AndyouthoughttheIditarodwashardcore?Playitlikealichen.

Imeanitsgottabethegreatestmigrationstoryevertold.ButIthoughtthekeytothe
wholethingwasthelandbridge.Andnowyouresayingtherewasnolandbridge?
Well,therewasone,butitsurfacedafterthemigrationtookplace.
Galeswhippingwavespummelingshoressmoothingrock.
Soiftherewasnolandbridgethenhowdidthosecrazypioneeringnomadsgetfrom
SiberiatoAlaska?WithnolandroutetheyhadtodealnotjustthewateroftheBering
sea,butthecontinentalicesheets,Leviathanathicicebergs,mountainlikeglaciers,and
brutalsnowstorms.
IthinkyoumeanLeviathanariffic.
Trytokeepup.[movestotheedgeoftheseat.]Imeanwhenitsthatcold,whatsthe
differencebetweenlandandwater?
Theyrebothfrozen.
Exactly.Eventhesoilisfrozen:permafrost,myfriend.Thedescendantsofthosefirst
migrations,andpeopleswholiveuptherenowcallitTundar.
AsinTundra?
Bingo.Itmeanstreelesstractsofland.Tempssolowtreesmostcantgrow.
Whynot?
Theicekeepsrootsfromtappingintothenutritiousmineralmix.
Ahh,yeah.Soilislikegranolafortrees.Ifitsisfrozenitllcrackyrteeth.
Thatsaratheroddanalogy,butyes,thefoodisfrozen.
Andtheresnomicrowave.
Well
Inthesummer,though,thesoilthaws,andformilesandmilesasoggyterrainofrock,
dirtandmudstretchescircumpolar:marshes,lakes,bogsandstreams.Thewordtundra
isKildinSami.Thereare753speakersofthisancientlanguageleft.Furtherwarmingis
promotinganovelphaseofThaw,remixinglandandwaterasicewithdraws.
OK,sonolandbridge.Boats?
Wellyeah,buttheresnomysterythere.Thequestionis,howdidtheystaywarm
amidsttheice,snow,andlongarcticnights.
Spaceheaters?No,superloadedbigrigsliketheIceRoadTruckers!
Funny.
Alright,then,uhh,sealfurs?
Furswouldnthaveworked.Theyrecozyforsleepingbutwhenyouvegotsome
moosehidedrapedoveryourshouldersitdoesnteffectivelytrapbodyheatwhenyoure
moving.Plus,itstoughtomaneuverinsuchahide:youretalkingaboutfolkswhohad
tohike,paddleboats,hunt,fish.
Iknowexactlywhatyoumean.[quizzicalexpression]Sothen,howdidtheymakeit?

Well,itseemstheyhadsewingneedles.Small,thinstickshandcraftedouttaivory.
Witheyelets.
Seriously.(pauses.)Wait,sowhat?
Tightfittinggarmentsrequirestitching.
Andagoodtailor.
Yeah.Neanderthalstannedhides,buttheycouldntstitchwiththread.Homosapiens
figuredoutthatone.
Howoldaretheclothes.
Noneofthegarmentsarestillaround,butsomeoftheneedlesare.Afewdateback30
40,000years.
Woah.
Surf(wavesasaquaterra)beatinguponigneousintrusions(moltenrock/heatwaves)
shovedupbytectoniccollisionsbecomeGapings,theearthspockmarkedsurfacean
interfaceofair,water,andearth.Yetevenamidstthemultidimensionalcrush,life
arrives.
Sowhatdidtheyeat?
Ourarcticnomadsatedeerandcaribou.
Andwhatdidthedearandcariboueat?
Alottalichens.ThemosttastyareCladinastellaris.Inthewinter,alotoflichens
actuallylivebeneaththeice.Butthecariboucouldsmellthem,andtheywoulddig
throughtheicetoeatthem.Buttheblacktaileddeercouldntdigthroughtheiceaswell
sotheyeatalichencalledwitchshair(Alectoriasarmentosa)thatactuallygrowson
treecanopiesbutblowsdowntothegroundduringstorms.
Righteous.
Yeah.Lichenswereandarecrucialforotheranimalstoo.Squirrelsandbirdsmake
nestsoutofthem.
Sotheydidntneedsewingneedles.
[Smiles]Goodone.
Thanks,butIstillhavenofreakinideawhatalichenis.
Yeahyoudo.Theyreallovertheplace.Youveseenthem,theygrowontrees,onthe
bark,onrocks,stonewalls.
Ohyeah,thatkindathickdarkstuff,orbrightgreenroughcarpetliketypedeal,
sometimesonstonesbystreams,right?
Probablytheformer,thelattersoundsmorelikeamoss.Lichenscomeinallsortsof
colors.Thatspartofwhatmakesthemsobadassistheirchemistry.Alichen
technicallyisntanorganism,orevenaplant,itisasymbioticassociationofanalgaplant
andafungus.Whatswildisthatthosetwotypesoforganismsarentevenfromthe
samekingdom.
KindalikeRonArtestandYaoMing.
IdontthinkImevengonnatouchthatone,.
Differentkingdomsbuttheyworktogether!
Uhh,ok.

Sameteam:itspositive.
Sooo,intheassociationthelichenbestowswaterandmineralstothealgabywayof
absorbingthemfromwhateverthelichenisgrowingupon
Ilikethatyoucalledittheassociation.Soundsmafialike.
[frowns]
Butpositive,amafiaofpositivity!
Inbiologytheycallitasymbiont.
Substrate:whatsustainsandenables;thephaseshiftasgrowth:aquaterra.
Andthealga,likeagoodcook,usesthemineralsandwatertomakefood(via
photynthesis)forthefungusanditself.
Howdidthelichensgetthere?
Youmeanthearctic?
Yeah.
Youmeandidtheyneedneedles?
Ohthatsdeep.Didthey?
Idunno.Stillsomemysterythere.Butwhatswildisthatitlookslikelichensplayeda
keyrolehundredsofmillionsofyearsagoinbothloweringtheearthstemperatureand
takingcarbondioxideouttatheatmospheretherebyincreasingtheoxygencontent.
And?
Anythatsetthestageforanimals.Lookslikelichenswerekeyinenablingwhats
calledtheCambrianexplosionwhichiswhenallthesenewformsofanimallife
appearedandthenmovedintoland.
Woah.Sotheychangedtheplayingfield?
Likeclassicplaymakers.
Oldschool.
Theoldest:geobiological.