Fossil Foraminifera: What are they? Primary informers about how our planet worked in the past.

By studying fossil foraminifera (unicellular marine organisms) and the composition of their tiny shells, geoscientists learn what our planet looked like in the past, 100s of millions of years ago . These "forams" can tell us what the temperature was like, how big Earth's ice caps were, what type of mountain ranges eroded on land, if there were disturbances in our planet's carbon cycle or ocean circulation, and many more important aspects of the Earth system. They arguably comprise our most important source of information on how our planet functioned in the past. Despite their importance, hardly anyone knows what foraminifera are. It's time for a long overdue introduction!

Speaker: Ivo Duijnstee, UC Berkeley