long-lost mud volcano hidden in the thicket of Malaysian jungle...

This episode is supported by the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Geological Society of Australia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Find us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thegeoco.com.au⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thegeoco⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Got questions? Get in touch- ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠

GeoCo connects to you from the traditional country of the Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains, South Australia. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present, and emerging.