Scientists Declare Dawn of Human-Influenced Age

Experts say that human impact on Earth is so profound that the Holocene must give way to an epoch defined by nuclear tests, plastic pollution, and domesticated chicken. Martin Rees, Institute Trustee and Member in the School of Natural Sciences on several occasions, said that the dawn of the Anthropocene was a significant moment, “The darkest prognosis for the next millennium is that bio, cyber, or environmental catastrophes could foreclose humanity’s immense potential, leaving a depleted biosphere.” Rees added that there is also cause for optimism, “Human societies could navigate these threats, achieve a sustainable future, and inaugurate eras of post-human evolution even more marvellous than what’s led to us. The dawn of the Anthropocene epoch would then mark a one-off transformation from a natural world to one where humans jumpstart the transition to electronic (and potentially immortal) entities, that transcend our limitations and eventually spread their influence far beyond the Earth.” Read more http://ow.ly/GKFX303LhtA.