Older Than a Fossil, And Farther From Home Than A Meteorite: The Life Of A Science Adventurer...By Geoffrey Notkin

Older Than a Fossil, And Farther From Home Than A Meteorite: The Life Of A Science Adventurer 
By Geoffrey Notkin

Geoff Notkin Portrait

Ever since I was a kid, I have been fascinated by ancient things. 

Some children collect sports cards or toy roots, but I collected rocks, fossils, and weird natural history objects that seemed as if they might hold a secret about our world or, indeed, a different world. Looking back now, I realize that innate curiosity became the foundation of my entire life. Whether I was searching for meteorites that traveled through space for billions of years, or fossils that preserved life from Earth’s distant past, I was always searching for pieces of history — a very ancient history. 

I was born in New York City, but grew up in England, the son of Foreign Service parents. London in the 1960s, and the rolling chalk hills (full of Cretaceous fossils) to the south, were perfect places to encourage and cultivate my early love of science and exploration. By the time I was six or seven, I was completely obsessed with astronomy, geology, paleontology, and natural history, and since my overly strict British public school did not offer any of those subjects, I became expert at “bunking off” [skipping school] and digging in the local quarry instead. 
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Thanks to my mother's patience, I visited museums frequently — especially the Natural History Museum in London — spending hours staring at ichthyosaur skeletons, gorgeous, colorful minerals, and meteorites displayed in vintage glass cabinets. To me, those objects were not just scientific specimens—they were time machines. Fossils told stories about life on Earth millions of years ago, while meteorites told stories about the formation of the solar system itself. 

Presenting at Royal Ontario Muesum

My Memoir, Book Cover

As I grew older, my interests expanded beyond science alone. I studied fine art, design, writing, and photography because I was fascinated by how we share information through written and visual communication and storytelling. Science is full of wonder, but scientific presentation is often presented in ways that feel distant or intimidating to the public (or, dare I say, dull?). I wanted to change that. Science can be exciting, emotional, and adventurous, and everyone should have the chance to feel the thrill of discovery. 

For many years, meteorites were my primary focus. The first time I held a real one in my hand, I experienced something almost impossible to describe. Here was a rock older than Earth itself—a fragment of another world that had survived a violent journey through space and landed on our planet. It felt mysterious, ancient, and deeply meaningful. That moment changed my life. I founded a small business, literally in my garage. Today, that business — Aerolite Meteorites, Inc. — is no longer small; it is the world leader in the field of meteorite collecting and commerce. 
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I began studying meteorites seriously, learned how to identify them, value them, and search for them in the remotest of landscapes, from the Sahara Desert and the Australian Outback, to Siberia and the Arctic. Meteorite hunting is a sometimes-baffling combination of science, patience, strategy, intuition, and luck. Some days or, in fact, some weeks, you hike for miles and miles beneath a relentless sun with no success at all. Other times, a dark, odd-looking shape at the bottom of a dig hole makes your heart jump, and suddenly you are holding a piece of cosmic history.

But while meteorites became central to my career for many years, I never lost my passion for paleontology. Fossils enthrall me for the same reasons. A fossil, like a meteorite, is a messenger from another time. Whether it is the leg bone of a dinosaur, the shell of a beautiful ammonite, or the imprint of an ancient plant, each fossil captures and preserves a moment from Earth’s long and complicated history. Both require finding, careful observation, scientific analysis, and imagination. Both tell stories about worlds that existed long before human civilization. And both inspire wonder, too. 

I became increasingly involved in the paleontological community and have had the privilege of working alongside collectors, researchers, educators, and museums that share a passion for preserving and studying fossils. I formed the Notkin Rock & Fossil company as a separate business, but with the same core principles as Aerolite — a dedication to authenticity, accurate description and identification, and — thanks to my degree in media arts — elegant presentation. And my active involvement with the Association of Applied Paleontological Sciences (AAPS) for over 25 years reflects my belief that ethical fossil collecting and scientific cooperation are not only important, but vital if we are to continue moving the chess piece of knowledge further across the board. Today, I am honored to serve as AAPS President.
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I strongly believe that science should not exist only inside laboratories and universities. Ordinary people can, and do every single day, contribute to scientific discovery. Responsible fossil and meteorite hunters have, countless times, made critically important finds that advance scientific understanding. Some discoveries that once lived in private collections later become part of museum exhibits and academic research collections. I have personally donated important pieces to museums all over the world.

Recent Dinosaur Find, New Mexico

Rucks Pit Fossil Calcite Clam

A similar philosophy influenced my television work. ​

Many people know me from the television series “Meteorite Men,” in which my colleague Steve Arnold and I traveled the equivalent of five times around the globe, searching for space rocks. The show was an international hit, airing on all seven continents, and introduced audiences to the mystery and excitement of meteorites. But, for me, it was more than a treasure hunt. It was about curiosity and about showing viewers that science can be adventurous and accessible. 

Nobody was more surprised than I at the success of the show. I knew people at gem shows were interested in the chance to hold a space rock, but I did not imagine that viewers around the world would become so caught up in the science of the hunt. Suddenly, people who had never thought about meteorites started collecting them; untold numbers of new meteorites were discovered and identified; teachers used clips from the program in classrooms; families visited science museums because they had seen the show together. And — this is the best part — some of the kids who were fans today hold doctorates in meteoritics, archaeology, astronomy, and other disciplines. 

Meteorite Men logo © LMNO Productions

Through my books, articles, public speaking, television appearances, and educational outreach, my goals have always been to make science feel alive and personal. I wrote about meteorites, paleontology, astronomy, history, and exploration because I hoped others would feel the way I do — science is not simply a collection of facts, it is an amazing journey. 

In the end, what drives me is wonder. When I am at the top of a mesa, far out in the desert, looking for dinosaur bones, I sometimes think about how minuscule we are in comparison to the engine of time. And yet, despite our smallness, we have miraculous abilities: we can ask questions, investigate mysteries, and find answers inside rocks, fossils, and fragments of other worlds.

Part of the lonely, curious little boy wandering through museums and staring at the stars is still with me. The difference is that now I have the great good fortune to turn that curiosity into a career — one that combines science, storytelling, adventure, and education. 

When I find a fossil that shows us an impossibly old snapshot of life from Earth’s ancient oceans, I feel the same sense of awe I felt as a kid. Both remind me that our planet and our universe are filled with stories waiting to be discovered. 
And those stories belong to all of us.

 Images © Desert Owl Productions, Inc.
Geoffrey Notkin 
Managing Director, Notkin Rock & Fossil 
Dallas / Plano Mineral & Fossil Show: Booth Number 8 
@geoffnotkin