16: Life Before Fossils

When did life arise on planet Earth?

Today, we look at the search for biological remains in the oldest minerals on Earth, the Jack Hills zircons of Western Australia, 4.4-4.0 billion years ago. We learn why carbon is an excellent building block for life, how to turn that carbon into diamonds and graphite, and why it's very hard to find conclusive fossils in very old rocks.

Extra credit: Try to find all the things in your house that have carbon in them. Bonus points if you can find graphite or diamonds.