For years, scientists have known that continents float around on the Earth’s surface like ice bergs on the ocean. But what happens deep beneath our feet? A new theory envisions graveyards for continents and a life cycle not unlike the weather. He dispenses with the usual Japanese greeting ritual. Business cards presented with both hands, bowing, drinking tea — there’s no time for such formalities. He has to explain the history of the planet, nearly five billion years, in just one hour. ‘Hi, I’m Shige,’ he says, waving his hands in the air. Then he dashes into his office, a researcher’s warren on the campus of the Tokyo Institute of Technology, jam-packed with piles of paper, hiking boots, posters, rock samples and a couch with a sleeping bag. Shige is an unbridled enthusiast, a pioneer and a brilliant polymath. Shige’s full name is Maruyama Shigenori. In Japan, it’s customary to refer to one’s family name first. Maruyama is a passionate collector who has gathered 160,000 minerals and exhibited them in a museum. He is also one of the world’s leading geophysicists. His academic articles rank among the most cited in his field, and his works are found […]