Generation Anthropocene
97 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 1 year ago - ★★★★★ - 118 ratingsExploring the connection between humans, nature, and the powers shaping our new geologic age.
Hosted by Michael Osborne and produced by 14th Street Studios.
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Episodes
Earth In Human Hands
December 05, 2016 20:06 - 37 minutes"What if life isn't something that happens *on* a planet, but is something that happens *to* a planet? What if the planet itself is alive?" Thus begins one of the many intriguing thought exercises in astrobiologist David Grinspoon's new book, Earth in Human Hands (available Dec. 6, 2016). David has long been a friend of the show, in large part because he possesses a unique ability to bring the geologic imagination to life. His approach to the Anthropocene draws extensively from deep time and ...
On the Precipice
October 26, 2016 17:32 - 26 minutesSometime in the near geological future, the landscape of life on earth as we know it will be transformed. It’s a mass extinction, and it’s only happened five times before in Earth’s history. There have been severe ice ages, perplexing loses of oxygen from our oceans, massive volcanic eruptions, meteor impacts. And now, we’re on the precipice of a sixth mass extinction... and it’s nothing like our planet has ever seen before. In Season 8’s final episode, producer Miles Traer dives into the six...
A Tale of Two Grains
October 04, 2016 20:28 - 23 minutesFood security may be the most important issue we’ll face in the coming decades. With global population on the rise and a changing climate, the future of food is greatly uncertain. These realities have prompted some scientists to start looking at crops that might be well suited to these global changes, foods that are drought resistant and nutritionally rich. That’s where “superfoods” like quinoa and amaranth come in. In this week’s episode, we explore these two crops and their potential to bec...
Are We Alone in the Universe?
September 20, 2016 17:31 - 28 minutesHow did life begin on Earth? Curiously, scientists often search for the answer on other planets or moons in our solar system. After all, if we want to see whether our theories are right, we need to find another example of life somewhere. The search has taken us to some strange places seemingly frozen in time that give us hints to what Earth looked like billions of years ago when life first appeared in the geologic record: places like Mars that show evidence of fossil oceans, and places like S...
Environmental Icon David Suzuki
September 13, 2016 20:06 - 38 minutesThis week we bring you an intergenerational conversation featuring David Suzuki, who is a Canadian scientist, activist, and media figure. Since the 1970s, Suzuki has hosted both radio and television shows about the natural world and environmental issues. A self-described “elder,” Suzuki shares his views and long-term perspective on environmentalism with our producer Mike Osborne. Their wide-ranging conversation spans climate change, energy, shortfalls of the environmental movement, and the ev...
Evolution of Venom
September 06, 2016 18:39 - 29 minutes“In Asia or Africa around 60 million years ago, snakes became more venomous, though scientists aren't quite sure why then and there.” Sometimes understanding global environmental change requires that we simply know how nature works. And not just the pleasant side of nature, but all of it. When we look back through the wonders of Darwinian evolution, we gain a deeper appreciation for certain aspects of the natural world that seem… uncomfortable: things like snakes, spiders, jellyfish, Komodo D...
The Dino Crater
August 30, 2016 18:02 - 30 minutesOne of the best tales of all time from geologic history is the story of the meteor impact that killed the dinosaurs. As it turns out, though, there are still many unanswered questions about what exactly happened the moment the meteor connected with our planet. In fact, until recently, scientists had yet to collect sediment cores from the center of the impact crater. On today’s show, producer Michael Osborne talks with Sean Gulick, co-chief scientist of an expedition that recently drilled the ...
Climate Change: The Beginning
August 24, 2016 17:00 - 25 minutesHumans have been altering the climate for a long time – but how long, exactly? This question is central to the Anthropocene debate. When did the human population collectively achieve colossal power that can be equated with geologic power? Was it at the start of the Industrial Revolution? Back during the Agricultural Revolution? And how on earth do climatologists pinpoint a date? This week, producer and resident paleoclimatologist Mike Osborne looks at two inflection points in human activity. ...
Our Fashion Footprint
August 17, 2016 06:20 - 19 minutesA trendy outfit has never been cheaper than it is today. Not only that, the fashion industry is churning out new styles so quickly that the entire phenomenon has been dubbed fast fashion. The industry includes retailers like H&M, Forever 21, Zara, and even Target and Walmart. Of course, it’s only natural that we love finding the latest styles at affordable prices. But our clothes have abundant hidden costs for both the environment and people. This week, producer Leslie Chang takes a closer lo...
Ed Yong, author of 'I Contain Multitudes'
August 09, 2016 15:18 - 40 minutesThere are billions of microbes both in and on our bodies. These invisible organisms form complex ecosystems, which are passed on to us as infants through breast milk, help digest food in our guts, and may even be correlated with a growing list of health conditions like obesity, chronic fatigue syndrome, and autism. It’s no exaggeration to say that human life would not be possible without the microbiome. Science writer Ed Yong has been reporting on the microbiome for over a decade, and has jus...
Paleoclimatologist Page Chamberlain
August 02, 2016 15:57 - 31 minutesWe tend to think of the world in terms of our relationship with it: as individuals, communities, civilizations. It’s harder to think about the Earth before a textual record, before human history. This week, we dive into deep time with paleoclimatologist Page Chamberlain. What did the Western United States look like in the Cenozoic Era? How do the Rocky Mountains affect Europe’s climate? How can the climate 3 million years ago tell us about the climate today? In this conversation, Page and pro...
The Survivor
July 26, 2016 17:31 - 17 minutesThe solenodon: a venomous, shrew-like mammal, found only in the Caribbean, that has survived for millions of years by hiding underground. Even the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago couldn’t kill this hardy little creature. But after surviving for so long, after outliving the freakin’ DINOSAURS, the solenodon is now threatened by human encroachment into their habitat. Guest producer Laura Cussen brings us this story, originally published in 2014 with support from the Sta...
Food Nudges (Fudges?)
July 19, 2016 22:46 - 18 minutesWe all need food to stay alive, but when we’re filling up our grocery carts, it’s not like survival is the primary motivator. If you’re listening to this podcast, chances are you live somewhere with food options galore. And if you’re environmentally inclined, you probably take a little more time in deciding what to put in your mouth. Is it healthy? Is it organic? Is it tasty?! So much to think about everytime we eat! Today we have two stories that dive a little deeper into our decision-making...
Rebroadcast: Paul Ehrlich and The Population Bomb
July 12, 2016 21:43 - 25 minutesThis week we revisit our interview with Paul Ehrlich. Ehrlich rose to notoriety in the 1960s following the publication of his bestselling book “The Population Bomb.” In the book, he foresaw a world characterized by widespread famine and societal collapse driven by overpopulation. In the years since, Ehrlich has received considerable criticism for his predictions. In this quintessential Gen Anthro conversation, our former student Jenny Rempel challenges Ehrlich about his past predictions and h...
Kim Stanley Robinson
July 05, 2016 18:19 - 37 minutesThink of the Anthropocene as a science fiction thought experiment. We imagine future geologists looking back into the rock record, and trying to pinpoint when humans became the dominant geologic force. In many ways, science fiction is the perfect genre for exploring environmental issues – running out scenarios and “what ifs” to their extremes, and imagining how that world would look and feel. Award-winning science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson does exactly that in many of his works. In ...
Will Allen, Urban Farmer
June 28, 2016 17:42 - 35 minutesAs cities around the world absorb more and more people, many urbanites want to reconnect with local food. This has led to the rise and spread of urban agriculture, and at the center of this movement is Will Allen, the founder and CEO of the nonprofit Growing Power. In today’s episode, Allen shares his life story, and discusses his passion for urban agriculture and food security, as well as how urban farming can strengthen community ties. We also have a short bonus segment this week, brought t...
Sounds Of Space
June 21, 2016 20:16 - 32 minutesWhen we think of space, we typically think of beautiful images taken by powerful telescopes and interplanetary rovers. We think of the rings around Saturn; the giant red spot on Jupiter; or Martian rover selfies. But what does the surface of Mars sound like? What haunting melody should we expect from our Sun? And what do these sounds teach us about our cosmic neighborhood? On today’s episode, producer Miles Traer takes us on an audio tour of the solar system, with a rich library of sounds rec...
Peak Phosphorus
June 15, 2016 23:52 - 13 minutesFive things you may not know about phosphorus (but probably should): 1) It's an essential element to all life on Earth – so it's a critical ingredient for industrial fertilizers. 2) The vast majority of our phosphorus supply comes from phosphate rock, mined from geologic deposits. 3) Those geologic deposits are concentrated in just 5 countries, and Morocco alone controls 75% of known reserves. 4) The rate at which we’re consuming phosphorus is flat out unsustainable, to say the least. Experts...
Early Humans and Megafauna
June 08, 2016 17:01 - 27 minutesThe Anthropocene is characterized by exponential global change driven by human activity. But humans have been impacting the planet since the very earliest days when we first appeared on the evolutionary tree. In fact, one of the longest running debates in paleontology centers on homo sapiens’ role in wiping out North America's enormous land animals, known as megafauna. In this interview with paleontologist Liz Hadly, we talk about what life looked like in the Pleistocene, the pattern of human...
No Ordinary Garbage
May 31, 2016 17:22 - 29 minutesTrash. Garbage. Refuse. Waste. Call it whatever you like, this is the stuff we deal with everyday that we no longer want in our lives. It’s not that it has no value; it actually has negative value. That’s why we’re getting rid of it! And apart from remembering when to drag out the bins to the curb, our trash mostly stays out of sight and out of mind. But on today’s show, we explore what happens when we don’t look away and follow our trash around. Where does it go? What happens to it? And what...
Livelihoods, Poverty, and Climate Risk
May 24, 2016 21:51 - 35 minutesPerhaps you've noticed recently that there's been a shift in way experts are approaching climate change. While much of the focus (rightly) continues to be on "bending the CO2 curve downward," there's also been a growing literature on climate adaptation. The sobering reality is that climate change is already upon us – so given that we cannot escape some of the consequences, we're now faced with a whole new series of questions. Who is most at risk? What are the social, cultural, and political f...
Rare Earth Elements
May 17, 2016 16:27 - 31 minutes"Oil is the blood; steel is the body; but rare earth elements are the vitamins of a modern society." While many of us can't even pronounce elements such as praseodymium, yttrium, or gadolinium, these minerals drive our technology and our modern lifestyles. These aren't your run-of-the-mill "common" Earth elements, these are the "rare" earth elements. But... they aren't actually that rare. And their importance to modern life goes well beyond their unusual geology. On this episode, professor Ju...
The Nature of Disney
May 13, 2016 17:07 - 30 minutesDisney movies have captured the imaginations of children and adults for decades. The endearing characters, the colorful landscapes, and the epic tales of heroism carry a sense of wonder and playfulness. But what we rarely notice is that woven into many of these films is a deeper story about the natural world. In Disney movies we learn the rules of the forest, the hierarchy of the jungle, and humankind's relationship to nature. Underlying every film is an implicit morality, one that seems so l...
Inside the Cloud
May 11, 2016 16:24 - 13 minutesA core tension at the center of many environmental debates has to do with our relationship to technology. After all, the environmental movement that arose in the 1960s was propelled by a desire to "get back to nature," but these days we have an increasingly hard time escaping technology. It's somewhat ironic, therefore, that we use the language of nature to describe so many aspects of the digital universe. Probably the best current example is the mysterious "cloud," which has become so critic...
The Ecosystem Within
May 02, 2016 16:19 - 11 minutesThe microbiome is the term doctors use to describe the countless organisms each one of us carries in and on our bodies. In the last few years there's been an explosion of research around how the gut microbiome is linked with our health. As Microbiologist Justin Sonnenburg tells producer Anna Lee, our microbiomes are like the control center of our bodies, affecting cognition, digestion, mood, and overall wellbeing. It turns out that that much of the current research into our gut microbiomes is...
The Planet Remade
March 03, 2016 18:10 - 24 minutesIn 2011, author and editor Oliver Morton wrote a cover article for "The Economist" titled: Welcome to the Anthropocene. Many credit this article with jumpstarting popular interest in the term. On today's show, producer Miles Traer sits down with Morton to discuss the anthropocene in the context of his new book titled "The Planet Remade: How Geoengineering Could Change The World." The conversation touches on everything from pitching stories at the Economist to U2 spy planes to why geoengineeri...
Scars of the Past
February 10, 2016 15:40 - 27 minutesBeneath Cambodia's troubled history with the Khmer Rouge lies a complex agricultural legacy that reaches back centuries. Once the symbol of a thriving region, we see how a prolonged El Nino brought drought and increased human conflict, and how the ruthless Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge looked back to the temples at Angkor Wat and their proud agricultural heritage to motivate the atrocities of the Cambodian genocide. Producer Miles Traer speaks with mental health and water science experts to see...
Vanishing Remains
February 01, 2016 23:33 - 19 minutesStudent reporter Reade Levinson travels to Mongolia in hopes of witnessing a practice known as sky burial, in which bodies of the dead are prepared for the afterlife. But as Reade learns in her journey, in Mongolia the forces of urbanization, modernization, and environmental change may be threatening this sacred ritual. This piece is a collaboration between Generation Anthropocene and the Stanford Storytelling project. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Big Data of Nature
January 28, 2016 17:51 - 37 minutesAs we hear over and over again, environmental issues are mounting, and the stakes are huge. So how might big data be used to tackle the issues of sustainability, climate change, habitat loss, and species extinction? And even more than that, can it offer us new ways of engaging in a relationship with nature? This episode comes from the Raw Data podcast, produced by our own Mike Osborne and Leslie Chang. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Preparing For Paris
November 25, 2015 17:50 - 15 minutesWhen the Conference of the Parties meets in Paris in the coming weeks, it will mark the 21st time the nations of the world have met to try to strike a deal to combat climate change. Given existing tensions between nations, and given that each country has a unique capacity to contribute to a comprehensive deal, we ask the question, "how can we measure success at the Paris negotiations?" Stanford researcher Aaron Strong and New York Time reporter Andy Revkin walk us through the history of previ...
Learning to Die in the Anthropocene
November 11, 2015 19:12 - 27 minutesDoes climate change mean the end of civilization? Maybe that sounds crazy, but, then again, all the forecasts are deeply sobering. There are reasons for hope, sure, but there are also reasons to believe that humans are unleashing forces beyond anyone's control. If we assume for the sake of argument that we are on a collision course headed for global catastrophe, how do we make peace with that reality? How do we comport ourselves as ethical human beings, and what does it mean to be living thro...
The Soundtracker
September 15, 2015 05:12 - 49 minutesGordon Hempton has traveled the world for decades, recording the sounds of the Earth. Produced, edited, and mixed by Leslie Chang. Story idea by Jackie Mogensen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Evolution of Fire
September 02, 2015 11:05 - 27 minutesFire is evolving. The three necessary ingredients for fire - heat, fuel, and oxygen - each appeared at different times in geological history, meaning that fire wasn't always around on Earth's surface. Fire historian Steve Pyne describes the origin and evolution of fire over the past 420 millions years on Earth, including history's true Promethean moment. In a bonus segment, producer Mike Osborne chats with paleoclimate scientist Jud Partin about his new publication exploring the Younger Dryas...
Rondonia
August 18, 2015 16:47 - 21 minutesRondonia by Generation Anthropocene Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Stakes
August 04, 2015 17:46 - 19 minutesThere's no way around it – climate change is a critical part of the Anthropocene. This week, we explore what's at stake with climate change. We talk to Professor Marshall Burke about the connection between climate and conflict, and to Professor Ken Caldeira about a radical solution to global warming: geoengineering. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Seeds of Change
July 21, 2015 06:26 - 18 minutesSeeds of Change by Generation Anthropocene Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Hidden Water
July 07, 2015 04:59 - 23 minutesMost of the changes scientists see on our planet are either visible to the naked eye or directly measurable. But changes to our water systems are among the most difficult to see. In this episode, we travel from the Antarctic ice sheet capturing over 60 percent of all freshwater on Earth, to massive groundwater aquifers that remain particularly elusive, to a freshwater system that acts as the primary economic, cultural, and environmental driver of southern Asia. In short, we go in search of hi...
What is the Anthropocene?
July 06, 2015 17:45 - 6 minutesIn this compilation, we draw from our 80+ episodes to explore the anthropocene: what it is, how it's defined, and what it means for you. This piece was released in cooperation with SmithsonianMag's Anthropocene hub. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
History is a Mess
June 23, 2015 06:06 - 34 minutesHow does geography affect the outcomes of history? We seek an answer from archaeologist Ian Morris, and explore a case study of the Navajo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A Slight Digression: Invertebrates
June 16, 2015 17:18 - 28 minutesInvertebrates. Gutless, spineless– but perhaps under-appreciated invertebrates. We probably don’t spend enough time thinking about that other category of organisms on earth, so on this episode we’re going to spend some time with maybe the most overlooked group of Eukaryotes: Fungi. As it turns out, there are (at least) five MIND BLOWING facts about fungi that we all need to know. We’ll then travel to Southeastern Alaska to study the changing forest community. A wave of climate-driven ecologic...
The Urban Equation
June 03, 2015 00:00 - 17 minutesAs cities continue to grow, scientists are trying to define the “Urban Equation” – a mathematical expression that defines not just a group of buildings, but a complex network of physical and social interactions. Why? Because our cities control previously elusive aspects of human evolution. To understand our cities is to understand us. In this episode, Luis Bettencourt and Tyler Nordgren discuss various elements of the urban equation. We see how complex networks give rise to creativity; how to...
Research to Reality: Eyewitness to the 2015 Nepal Earthquake
May 26, 2015 00:00 - 10 minutesAfter 30 years in high-tech marketing and general management, Anne Sanquini began a second career as a researcher studying how to motivate people to take precautionary action to protect their homes and school against earthquakes. Her work over the past four years led her to Kathmandu Valley in Nepal. She was on the ground during the April 25 earthquake, the very quake she had been preparing for. Season 7, Episode 1 – May 26, 2015 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Hanging Out in a Rambunctious Garden
August 20, 2013 00:00 - 27 minutesEmma Marris, author of Rambunctious Garden, believes that in the Anthropocene we should widen our repertoire of conservation strategies, rather than relying on traditional conservation methods that “look backwards.” She also and suggests that we can learn to appreciate all forms of nature, big and small. Season 6, Episode 7 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Rebroadcast: Tracing Networks of Disease
April 15, 2013 00:00 - 28 minutesRebroadcast: Biological anthropologist James Holland Jones explains how diseases typically spread from animal to human populations and how that might change as our planet continues to warm. He also discusses how we might prevent future epidemics with limited vaccines by looking to community structure and identifying the key bridge populations. Season 5, Episode 7 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A Cosmic Twin Study
January 08, 2013 00:00 - 29 minutesAstrobiologist David Grinspoon takes the anthropocene off-planet to our nearest cosmic neighbor Venus and discusses what we learn about climate change here on Earth from Venus’ catastrophic green-house effect. Season 4, Episode 6 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Earth's Tipping Points & Abrupt Climate Change
October 30, 2012 00:00 - 28 minutesClimate researcher and host of "PBS’s Earth: The Operators’ Manual" Richard Alley discusses rapid changes in Earth’s climate through history and how this relates to our impacts today. Does the Earth’s climate have dials, or switches? Season 3, Episode 8 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Yogurt & The Apocalypse: The Narratives of Environmentalism
July 24, 2012 00:00 - 35 minutesLiterary critic and pop culture enthusiast Ursula Heise dissects environmental storytelling and its relation to science… both real and fictional. Season 2, Episode 6 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices