Although humans are to blame for nature's recent decline, a new study shows that for millennia, European farming practices ...

Although humans are to blame for nature's recent decline, a new study shows that for millennia, European farming practices ...

First published at Monthly Review. Some 2.8 million years ago, the level of carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere dropped, triggering an Ice Age. Since then, long-term changes in Earth’s orbit and tilt ...

Geologists are in a hot debate about whether to call for the end of the Holocene Epoch of the the Quaternary Period of the Cenozoic Era of the Phanerozoic Eon. At issue is whether to declare the ...

When people talk about the “Anthropocene,” they typically picture the vast impact human societies are having on the planet, from rapid declines in biodiversity to increases in Earth’s temperature by ...

A long-standing effort to formally place the Anthropocene on the geologic timescale came to a surprising end this year. In March, a panel of academics rejected the proposal to define a new epoch by 12 ...

The Holocene era covers the past 12,000 years of geological history. Holocene is derived from Holos, meaning whole, and Kainos, meaning new. This is quite a small phase in the Earth’s evolution. Yet ...

Geologists divide time into epochs or series, with subdivisions, according to major variations in rock sequences. Those divisions may be recalibrated as new evidence appears. Organizations like the ...

Tom has a Master's degree in Journalism. His editorial work covers anything from archaeology and the environment to technology and culture. Tom has a Master's degree in Journalism. His editorial work ...

A prestigious committee of modern geologists has issued the scientific verdict on the academic debate over Holocene vs. Anthropocene. They declare that Gaia, our beloved Earth, remains in the ...