Humans tend to think that our intelligence is the most distinguishing trait of our species. Collectively our intelligence has given us god-like powers. But what exactly is intelligence, and how did it evolve? How do we measure intelligence in other species, and how might we use that information to protect organisms in the wild? Joshua Plotnik is a professor at Hunter College in New York, and he's part of a community of researchers who are re-examining some of these fundamental questions. Josh is also developing techniques to use measures of animal intelligence in order to test novel strategies for conservation.

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The tone around conservation is often pretty heavy and it’s hard not to feel a sense of despair. But maybe there are opportunities in the world of conservation that we are not fully taking into account. The truth is, organisms and ecosystems have built-in defense mechanisms to respond to rapid change that might just be the secret to combatting the negative effects of the Anthropocene.

In his new book, The Rescue Effect, author Michael Webster explores the many ways in which nature is responding to disruption. And what he details has big implications for how we think about evolution and how we conserve and protect species. 

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Today's episode is a cross-promotion with the Planet Texas podcast. We are featuring the first episode of the series.

The Ogallala Aquifer is the biggest aquifer in North America, and it accounts for more than 30 percent of all agriculture in the United States. And… it’s running out of water. Climate change is making the naturally hot and dry climate of the Texas Panhandle even worse. Farmers are working desperately to keep their crops alive, and the secret to survival is adaptability.

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As a species, our intelligence is probably the single most important quality that sets us apart from every other organism that has ever lived. But it’s not so much our abilities as individuals, but rather it’s our collective and accumulated knowledge. All of the drivers of the Anthropocene are only possible because of our capacity to transfer knowledge down through generations. So when exactly did that process begin? When did we start to behave in a way that was fundamentally “human,” and can we shine light on the process of intergenerational knowledge transfer? Professor April Nowell is a cognitive archeologist at the University of Victoria who studies the lives of Ice Age children. In this conversation she helps us hone in on some of the key moments in the deep past where humans started acting in a fundamentally new way, and began to set the stage for growing into a geologic force.

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What the subcultures of Preppers can teach us about preparing for environmental destruction. 

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On today’s episode we’re bringing you something special and a little different: A science fiction short story. It’s weird, and cool, and is, in a way, very much about the Anthropocene. Anyway, it’s fun! Written and sound designed by Brandon Buerk with help from Jackson Roach, and read by Nick Weiler.

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Today's episode is a cross-promotion with a new podcast by Michael Osborne called Famous and Gravy.

This person died in 2013 at age 95. His given name translates colloquially as “troublemaker.” The question most often asked about him was how, after all he’d been through, he could be so evidently free of spite. In 1956, he was arrested on charges of treason. He was a symbol of the opposition to apartheid in South Africa. Today’s dead celebrity is Nelson Mandela.

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It's hard to avoid the sense of despair that surrounds the story of climate change – and for that matter the story of the Anthropocene. It can all feel so hopeless. So, who is responsible for the weight of these feelings? What responsibility lies with the scientists and journalists who are bringing us the hard truth? Elizabeth Kolbert is one of the premier science journalists living today, and in this conversation she confronts that question head on. And, of couse, we also talk about the Anthropocene. 

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For as long as climate change has been an issue, the Evangelical Christian community has generally either downplayed the threat, or denied it altogether. In the last decade, however, more and more Evangelicals are coming around, and are even voicing support for meaningful action. So what's changed? In this episode, Kyle Meyaard-Schaap offers some ideas for why this shift is happening, and how climate change and Christian values aren't as disparate as they might seem.

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With his landmark book, The End of Nature, Bill McKibben was one of the first journalists to start writing about climate change for a mass audience. He's since become one of the most prominent American environmentalists of our time. With his most recent endeavor, Third Act, he's trying to mobilize the older generation that drove the political and social change of the 1960s. This episode, published on Earth Day 2022, marks the 10 year anniversary of Generation Anthropocene.

 

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