The Emergence of Humans as Geobiological Agents

March 15, 2016

Sense of Place with Minelle Mahtani.

Over its ~4 billion year history, life has co-evolved with the chemistry of Earth’s surface. This rich and complex dialogue was punctuated by a few major biological events, so-called revolutions, that dramatically and forever altered the chemistry of the oceans, continents, and atmosphere. These revolutions fundamentally reorganized the nature and activity of almost all life on Earth.

Fast-forward a few billion years and we find the earth in the midst of another biological revolution, this one catalyzed by human invention. The human revolution is shaping fluxes of matter and energy at global scales in patterns reminiscent of past revolutions, yet the outcome and our path to the future remains uncertain. Dr. Crowe will describe new insight on key events in Earth’s history that ultimately led to the emergence of humans as geobiological agents.

Disclaimer: The link to this interview is unfortunately unavailable given Roundhouse Radio stopped broadcasting on April 30