Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Ancient footprints, unidentified remains, brain cells - they're all part of the story told through atoms, and at the Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (CAMS) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, those atoms speak volumes.
In this episode, we explore how Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) is helping scientists solve mysteries across time: from rewriting the timeline of human arrival in North America to closing decades-old cold cases, and even advancing biomedical breakthroughs.
With insights from CAMS researchers, we follow the journey of rare isotopes as they become time-stamps, and vital clues, challenging our understanding of the past and shaping what’s possible in the future.
Apple: livermorelab.info/4r7rapm
Spotify: livermorelab.info/43ys5Fl
Guests featured (in order of appearance):
Bruce Buchholz, Staff Scientist, Cold Case Discoveries Lead, LLNL
Susan Zimmerman, Staff Scientist, White Sands National Park Footprints Study Lead, LLNL
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Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series.
Executive Produced by Levi Hanusch.
Script by Caroline Kidd
Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Matthew Powell.
Story Editing by Levi Hanusch.
Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell.
Narrated by Matthew Powell.
Video Production by Levi Hanusch.
Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Ancient footprints, unidentified remains, brain cells - they're all part of the story told through atoms, and at the Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (CAMS) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, those atoms speak volumes.
In this episode, we explore how Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) is helping scientists solve mysteries across time: from rewriting the timeline of human arrival in North America to closing decades-old cold cases, and even advancing biomedical breakthroughs.
With insights from CAMS researchers, we follow the journey of rare isotopes as they become time-stamps, and vital clues, challenging our understanding of the past and shaping what’s possible in the future.
Apple: livermorelab.info/4r7rapm
Spotify: livermorelab.info/43ys5Fl
Guests featured (in order of appearance):
Bruce Buchholz, Staff Scientist, Cold Case Discoveries Lead, LLNL
Susan Zimmerman, Staff Scientist, White Sands National Park Footprints Study Lead, LLNL
--
Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series.
Executive Produced by Levi Hanusch.
Script by Caroline Kidd
Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Matthew Powell.
Story Editing by Levi Hanusch.
Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell.
Narrated by Matthew Powell.
Video Production by Levi Hanusch.
Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
