Generation Anthropocene

Check out our new written essays at www.GenAnthro.com! This week, Mike reads his essay "How am I supposed to answer 'Are we screwed?'": As a climate scientist in training, the most common question I get from my non-science friends is this: “So, are we just, like… screwed?” That’s it. That’s the question I get. Are we screwed?

The producers of Generation Anthropocene are making a special announcement about the future of this show. We're going to be expanding the scope of our storytelling as well as the types of material available on our website. We might not release a new podcast episode every Tuesday as we have been doing for this past year, but we will continue to report on all things Anthropocene through audio interviews and new material like written blog posts and photo essays. We thank all of you for your understanding in this time of transition.

What does brain science have to do with the Anthropocene? We're not entirely sure. But the Generation Anthropocene team is venturing into the world of the brain with the editor of the Neuwrite blog to talk about it anyways. Neuroscientist Nick Weiler discusses powerful new techniques used to map the brain at the molecular scale and how the manipulation of mouse whiskers can teach us how the brain changes as we learn. Nick also takes a moment to explain why the concept of consciousness is best left to the philosophers rather than the neuroscientists... but that won't stop him from commenting on it too. [correction: Nick has corrected a statement he mentioned in the interview regarding the size of a mouse brain. He previously said it was 50x smaller than a human brain when in reality, it is 2500x smaller.]

Jane Lubchenco, the former head of the US government's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), discusses what it's like being asked to join the president's "science team," the tremendous breadth of research covered by NOAA, and what it's like sitting in an airplane flying through hurricane Sandy. Dr. Lubchenco also reflects on her work as a science communicator and the now "platinum standard" of open science communication she helped develop at NOAA.

Hank Greely and Jake Sherkow discuss the science, morals, and ethics of de-extinction: bringing extinct species back to life. As lawyers with an interest in biotechnologies, Hank and Jake explain how they first got involved with de-extinciton, how scientists propose to bring species back, and discuss the potential for de-extinction technology to help restore damaged ecosystems. While discussing some potential side effects of this new process, Hank and Jake recall how a man obsessed with William Shakespeare transformed the ecosystem of New England, and how de-extinction might do the same.

Expert on international law Andrew Guzman takes a step back from analyzing climate change in terms of degrees and meters of sea level rise and breaks down all the ways climate change will affect humanity. Dr. Guzman offers this perspective through his new book, Overheated: The human cost of climate change. From environmental refugees to changing disease vectors to social conflict, Guzman illustrates how nearly all of our human systems interact with climate and therefore will feel the effects of even +2C.

After growing up in a remote corner of Alaska, marine biologist Zach Brown wants to start a school to teach future scientists about environmental sciences and sustainability. Zach tells producers Mike and Leslie about his vision for the Inian Islands Institute (nicknamed "The Hobbit Hole") and how experiential education is perhaps the best way to clearly see the lost connections between human systems and the natural world. Zach also remembers what it's like growing up with only a single television channel, and how often the signal would drop out... with some interesting results.

Geographer Reece Jones discusses his recent book "Border Walls," examining the history of how and why societies have chosen to literally wall themselves apart. He gives a brief history of political maps, how international lines reshape landscapes, and how the trend towards increased border wall construction contrasts with the view of a "borderless" world under globalization. Jones also reveals which border wall is actually visible from space.

We revisit our conversation with biological anthropologist James Holland Jones, who 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. It's all about disease, hemorrhagic fever hopefully not included.

We revisit one of our first interviews with environmental historian Richard White. He addresses the (mis)perceptions of the natural world, the ambiguities surrounding the Anthropocene boundary, and explains what he meant when he wrote the provocative essay "Are you an environmentalist or do you work for a living."

Climate scientist Ken Caldeira begins with a discussion of ocean acidification, a term he helped coin. He follows with the story of how his name became attached to geoengineering, from his own skeptical beginnings to publishing a paper that basically said, "well, it works in the models but don't try this at home." Along the way, Caldeira also shares some funny experiences addressing climate skeptics, including how geoengineering has even helped persuade a few.

Historian, author, and urban park ranger Jenny Price makes her case for throwing out the well-tread "save the planet" mantra in favor of a new environmental approach stemming from social justice, a re-contextualization of nature, and even satire. In particular, she explains the beauty she finds in recognizing the nature of the concrete Los Angeles river. As she wraps up, Jenny discusses how her satirical approach to environmentalism has gotten her into trouble involving a hit man.

If we're looking for how life will respond to rapid environmental changes, we should probably look to bacteria adapted to live in extreme environments - what scientists call extremophiles. Astrobiologist Dirk Schulze-Makuch examines the Anthropocene with thought experiments of bacteria throughout the solar system, using scientific principles documented on Earth. He discusses known extremophiles, asteroid impacts, and the importance of keeping an open mind when analyzing evolutionary trajectories on Earth.

Director Jeff Orlowski takes us behind the scenes of his widely praised documentary Chasing Ice, which captured stunning time lapse images of retreating and melting glaciers. He discusses the public reaction to his film, what it's like working in harsh Arctic conditions, and his emotions witnessing firsthand glaciers the size of Manhattan fracturing and falling into the oceans.

Literary ecocritic George Handley discusses how literature ranging from sacred texts like the Bible to Charles Dickens to Twilight shape our perceptions of environmental morality. He also discusses the influences of the Mormon faith on his environmental ethics, and why he feels "a Christian obligation to listen very carefully to science," including climate change, evolution, and geologic time.