The Medusa of Time

Today we welcome professor, science educator, and storyteller Daniel Hudon to Hidden Compass, The Podcast to talk about bringing ancient beings to life, the story humanity tells itself, and fossil beds that shine to us like beacons. But first, journey with us, as Daniel takes us back in time 565 million years to traipse among the strata and be caught in the gaze of “The Medusa of Time.”

Storyteller: Daniel Hudon is a writer and educator drawn to wonder and humor. He’s taught natural science at the college level for 20 years, with a focus on how astronomy tells us about our cosmic heritage. He’s also the author of The Bluffer’s Guide to the Cosmos and Brief Eulogies for Lost Animals: An Extinction Reader. Visit his website, www.danielhudon.com, and hop on over to our website to check out his profile page, www.hiddencompass.net/journalist/daniel-hudon. 

Story: “The Medusa of Time” first appeared in the autumn 2020 issue of Hidden Compass, The Magazine as a feature in our Human and Nature department. See the full story, which includes custom illustrations by Henry Sharpe (https://twitter.com/Paleoartologist) that are both beautiful and scientifically accurate, at www.hiddencompass.net/story/the-medusa-of-time.

To support Daniel, you can buy a copy of his book, Brief Eulogies for Lost Animals, at penandanvil.com/brief-eulogies, and sign up for his newsletter at http://danielhudon.com/about/! Other stories of his mentioned on the podcast are: “Horns of a Dilemma” (https://www.thesmartset.com/horns-of-a-dilemma/); “The Tree on My Block” video series (https://vimeo.com/showcase/4621414); and “Black Holes in the Time of Coronavirus” (https://www.thesmartset.com/black-holes-in-the-time-of-coronavirus/).

Hidden Compass, The Magazine: If you like the stories you hear on this podcast, you’ll love our magazine, which brings you more stories, alongside stunning photography and bespoke artwork. And you get to be a part of it! See the faces and hear the voices of the people behind our stories, and help us forge an alliance to turn storytellers and explorers into heroes and champion a new age of discovery. Learn more at hiddencompass.net, and sign up for our newsletter at https://mailchi.mp/8539a03c8c0c/hclanding2020-explorers.

See you next week, when we’ll talk with nature photographer and journalist (and one of our podcast co-hosts!) Sivani Babu about the beautiful and desolate ice floes of the Arctic and the mysteries of the “Ice Bear.”