Tin cans and chicken bones: will ‘technofossils’ be humanity’s lasting legacy?

--:--
When the palaeontologists of the future search for clues to understand how we lived, what might they find? Two scientists exploring this question have suggested that ‘technofossils’ will be our lasting imprint on the Earth. To find out exactly what these are and what they could reveal about our lives, Madeleine Finlay hears from the Guardian’s environment editor, Damian Carrington, and from Sarah Gabbott, a professor of palaeontology at the University of Leicester and one of the scientists behind the new book Discarded: How Technofossils Will Be Our Ultimate Legacy. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
26 Feb English United Kingdom Science · Nature

Other recent episodes

Is sunscreen really toxic?

For many of us, slathering on sunscreen to protect our skin in the summer months is a no-brainer. But recently social media has been awash with influencers airing their concerns about the potential dangers of this seemingly innocuous product. So is there anything to the claims that sunscreen is toxic?…
12 Aug 17 min

Summer picks: Where do our early childhood memories go?

It’s a mystery that has long puzzled researchers. Freud called the phenomenon infantile amnesia, and for many years scientists have wondered whether it’s a result of failure to create memories or just a failure to retrieve them. In this episode from March 2025, Ian Sample speaks to Nick Turk-Browne, a…
7 Aug 18 min

Summer picks: what is ‘mirror life’ and why are scientists sounding the alarm?

Recently, a group of world-leading scientists called for a halt on research to create ‘mirror life’ microbes amid concerns that the synthetic organisms would present an ‘unprecedented risk’ to life on Earth. Ian Sample tells Madeleine Finlay about why this work initially seemed exciting for scientists and what the risks…
5 Aug 19 min

Summer picks: The science of racism, and how to fight it

In this episode from January 2025, Ian Sample speaks to Keon West, a professor of social psychology at the University of London, whose new book explores what science can reveal about racism, the inventive methods scientists have used to study it and the scientifically proven ways of tackling racism and…
31 Jul 19 min

Summer picks: Where did our attention spans go, and can we get them back?

In 2024, the Oxford English Dictionary announced its word of the year was ‘brain rot’. The term relates to the supposedly negative effects of consuming social media content, but it struck a chord more widely with many who feel they don’t have the mental capacity they once had. Gloria Mark,…
29 Jul 17 min