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S01-E07: Unveiling the Complex World of Rocks and Minerals

March 30, 2024 • Dr Biswajit Podder • Season 1 • Episode 7

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In this episode, I talk with Italian-Greek geologist and journalist Christian Mavris about navigating the complex world of rocks and minerals. This episode promises a deep understanding of how these fundamental components shape our environment, from the picturesque formations of sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks to the essential minerals that nourish life on our planet. We peel back layers of geology to reveal its connections with art and the environment, and we'll grapple with the idea that beauty in nature can sometimes conceal potential dangers. Christian's insights bring home the importance of minerals, not only as aesthetic marvels for collectors but also as indicators of health and balance in our ecosystems.

Venture with us as we gaze beyond the familiar horizon, discussing the profound impact of glacial retreat on our landscapes and the pioneering methods scientists are using to track environmental shifts, such as employing honeybees as pollution monitors. Then, we set our sights on the stars—specifically, Mars—and debate what the Red Planet's geological formations could tell us about the possibility of life beyond our own world. Highlighting the necessity of geoscience in policy and public discourse, this episode is a call to action for a future where knowledge of our earth and its extraterrestrial cousins informs the decisions we make. Listen in for an enlightening journey through the marvels of the planet we call home and the importance of science in our daily lives.

Follow Christian Mavris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-mavris/


If you have any questions, suggestions, or feedback, please contact at scipodchat@gmail.com

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only, and SciPodChat is not intended to replace professional advice. Please note that the views, information, or opinions expressed during SciPodChat are solely those of the individuals involved, not any professional organization in which they are involved.

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Speaker 1:

hello science lover. This is cyparchat, a podcast where we explain science puzzles in a way everybody understand. This podcast is brought to you by stemdra do. The goal of stemdra do is to make learning fun and interesting for kids. The games and exercise on stemdra do are fun and interesting for kids. The games and exercise on stem dodo are fun and help kids learn math and science at the same time.

Speaker 1:

I'm your host, dr Vishwish Puddar, a scientist with more than 12 years of research experience in cancer disease. Today we are joined by Christian Mavris. He is an Italian Greek geologist and journalist. He has a strong passion for science, communication and a rich background in geology research. He completed graduation in Italy and he earned his PhD at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. He has worked on postdoctoral projects on diverse application of mineral alteration, ranging from the Alps and the Rocky Mountains to Mars and honeybees. I want to mention one fun fact about Christian he is a passionate mineral collector. In this episode, we will learn from Chris about the rock to minerals, art to marks, environment to honeybees. Without further ado, let's start. Hi, chris, how are you? Hello Vishwa, I'm doing great. Thanks for joining today. It is my pleasure to have you as a guest. Can you tell me about yourself a bit?

Speaker 2:

Sure thing. As you very correctly mentioned, I'm an Italian-Greek geologist and journalist. The overlap between the two has not always been easy, but eventually I moved from academia to communication, also because it was quite clear to me at some point that I was enjoying much more the social part and the communication part of science. It's an important thing to underline the fact that I'm very pleased to be here at today's podcast with you and our fellow listeners, also because, even given my current job as a correspondent for the Greek national television, I'm very happy to have the opportunity to speak about science rather than politics, as I do almost every day of the day.

Speaker 1:

I would ask a question, as we are going to talk about the rock, minerals and all those things, tell me what is actually rock? Probably many of my listeners are interested to know what actually the rock is.

Speaker 2:

You are most likely referring to this. Of course yes, In the most general definition, I would say that rock is a solid admixture of various chemical elements stable at specific environmental conditions. Now, rocks can be of three types Sedimentary, which means deriving from previously dismantled rocks. Igneous, deriving from molten rocks. And metamorphic, deriving from buried and or heated pre-existing rocks.

Speaker 2:

Now rocks can be distinguished with numerous methods, as they typically have a plethora of distinctive features, such as texture and specific minerals, which become key to understand the conditions that led to their formation. But the first approach is rather basic Observe and touch.

Speaker 1:

And then I want to lead at the questions. So could you start by explaining what minerals are and why they are so important to our planet's ecosystems? We know what is minerals and all those things, but we don't know the impact of the minerals in the environment, in the earth, in our ecosystems. Can you explain a bit more Sure thing?

Speaker 2:

While rocks are composed of one or typically more minerals, minerals are solid compounds with a very specific chemical formula and crystal structure, which is a repeating pattern of the arrangement of the atoms, dominated by well-defined symmetry. Both things together chemical formula and crystal structure compose the fingerprint of a mineral. Minerals now are incredibly important natural compounds for lots of reasons. Think of the building industry, for example, where limestones are important for concrete, or iron ore is for cars, or rare earth element bearing. Minerals are essential for the extraction of elements key for new tech cars, or diamonds important for both jewelry and high-performance abrasives. Left alone how mineral structures and chemistry often become the templates for new compounds and materials.

Speaker 2:

These are just a handful of uses that cross my mind, be sure, but there are so many others. Minerals are all around us and, as rock formers, they literally represent the very ground we step upon. Now, when it comes to the planet's ecosystem that you asked, their role is essential. Minerals represent a pool of nutrients for living organisms. How is that? Well, for example, microbes and roots feed on minerals by extracting these elements from the crystal structure. It's like their meal and it's a pretty basic mechanism at the bottom of the food chain.

Speaker 2:

One could say that a simple organism requires a simple meal, that sort of thing.

Speaker 1:

So you're telling about that kind of minerals meal for some species in our ecosystems. That's right, is it Okay? So you are explaining about, like, what is rock, what is minerals? So how do you differ in between rocks and minerals? So why is this distinction important for understanding the process for making art? Can you explain?

Speaker 2:

I think that, more than a distinction between the two, so minerals and rocks it is essential to understand that a rock can contain one or more minerals, whereas minerals are the bricks to build rocks. It is just a one-step difference in the grand scheme of earth processes. Really, it's like a Lego house is composed of small bricks, for instance, brick size and features vary, but we are still dealing with a construction game and the brand remains the same.

Speaker 1:

I see. So is there any like bad minerals or good minerals, if you talk about it?

Speaker 2:

uh, you mean like in the means of uh, for example, being toxic? Yes, well, it all depends on the purpose of the mineral and or the use of this mineral. You can have arsenic minerals, for example, that are some of the prettiest minerals in the world. They are very much loved by mineral collectors. They are called arsenates and, at the same time, because they contain arsenic, I wouldn't necessarily eat them.

Speaker 1:

Let's put it this way.

Speaker 2:

Or you can have uranium minerals that are incredibly useful for a range of uses. Back in the days they were or they were used, for example, for paintings, and nowadays you can have like either paintings, or you can have like specific pottery or specific glass that is still radioactive. So you know, pretty on one side, so very useful too, and on the other side toxic or eventually even harming right, okay, okay, cool, thank you.

Speaker 1:

So is there any trends to break the minerals or is there any factors involved how they are broken down? So can you go in that direction?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, absolutely so. Chemical elements, as we know, are bound together to form a specific crystal structure. Okay, now their stability. Stability of those crystal structures and the mineral per se depends on the environment where they are in a specific given moment. So when the surrounding conditions are not good for the stability of the mineral, the latter undergoes a change, which is called alteration. So when it comes to processes, they are planted, water, wind, direct sunlight, but also activity by plants and all sorts of life forms, especially the smaller ones, such as microbes or micro-roots.

Speaker 2:

Some minerals are more resistant than others. For example, take quartz, also known as silicoxide, the one that makes glass-like crystals such as amethyst, the purple one that we know right, Lots crystals such as amethyst, the purple one that we know right. Lots of people have amethyst as decorational stones. Now, this species is usually very resistant, even in a very acidic environment. You could even wash in the dishwasher, eventually, at steam hot temperature, and nothing would happen to it. Now, if you go to the beach, and nothing would happen to it.

Speaker 2:

Now, if you go to the beach, where one quite often walks on the beach, eventually one ends up walking on a quartz-rich sand. Now, this quartz there, that is totally ground occurs because the waves have significantly abraded the quartz-rich rocks, breaking down the quartz crystals. This is not a chemical, it's rather a mechanical abrasion which grinds the rocks and, in the case, the notorious resistant quartz too. So, basically, that's where we have mechanics that overcome chemistry. On the other hand, let's think of another compound that we know, kitchen salt, which is a household plain compound. Right, it takes just a bit of humidity to break down the structure and dissolve the salt, say in a pot of water while preparing some pasta to the point where it completely dissolves.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and on that very salty matter, if you want, I have always found funny that while elemental sodium can explode and chlorine is a toxic gas, sodium chloride, which is the chemical name for kitchen salt, is used for seasoning. You know, in a way that's a kind of a philosophical twist of what happens in nature.

Speaker 1:

An element becoming a structural feature in a mineral becomes a nutrient for a plant and, frankly, my nerdy side finds this really yeah, so you can uh tell that minerals are everywhere, even in the kitchen, like sodium chloride that we use as a cooking salt, right?

Speaker 2:

That's right, even ice, for example, when you have snow and you observe a snowflake. Technically, this crystal is water, that is crystallized, and it even has a symmetry Wow, very interesting facts.

Speaker 1:

So, yeah, thank you for explaining about the process, how minerals are broken down. Sure, now we will lead to discuss about the minerals' importance, rocks' importance for weathering and climate changes. You mentioned earlier that weathering plays a crucial role in releasing chemical elements into environment. Am I right? That's right, yes, yeah, okay, can you elaborate how this process works actually in the environment?

Speaker 2:

I will try to run an example for you and our fellow listeners.

Speaker 1:

I don't have any idea about geology, so it would be really great if you put some example.

Speaker 2:

yeah, I will do my best. Let's imagine that there is a building okay, where you have different floors kept together by pillars and walls. Okay, now say there is a major flood which starts taking away some walls and pillars. Progressively, the structure will become weaker and poorer. Eventually, those floors will even collapse, get compacted until they crumble and completely disappear. On the other hand, the pillars and walls that have been progressively removed, they will end up someplace else. This is what happens with weathering. The depleted crystal structure on one side and the leached elements, such as pillars and walls, are elements that break their bonds with the main crystal structure and get carried away, quite often becoming nutrients for life. This is just an example of how things work, okay.

Speaker 1:

How does climate change affect the rate and extent of weathering in glacial areas and in other environments?

Speaker 2:

That was my PhD topic. Actually. I spent four years on that very matter At least. Yes, exactly, so I can tell you a few things about it. Yeah, so when we experience the increase of global temperatures, especially in the traditionally cold regions and glaciated areas, where permafrost and glaciers still exist, ice is flowing at a very quick rate. Consequently, this means two things. First, all rocks and sediments once located underneath the ice are now exposed to open air and will progressively alter and lose mineral elements, as we said before. At the same time, those mineral elements will become bioavailable and become nutrients for life.

Speaker 1:

Okay.

Speaker 2:

Now, usually water is an excellent mean for transport of chemicals and as a general rule, the more available water, the higher the reach. But obviously it varies from case to case, as environments might vary significantly. Now, we call mechanical weathering as another type of weathering, as we mentioned before, for example, and it often works alongside chemical weathering, so they can work together Plus bacteria, so the bio-alteration plays a significant role in the process. Trust me, the whole field is truly vast.

Speaker 1:

So you mentioned two terms it's called chemical weathering and mechanical weathering. Can you explain what is mechanical weathering and chemical weathering please?

Speaker 2:

Sure thing.

Speaker 2:

The chemical weathering is when you have the chemistry that plays the major role.

Speaker 2:

So you have like a replacement of some elements, or you have the leaching of those elements that go away from the structure and they end up as a food pool, so to speak, for the biological life forms, right, and you can have basically some alteration that starts with the structure, a that is pretty rich in some chemicals and ends up with like a rather impure structure which eventually breaks down and might end up like collapsing and dissolving completely, depending on the crystal structure and the conditions.

Speaker 2:

As for mechanical weathering is basically is like the world is suggesting, it is like it's a mechanical thing. It's like when you have like some rocks that are like rolling on one another and they're like grinding. So basically it's based on friction and hits and, depending on how hard they are those drops and how hard the hits are coming, you can have also some grinding. A good example why do you have underneath the glaciers many times some little drumlings or little hills made out of gravel, for example, like little pebbles? This comes because the glacier it's not steady, it's active, it's grinding the underlying rock and this means that is abrading it, so it's creating some friction and it's dragging those rocks like some places, and that's mechanical alteration okay, thank you for explaining for our audience.

Speaker 1:

If you are mentioning about weathering, is there any potential benefits or drawbacks due to glacial retreat?

Speaker 2:

Now, when it comes to the benefits, I would say that the lion's share is the release of nutrients With the exposure of sediments. Okay, nutrients, the release of nutrients. So when you have the release of nutrients is basically the chemical weathering we mentioned before, right? So with the exposure of sediments, it has been observed that soil forms within a time span of just approximately 50 years already, which is pretty fast. There is an interconnection between outer minerals and organic matter too, and this becomes established after the first 40-50 years since the first exposure of those sediments which used to be underneath the glacier.

Speaker 2:

Now, of course it all depends also on you know, the grain size, for example. The finer they are, the faster is. The soil formation on a boulder is much harder, for example. But taking away, like some details, in general we can say that soil formation is very fast when the sediment is freshly exposed. On a swiss glacier I did study for my phd thesis. Uh, some first tiny plants and early soil shrubs could already form within this 40, 50 years of time span and in a way, life finds a way with a very quick pace, geologically speaking, of course. But as you know, biswa, geologists are funny scientists, as the watch is slower than, say, a biologist, for example. Why? Because we have a geological timescale that takes us up to billions. So for us, a geological process that has a rock that, for example, the Alps are considered a fairly recent mountain range and is just a few tens of millions of years old.

Speaker 1:

Right, wow, so you mentioned about soil formation. So how significant is that role of weathering in newly exposed glacial areas and can this lead to a new ecosystem or new agricultural opportunities for farmers? What do you think?

Speaker 2:

That's a million dollar question really. Ice-free areas mean areas with more potential for forests, shrubs and other uses, with more potential for forests, shrubs and other uses In the mining industry, but also mineral collecting. Ice-free surfaces mean a virgin, so to speak, area to explore, with time and an appropriate soil evolution, what could possibly exploit those areas for human-friendly uses, pasture and and I'm talking way down the timeline obviously agricultural uses. Why not? However, there are an enormous number of caveats. If glaciers melt, also water availability downstream will be progressively limited.

Speaker 2:

As my kid says this is part of the water cycle, then so this becomes a burden. If your original water source glacier in this case is no longer available, you might want to build water reservoirs while relying on rainfall. However, the weather might be dry or the area might not be feasible to build a reservoir, just to mention a few drawbacks. Let's not forget also at this point, pishwa, that quite often glaciers are, in steep positions, quite hard either to build anything on its bedrock or just to make a land use fit for human purposes, left alone the fact that in steep terrains, even forests can't properly develop. Therefore, in lots of cases, ice-free areas simply become an area that once hosted some ice and now, well, they no longer do.

Speaker 2:

So, long story short, a loss on multiple levels, but also numerous complications come into the game Now. Another important point is that mountain and cold areas are fragile environments and they are particularly sensible to climate change. We do not need 10 degrees Celsius to upset the known balance. Half degrees is sometimes enough to trigger a chain reaction, and this is what we are experiencing nowadays. Allow me to provide a brief example that I experienced myself. Please, please. In 2012, I worked on the Wind River Range in Wyoming, USA. There is a double tree line A bottom one marking the limit between the dry shrub land and the forest, and an upper one marking the limit between said forest and no trees line Way up to the Rockies' divide. Climate change is pushing the forest towards higher, fresher altitudes for the sake of the tree's survival. Right Right Now, factoring two things the presence of a mountain pine beetle, which is infestating and decimating the pines of the Rockies and the raging wildfires that ravage said ranges every year.

Speaker 2:

The forest is trying hard to move uphill, but it is having a hard time. At the same time, along the divide, the topography becomes significantly steeper, as mentioned before. Therefore, this is a really hard time for forests and related ecosystems to adapt.

Speaker 1:

I see it's a very interesting, interesting fact. So thank you so much, chris, for explaining all the thing. I was talking informally with you, um, the other day when we're setting up things, and um, about the podcast and everything. So you're talking about, like, honeybees and different particular matters, right, so I would like to learn more about it. So, moving to your work with honeybees, as an environmental scientist, how did you come to use bees in detecting particulate matter emissions? Because you told me that it was part of your one of projects, right, if I'm not wrong that's right.

Speaker 2:

That's right, yes that was a side project oh okay, and to your, to answer your question on how I came up with that idea. I can tell you that we came up with that idea, me and a couple of friends, literally over dinner.

Speaker 2:

Right, okay, I was talking to a friend, a renowned Italian entomologist, in the middle of a hot Italian summer we were surrounded by mosquitoes and we thought wouldn't it be cool to be surrounded by less annoying and more useful insects? My friend Ratufili pointed out that honeybees would be nice, as they are reliable environmental sentinels and indicators. In a short time, our thought went straight to observing the body of the honeybees to see what we could find. Geologically speaking, we quickly found out that lots of things could be found, and quite often some concerning stuff too.

Speaker 1:

Oh, yes. So what kind of particle matters can be able to detect, and how does this inform us about environmental health?

Speaker 2:

We have to start considering the fact that honeybees do not discriminate what particles collect. They just fly for their own purposes, such as collecting nectar and water, and, alongside specific parts of the body, they involuntarily collect whatever is in the air, mostly particulate matter sized material which means sub-millimetric particles, so really the teeny, tiny fractions that would not interfere with the flight of the insect. Now, studying the individual particles that the honeybees unknowingly connect allows us to understand the origin of those particles, which quite often can be pollutants.

Speaker 2:

A recent study showed that in a big city like Milan in Italy, the honeybees were carrying particulate matter with barium, a heavy element quite often used in industry. Now scientists linked those particles to car brake pads, which are used in cars with both electric and traditional combustion engines. And given the fact that particulate matter is linked to a number of pulmonary, cardio-circulatory diseases and cases of morbidity, even even such findings have the potential to change the reading of the narrative around green transition. Try to think about the fact. Be sure that we can potentially prove in that case that while we look at thermal engines as the absolute evil, perhaps we're ignoring the entirety of the picture. So this gives really food for thought wow, it's very interesting.

Speaker 1:

So you mean that? So, honey, honey, bee, anyhow, um, they collect all the um like dust, chemicals in the environment and you can detect, uh, this kind of bad chemicals or whatever they're collecting and you can predict that what's going on in that moment. Right, that's.

Speaker 2:

That's right.

Speaker 1:

It's a picture.

Speaker 2:

We can photograph what the honeybee has collected and we can do that just by observing specific portions of the body of the honeybees and we can go and pinpoint each individual point and understand which point was coming from where, so we can understand the emitting source, we can understand what is the pollution, the source of the pollution of this very particle, right, as you mentioned, that, uh, you can literally see.

Speaker 1:

So how do you see? It's a very teeny, tiny, like could be chemicals particles. So what do you use to see that? Uh, chemicals or honeybees, like? Can you tell me?

Speaker 2:

in this study we did, use electron microscopy, so it's a, it's a technique that basically allows us to see, uh, really tiny fractions. We are talking about a few micrometers, so we are really sub-millimetric fractions, and this is very important to understand not only the origin as chemistry, but also the shape, because some of those fractions, for example, can be like sharp as blades. Some other fractions can be rounded and they might give us specific insights as to, for example, the origin, and I can also give you some examples down the line.

Speaker 1:

Okay, thank you. So can you share some insights or findings from your research on honeybees and how you monitor environmental changes using honeybees? And it could be very interesting for for many people who are listening today this podcast. I'm really eager to listen what findings and what insights about your research.

Speaker 2:

So I can showcase you and to our audience our findings from the study that started in 2013. Back in the days we sampled honeybees in southwestern Sardinia in Italy, at a hive a few kilometers from an abandoned mining area.

Speaker 2:

Given the premises. Of course, we were expecting to find some mining minerals and some soil particles. Nothing more than that. Therefore, it was just a pilot study. However, we found more than we were expecting. For instance, we detected some spherical particles whose origin is usually linked to high-temperature smelters. Now, the only thing even remotely close to that in the area was a chimney approximately 20 kilometers distant. A honeybee will traditionally try to cover one quarter of that, so just a few kilometers, however, if one accounts for winds blowing from the chimney's direction then, this could have carried the particular matter closer to the honeybees.

Speaker 2:

What is scary in that story is that local environmental regulations stop sheep from grazing at a radius of 5 kilometers around said chimney. However, the fact that we found compatible particles at 20 kilometers from the chimney shows that maybe the true impact and presence of those particles has been largely underestimated. Therefore, honeybees tell us a story. They are our allies and their help is priceless. Also in this context, and, if I may, this is a help that is both largely underestimated and most unrewarded.

Speaker 1:

Right, okay, wow, very interesting facts. You know that nowadays, like many people, they're exploring Mars, right? So my next question will be so how the study of minerals and then other matters on Mars help understand the planet's surface and history? Is there any correlations? Let's say you are doing research in Mars and then how are we going to help for our planet?

Speaker 2:

That's a good question. This is one of the questions that recurs all the time us as to why we do it. Let's start saying that Mars is distant approximately 140 million miles away from Earth. So while this might sound like an enormous distance, technically and on a cosmic scale, mars is our neighbor and lots of handy intel can come from the neighbors. Also remember that minerals are stable at very specific conditions, as we mentioned before.

Speaker 1:

Yes, yes.

Speaker 2:

Now, with a planet that has an incredibly thin, practically non-existent atmosphere, no visible volcanic and water activity. Practically we have no alteration going on. Right now we can see from the combination of both satellite pictures and analysis of the minerals and chemistry what were the environments that Mars could host. This is why such huge budgets are spent on those planetary missions. So the key questions are is there life on Mars and was there in the past? Did Mars have lakes, rivers, glaciers, volcanoes? Now, the latter has been answered these years thanks to a thorough and wide use of what we call boots on the ground and dyes in the sky, which means rovers lurking on the surface and satellites orbiting above the red planet, but also because of the study of minerals.

Speaker 2:

They tell us so much. But also because of the study of minerals, they tell us so much. And the fun thing is, dirt is key. Clay minerals, the ones we often see as mud you know when they're wet and the sulfates, the ones that are linked to extreme forms of life, are essential to decode the processes that took place on Earth.

Speaker 1:

I see Wow, I see Wow. So is there any similarities and differences comparing Earth's geological process to those on Mars?

Speaker 2:

There are On Earth, we find several of what are called analog environments the volcanic fields of Ireland, hawaii and Erta Ale, the oceanic flora alteration in Oman, the biological derived stromatolites in Australia, the overly acidic rocks of Rio Tinto in Spain All these places are well-studied candidates for what could potentially be environments observed on Mars. By studying closely what's on Earth, we can infer and make solid assumptions or well-educated guesses, if you allow me the expression, on what to expect on the Red Planet. So Mars in the past might have not been too terribly different from Earth when it comes to geological processes. And, last but not least, the current approach is much more feasible to pursue compared to sending manned missions with chisel and hammer.

Speaker 1:

For now at least. Ok, Wow, so thanks. Then how can the study of Martian minerals contribute to the search for life, or past life on Mars? Is there anything you know about it?

Speaker 2:

Well, if minerals reflect specific environmental conditions, then the next logical connection is if there is life in this condition on Earth, there might have been some form of life on Mars as well. Is that an oversimplification, though? I don't think so. It's rather logics and the rigorous application of scientific methods, aka based on fact and evidences.

Speaker 1:

I see, okay, cool. Okay, we talked a lot about rocks, minerals and all those things, so I want to talk about a bit future and broader implications of minerals, rocks and the environment perspective. So, considering all those angles, what do you see as the most pressing geological challenges or opportunities facing our planet today and probably for the future? So what's your opinion?

Speaker 2:

We end up in a more philosophical branch. I like that. Humans have the terrible tendency to always crave for more, modifying the environment around them. There is no search for balance, for equilibrium. Think of what geologists call Anthropocene, an era that is ruled by humans modifying the environment as a function of their needs. We're not even mindful with our own species. We literally kill each other, either to conquer or to impose an idea we believe in is right. This requires correction, not tomorrow, rather yesterday. That said, in my opinion, humans need to find ways to deal with pollution, airborne soil and especially water, because all of them are not infinite. On the contrary, they are limited sources and resources and become scarcer by the hour. We need to find better ways to use what we have. So why do I mention pollution as a geological challenge? Well, geology can provide the materials in most of the answers. Most materials that are employed are derived from rocks, treated to different degrees and extents, of course.

Speaker 2:

Science has proven that we can use those materials to improve the living quality of humans, and not only. Dealing with pollution also means to face another hot topic climate change. We are in dire need of a paradigm shift when it comes to approach issues. My personal recipe fewer politicians, more scientists in power and, when you ask me, ideally more geologists in the decision making matters yeah, I agree, I agree with you.

Speaker 1:

Definitely we need more uh expert on that directions. Basically, they can take better um policy and they can implement in a better way because they have, like all expertise you know. So, yeah, I completely agree with you. As you mentioned about for action, actually, how can the public engagement more effectively with geology and environmental conversation efforts, so how we can do it? Actually, do you have any uh suggestion as a scientist?

Speaker 2:

scientist is the key of what I'm going to answer to you, because what I'm going to say is not strictly related to geology, but rather applicable to science entirely. There is a popular saying ignorance is bliss, and I believe that this is not applicable in science. We need to make the world understand that science is cool practically and and can literally save lives. How. By make the world understand that science is cool practically and can literally save lives. How. By making the world know how science, which is traditionally seen as a nerdy, boring and elitist thing, can solve real problems. In my opinion, science outreaching is the way to go. In the last years, I have seen a significant amount of science communicators emerging, a real surge. While not all of them are successful. There are some that are more engaging than others. Myself, I'm quite fond of a couple of them, one of which is Italian, and I have learned tons of stuff from them. So, in an infodemic world, there is a growing thirst for reliable information and a dire need for culture. So let's start with science.

Speaker 2:

Ideal in a light, pleasant, engaging format. Long story short. We need more science-based podcasts like yours, Prishwa, and fewer reality shows.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, definitely we need more knowledge-based society. So this is my idea, so to run this podcast, at least, if I can do a big contribution to educate society by inviting all the experts like you, so that would be my really contribution to the society, if people understand the facts, numbers and science. So that's the idea of Cyborg Chat, looking forward to all the actions and the things. What are the some emerging technology or research areas in geology that excite you the most currently?

Speaker 2:

Sometimes, be sure, I think we rush too much and we do not value what we have at hand. I firmly believe that we should investigate the implementation and refining of lots of the existing tech. For instance, imagine whether we could semi-automate the quantification and qualification of particular matter detection on the bodies of honeybees while they fly. We could understand what they are politically in real time and without capturing them right, exactly exactly. I dream of such solutions quite often. To be fair and as per the future challenges, we've got three major challenges ahead Oceans, pollution and space. For the first and the third ocean and space we need to explore more, absolutely push ourselves. As for pollution, as I mentioned before, we need to be able to consume better through recycling, depuration and reuse. We must understand that materials can and must have several lives. Geological materials, processes and related tech can help change the world.

Speaker 1:

Right, okay, good, nice To be honest with you, I learned a lot of things today about the geology. I didn't have any idea. As you know, my background is all about life science, so I never had a chance to learn about the geology. So today it was kind of my education about the geology environment, rock kind of my education about the geology environment, rock, minerals and so on. Thank you for all the explanations. To be honest, I really admired how you explained in a simple way Before we wrap up, if you could give everyone one piece of advice or fact about the arts geology, what would it be?

Speaker 2:

Next time you look at the rock whatever the rock rock just think at how old it is possibly millions of years old and what it has experienced. It certainly has a cool story to tell.

Speaker 1:

The trick is to learn how to understand it yeah, thank you, chris uh, for this insightful conversation to our listener. Thank you for joining me on cyborg chat. We talk science and let's know science together. Until next time, stay curious, stay inspired and stay tuned for more exciting conversation right here on your favorite cyborg chat. Thank you.