How the pollution of today will become the ‘technofossils’ of the far future

By Jan Zalasiewicz, Professor of Palaeobiology, University of Leicester
Sarah Gabbott, Professor of Palaeontology, University of Leicester

How might you make your mark on the world forever? Write a play more timeless than Shakespeare, or compose music to out-do Mozart, or score the winning goal in the next World Cup final, perhaps?

There’s an easier way of leaving an indelible mark on our planet. Just finish a soft drink and toss the can (and the remains of the chicken dinner that went with it), ditch last year’s impulse purchases from your wardrobe, resurface that old patio, upgrade your mobile phone … simply carry on with everyday life, that is, and you’ll likely leave a fascinating legacy. It might last a billion years.

Read complete article

~	German party leaders are united against immigration – but there is little evidence for a key part of their argument

~	The Paris AI summit marks a tipping point on the technology’s safety and sustainability

~	To achieve real growth, the NZ government needs to relax the rules around housing

~	Splits, fusions and evolutions: how Australia’s political parties took hold

~	Do parties win elections because of their leaders, or in spite of them? History shows it’s a bit of both

~	A new report card shows inequality in Australia isn’t as bad as in the US – but we’re headed in the wrong direction

~	‘Multiple red flags’: ASIC’s court case against Star executives shows the risks of complacency

~	Hate speech on X surged for at least 8 months after Elon Musk takeover – new research

~	Removing babies is still harming First Nations families, almost two decades after the apology to Stolen Generations

~	3.5 kilometres underwater, scientists found a staggeringly energetic particle from outer space