Anthropocene

Filmmakers record an atomic-bomb blast in Nevada in 1957. (Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty)

Panel votes to recognize Anthropocene An influential panel of scientists voted this week to designate a new geologic epoch — the Anthropocene — to mark the profound ways in which humans have altered the planet. The proposal would still have to be approved by the International Commission on Stratigraphy, which oversees the official geological time chart. The start of the Anthropocene would be linked to the first atomic-bomb blasts, which littered the globe with radioactive debris that left its mark on the geologic record. Nature | 3 min read