{"podcast":{"title":"EarthDate","slug":"earthdate-7713094","podcast_index_feed_id":7713094,"rss_url":"https://feeds.blubrry.com/feeds/3957418.xml","website_url":"http://blubrry.com/3957418/","image_url":"https://assets.blubrry.com/coverart/1400/3957418-201603.jpg","author":"Switch Energy Alliance","episode_count":300,"summary":"EarthDate is a short-format weekly audio program delivering concise, science-based stories about the Earth: its geology, environments, and the processes that shape our planet over deep time and today. Beginning in 2026, EarthDate is managed by Switch Energy Alliance and hosted by SEA's founder Dr. Scott W. Tinker. Together, we explore earth systems, natural resources, and their relevance to everyday life, with a focus on clear, accessible science education for broad audiences. EarthDate is written and directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker Harry Lynch, and researched by Lynn Kistler. We search for captivating stories to remind listeners that science can enlighten, educate and entertain.","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/earthdate-7713094"},"episode":{"title":"Treasure on the Seafloor","slug":"treasure-on-the-seafloor","published_at":"2026-05-10T14:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/earthdate-7713094/treasure-on-the-seafloor","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/earthdate-7713094","url":"https://blubrry.com/3957418/153852822/treasure-on-the-seafloor/","audio_url":"https://media.blubrry.com/3957418/content.blubrry.com/3957418/EarthDate_S13_E26.mp3","summary":"At the bottom of the ocean lies a treasure. But recovering it could be technically difficult, geopolitically challenging, and environmentally damaging. Eighty three percent of the ocean is a mile deep, or much more, making the deep ocean the largest environment on Earth, covering 115 million square miles. Down there, like in the Amazon, species diversity is high. There may be thousands of species we have not yet identified. Down there, also, are polymetallic nodules and crusts, formed of iron and manganese, and in smaller amounts, cobalt, lithium, molybdenum, rare earth elements and other valuable metals that precipitate out of seawater, very slowly, over millions of years. Many of these metals are used in new energy technologies, like batteries, so companies and countries are considering recovering them. But it’s complicated. Most of the deep ocean is in international waters. No one’s quite sure how to regulate or share revenue from mining there. And the deep ocean is a poorly understood environment. Mining could kill many creatures and damage seafloor ecosystems. So far, no permits have been issued. But there is pressure on international authorities to do so, as today’s supplies of many of these materials are limited. Efforts to mine the deep ocean, responsibly and sustainably, may be an area of dispute—and opportunity—in the future.","meta_description":"At the bottom of the ocean lies a treasure. But recovering it could be technically difficult, geopolitically challenging, and environmentally damaging. Ei…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":120,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/earthdate-7713094/episodes/treasure-on-the-seafloor/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/earthdate-7713094/treasure-on-the-seafloor.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}