The Daily Show: Ears Edition Trump Goes “Captain Phillips” on Venezuelan Tanker & MAGA Purges "Woke" Fonts | Lonnie Thompson
11 snips
Dec 12, 2025 Lonnie Thompson, a paleoclimatologist and ice-core research pioneer, shares his insights on climate history and the vital information ice cores provide about our planet's past. He discusses his challenging expeditions, including drilling in remote glaciers post-heart transplant. The conversation touches on the documentary 'Canary' and encourages young people to chase their dreams. With humor, the show also explores the absurdity of current political events, including the U.S.-Venezuela tension and the 'woke' font debate.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Ice Cores Record Climate History
- Ice cores are cylinders drilled from glaciers that record temperature, precipitation, volcanic events, and atmospheric composition across centuries.
- Lonnie Thompson explains these cores let scientists reconstruct climate history and track CO2 and methane changes over time.
Logistics Of High‑Altitude Drilling
- Lonnie Thompson described the logistics of drilling: transporting lightweight but heavy equipment via helicopters and assembling a six-ton drill on remote glaciers.
- He recounts pilots refusing risky flights and the team's persistence to get cores from high elevations.
Continuing Fieldwork After A Transplant
- Thompson shared his personal health journey: he had a heart transplant yet returned to the field for multiple expeditions.
- He emphasized being 77 with a heart that’s effectively decades younger and continuing research despite risks.