2026

In this episode of Geoscientists' Voices, recorded at the EGU 2026 conference in Vienna, Vishal shares his journey from ranking in the top 0.3% of India's elite JEE exams to uncovering Neolithic secrets at Atlit-Yam. We dive into the science of biomarkers - molecular fossils that reveal what ancient humans ate, how they farmed, and how they responded to rising sea levels. Vishal also opens up about his academic journey through math, physics, and environmental science, offering a unique perspective on why the future of geosciences is fundamentally tied to the chemistry of our changing climate. 

In this episode of Geoscientists' Voices, host Aleksei Nelaev returns to his alma mater, the University of Haifa in Israel, to sit down with his former Master's professor and the founder of the PetroLab, Prof. Nicolas Waldmann. We follow his international academic journey through Jerusalem, Geneva, and Norway, exploring the language and cultural barriers he had to break along the way. We dive deep into the technical wonders of his laboratory, discussing how his multi-sensor core logger uses multiple physical and chemical proxies to compile a reliable record of the past. Nicholas explains the fascinating "detective work" of drilling the Dead Sea basin to extract 200,000-year-old salt crystals. By isolating tiny, ancient drops of water trapped inside these crystals, his team reconstructs past lake-level variations, paleoclimate, and even ancient archaea. From the freezing, calm waters near the North Pole to blinding Harmattan dust storms on Lake Chad, Nicolas reminds us of human fragility, the interdisciplinary future of geosciences, and why we must never stop questioning.