Anthropocene

Pavement Cracks And Chain-Link Fences Are the New Ecosystems of the Anthropocene

The "natural" world is gone, and it's not coming back

As climate change makes wet places wetter and dry areas drier, the frequency of drought is expected in increase in certain locations. Droughts, such as this one in Kenya in 2006, can increase food insecurity, especially among the poor.

Eight Ways That Climate Change Hurts Humans

From floods and droughts to increases in violent conflict, climate change is taking a toll on the planet's population

Genghis Khan attacked and captured the Jin capital of Zhongdu (now Beijing, China) in 1215, in one of many campaigns that expanded the Mongol Empire.

Warm, Wet Times Spurred Medieval Mongol Rise

Genghis Khan—and his army of men on horseback—benefitted from boom in grasslands

Melting sea ice is a threat to many Arctic species, including polar bears.

How Climate Change Affects the Smithsonian

Smithsonian Secretary Wayne Clough looks at how our scientists are studying our changing climate

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What Is the Anthropocene and Are We in It?

Efforts to label the human epoch have ignited a scientific debate between geologists and environmentalists

Lights, climate change, dams and mines–An increasing number of scientists believe humans are the primary geological force on the planet.

How The Fukushima Exclusion Zone Shows Us What Comes After The Anthropocene

Images of the evacuated area around the Fukushima Daiichi power plant offer a glimpse at a world without humans

Scientists have been descending on the Alaska city of Barrow since 1973. This monument made of whale bones is to lost sailors.

Barrow, Alaska: Ground Zero for Climate Change

Scientists converge on the northernmost city in the United States to study global warming's dramatic consequences

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