# Episode 156: Fossils and Dating Methods

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-science-of-everything-podcast-533303/episode-156-fossils-and-dating-methods
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-science-of-everything-podcast-533303/episode-156-fossils-and-dating-methods.md
Podcast: [The Science of Everything Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-science-of-everything-podcast-533303)
Published: 2025-11-30T20:05:37+00:00
Episode link: https://www.thescienceofeverything.net/e/episode-156-fossils-and-dating-methods/
Audio file: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/x2s4ptuxv6igdkhb/Episode_156_-_Fossils_and_Dating_Methods8ek65.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-science-of-everything-podcast-533303/episodes/episode-156-fossils-and-dating-methods
Duration seconds: 4248

## Resource

An introduction to the techniques used to study the history and ages of geological speciments. We begin with an overview of chronostratigraphy, covering principles of relative dating, way up indicators, and biostratigraphy. We then discuss geochronology, including a review of early attempts to determine the age of the Earth, the principles and assumptions of radiometric dating, and the radioisotopes most commonly used for dating. Finally, we discuss processes and mechanisms of fossilisation, and review some of the most important classes of index fossils. Recommended pre-listening is Episode 74: Minerals and Rocks, and Episode 77: Nuclear Physics. If you enjoyed the podcast please consider supporting the show by making a PayPal donation or becoming a Patreon supporter. https://www.patreon.com/jamesfodor https://www.paypal.me/ScienceofEverything

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-science-of-everything-podcast-533303/episodes/episode-156-fossils-and-dating-methods/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-science-of-everything-podcast-533303/episode-156-fossils-and-dating-methods.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.