Generation Anthropocene

Ever wonder what Westeros looked like long before the Starks, Baratheons, Lannisters, or Targaryens roamed its surface? How far back can we really imagine the history of the Game of Thrones planet? According to Generation Anthropocene producer Miles Traer, we can look back through 500 million years of history if we apply geologic principles learned here on Earth, and a little imagination. He has even made a detailed geologic map to prove it. In this episode, producer Mike Osborne talks with Miles and gives a brief tour of the map, details how it was pieced together, and explains why the project isn't quite as ridiculous as it seems. So brandish your swords, tame your dragons, and stay well clear of the white walkers as we explore the geology of Game of Thrones.

The 5th report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is being released, so Gen Anthro is breaking the hiatus to bring you a special episode. These two back-to-back interviews are with Chris Field and Thomas Stocker. Both scientists hold high-level positions within the IPCC. They cast light on the current state of climate science, the inner workings of the IPCC, and, as always, a bit on the Anthropocene.

Hello Gen Anthro fans! Today's episode is a little bittersweet because we have to announce two things: 1) producer Leslie will be leaving the show (at least for a little while) while she travels across the country to learn how to become an even ​better​ producer! 2) Generation Anthropocene will be going on hiatus for next few months as producers Mike and Miles complete their PhD programs. We will be back! But it might be a few months. BUT, before this happens, team GenAnthro got together for one final story! As part of KCRW's Radio Race event, we completed a story about "the last thing you'd expect." We call the story ​Fire with Fire​ and we hope you enjoy! Thank you for all of your support and we'll see you soon!

Today, we discuss the future of the automobile and all of its possibilities with Sven Beiker. Sven discusses car specialization and why the Swiss Army Knife car just won't work. We also talk about changing driver patterns, connecting your car to the internet, how changing cars might change our roads as well, along with a brief exploration of how the idea of our cars as a symbol of freedom might be shifting. We also take a second to figure out how to say the plural of the Toyota Prius.

On today’s episode, our friend and co-creator of the wildly popular Science… Sort Of podcast, Ryan Haupt, joins us to talk about Pleistocene re-wilding. If you don’t know what that is, don’t worry! Follow along as we try to figure it out too. Along the way, Ryan touches on the science of Iron Man, African elephant birth control, running zebras in the Kentucky Derby, and the worst safari ever.

Fran Moore talks about various ways that farmers in Europe have adjusted to higher temperatures in recent years, and sheds light on the difficulty of singling out the effect of climate change on farmers' decision-making. She also discusses how differently climate scientists and economists view adaptation. For her masters research, Fran studied the way climate adaptation policy is put together during international negotiations, and she explains why there isn't a clear definition of what counts as "successful" adaptation.

Emma Marris, author of Rambunctious Garden, believes that in the Anthropocene we should widen our repertoire of conservation strategies, rather than exclusively relying on traditional conservation methods that "look backwards." Emma also shares how her own relationship with nature has changed over the years, and suggests that we can learn to appreciate all forms of nature, from weeds growing in sidewalk cracks to grand mountain landscapes.

In the second half of his interview with Gen Anthro, Hari Mix talks about his experiences this past spring in the Himalaya and his summit bid for Lhotse without oxygen. He also sheds some light on the costs of mountaineering, respecting weather conditions on the mountain, and what he learned about his own physical ability and about the way rescue decisions are made on mountains. Finally, Hari shares some of his ideas for potential directions he might take his mountaineering in the future.

Today's episode is the first part of Generation Anthropocene's interview with Hari Mix, a mountaineer, PhD student, and friend of the producers. In this first half, Hari talks about how he got into mountaineering, and some of his experiences climbing mountains in Colorado and Kazakhstan. He also reflects on a close shave with a collapsed ice bridge in Tajikistan, and on the role of risk in mountaineering. Check back on Friday for part 2 of Hari's interview, in which he talks about his experience climbing Mt. Lhotse this past spring.

The debate surrounding genetically modified organisms, often called GMOs, is an absolute mess. What drove my desire to do a GMO story for Generation Anthropocene was born from two intertwined questions: how did the GMO discussion become so polarized and why does it continue to feel like the topic of GMOs doesn’t allow for a middle ground? Seeing as how I’m defending my PhD in a matter of weeks, I don’t have a ton of time to dive deep into the nuanced answers to these questions and shape them into coherent prose in this blog post. But that won’t stop me from offering this dramatic oversimplification: whichever side of the GMO debate you come down on actually doesn’t depend on your love and acceptance of objective science, but will instead depend on your subjective ideologies… and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Today, we take a little bit of break from talking about science to instead talk about how media covers science, particularly the reporting on genetically modified organisms (more commonly called GMOs). It's a contentious subject, and Keith talks about why people tend to take it so personally, when he got interested in GMOs, and what caused him to become the "crop cop."

Rebecca Solnit, a writer and native of the Bay Area, provides a brief history of San Francisco's transformation from a working class port city to a center of technology after the dot com boom. We discuss foodies, Silicon Valley tech culture, the spike in real estate prices, and the gentrification of the city. Our conversation then veers towards activism, and she shares her thoughts on the work of 350.org and the progress of environmental activism. Finally, Rebecca explains her work with historic maps that depict California as an island, and how that metaphor applies beyond cartography.

Professor Eric Lambin started his career working with satellite images to examine patterns of land use change, and emphasizes that understanding the patterns requires going into the field and talking to the farmers and locals using the land. He also discusses how globalization and international trade can drive land use change in unexpected ways. Finally, Professor Lambin explains the concept of potentially arable cropland (PAC) and the relevance of “peak land” in the context of the Anthropocene, especially for policy makers.

In the mid-1980s, a small problem began to surface in a relatively obscure corner of the world. In 1994, just about a decade later, the World Health Organization published a statement that this little problem had developed into "the largest mass poisoning of a population in history." On today's show, we speak to the doctors, epidemiologists, and geologists who helped hunt down the origin of this tragic event. Join us as we venture through the human body and through geologic history to uncover the twists and turns and remarkable coincidences responsible for this ongoing epidemic.

A few weeks ago, we made an announcement that we'd be trying out some new material on our site while we spent a little more time working on larger audio stories. We've now got a few written pieces out there and a video too. We've been really thrilled with the response to this work, and thanks to all of you for the kind words. For those audiophiles out there, please don't fret. We're excited to say that this week, we're in final preparations of our first big, shiny, new story. Look for it soon on our site, on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, or anywhere else you find our show.