Host Dave Schlom is joined by Mark O'Connell, whose screenwriting credits include Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, to talk about his non-fiction book, The Year Science Changed Everything: 1957's International Geophysical Year and the Future of Our Planet.
The IGY was a watershed for the geosciences. It led to many major breakthroughs thanks to the thawing of the Cold War, enough to bring thousands of scientists together from around the globe to study Earth and its place in space. The first satellites, Sputnik by the Soviet Union and Explorer 1 by the United States, were launched, the Plate Tectonics theory began to take hold, the Van Allen Radiation Belts were discovered, and the first hard evidence for carbon dioxide levels rising was among the many accomplishments of the IGY.
The stories of the scientists, discoveries and unprecedented geopolitical cooperation make for a fascinating show!
