It was the century when Earth’s systems got a complete makeover. And the planet got an expiration date. It is a word that is still not recognised by the spelling thesaurus. Yet we have been living in the Anthropocene for many decades now: the geologic time period, according to the textbooks, when the planet is … Continue reading Media, Money, Machine: Tales of the Anthropocene System
Not now Greta, we're busy Even a petty thief knows that in order to score a steal, you need a good decoy. It may need to involve enlisting your best friend to strike up a flirty conversation with the shop attendant while you stuff a lifetime supply of your favourite French cheese down your baggy … Continue reading 2020: Year of the Moth
When I was young and we were on a summer vacation in Lesbos, Greece, my parents took me to see the ultimate 3D fossil: a petrified forest. It was a scantily advertised attraction mentioned only in the fine print of the island’s brochures, and a far cry from the stereotypical image of emerald-coloured coastlines flanked … Continue reading Strike a Pose
What is happening in America is not an American phenomenon or an American problem. Europeans and others around the world may look at the US and think “we are not like that” or “we are not nearly as bad as that”, but they are forgetting that this is the nation that has led the world … Continue reading Ameriggedon
Take the plunge I have never battled with a serious addiction. But having seen friends around me succumb to it, one of them even die from it, I can understand the almost impossible uphill struggle that rehab represents. It’s not just about kicking a habit. It is literally about ripping out whole parts of yourself … Continue reading Together in Pandemic Dreams
They say that people who don’t talk very much are usually more intelligent, and I happen to agree. They tend to save their words for the things that are meaningful, and when they do finally say something, it can be quite deep and profound. They tend to be men and women of action, not words, … Continue reading Chattering Monkeys on a Collapsing Tree
Many billions of years ago, somewhere in the vast darkness of space, there was a lonely dying star. As the furnace that had kept it bright for millions of years began to run out of fuel, the star started burning parts of itself just to keep warm. And as it did, it’s outer layers began … Continue reading A Green Old Deal
Before my parents explained to me human reproduction, and way before I became a biologist, I used to think that babies came from the sea. Nature would just “make” them whenever it felt that it was ready to produce more humans. Couples who wanted to have a baby would go down to the beach together, … Continue reading Return To Chaos
The Age of the Lion Fish “Pest” is a very subjective term. To it’s victim, a pest is an unwanted species. It is an organism that has overstepped a critical boundary and become a nuisance. When we use the word “pest”, we usually refer to a species that has migrated to a new environment. The … Continue reading Calling Pest Control
How often do you think about your own death? I think of mine constantly, every single day since my childhood. At first it used to be with disbelief and curiosity, as I strived to understand what it means to actually not exist. Later on, I used to panic in cold sweat at night before bed, … Continue reading In Denial of Death: How capitalism opened the gates of heaven, killing all life in the process
It is the very first question that pops to mind when a patient first finds out that they have a terminal disease. They simply want to know how much life they have left ahead of them, down to the number of days, if possible down to the number of minutes. Every single day has just … Continue reading How much time do we have left?
