What marks the start of the Anthropocene 鈥� the geological epoch marked by human impact on the planet? The debate hinges, in part, on how we define 鈥渟ignature events,鈥� the important information left behind as clues. But finding signature events transcends the study of the Anthropocene; it鈥檚 how we read to make meaning of a text, a collection of data, even a piece of art. Jesse Oak Taylor, associate professor of English at the 天美影视传媒, uses a…
Tag: Anthropocene

Like humans, wild animals often return to the same places to eat, walk on the same paths to travel and use the same places to raise their young. A team led by researchers at the 天美影视传媒 and the University of Wyoming has reviewed the scientific literature and found that, while 鈥渃onsistent鈥� behavior may be beneficial when environmental conditions don鈥檛 change very fast, those benefits may not be realized in the ever-changing world dominated by humans.

A team of researchers including the UW’s Marina Alberti has devised a new classification scheme for the evolutionary stages of worlds based on “non-equilibrium thermodynamics” 鈥� a planet’s energy flow being out of synch, as the presence of life could cause.