While still not being officially recognized, the Anthropocene is regarded as a new geological epoch definted by the profound and lasting impact of human activities on the Earth system. There is much debate about its roots and when exactly it started, but a quick look at current events is enough to admit that something has indeed changed.

In this final episode climatologist Riccarda Winkelmann and historian of science Giulia Rispoli discuss the present day, the undeniable climate change the planet is undergoing and the different ways scholars have tried to explain humanity’s impact on the environment. With an end word from Professor Jürgen Renn.

“The Evolution of Knowledge” is a podcast created by SISSA-ILAS and the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science. Written and produced by Diego Visintin, Sophia Grew and Lorenzo Carta. Music by Gregor Quendel.

Science and technology play an increasingly important role in the geopolitical arena. Topics such as climate change, nuclear power and space explorations stand at the intersection between science and policy, requiring input from both. Meanwhile scientific collaborations and conferences can be occasions to enhance relationships not only between single scientists, but among nations.

In this episode, historians Maria Diogo and Ana Simoes introduce us to the concept of science diplomacy, touching on its emergence and increasing relevance in global society and explaining why political discussions and international relations can’t be separated from the scientific enterprise.

“The Evolution of Knowledge” is a podcast created by SISSA-ILAS and the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science. Written and produced by Diego Visintin, Sophia Grew and Lorenzo Carta. Music by Gregor Quendel.

Globalization is a contemporary term, but not a uniquely contemporary phenomenon. New research shows that cultural and scientific exchanges took place regularly starting all the way back in ancient and even pre-historic times. Just as there is only one history of life on this planet, there is also only one history of knowledge. Of course, there have been major losses of knowledge and innumerable new beginnings, and there may be as many perspectives on knowledge as there are cultures. But variety, contingency and catastrophic interruptions are also familiar from the history of life on our planet. In both cases, what we discover is that there is a thread of historical continuity on a global scale, with self referential, cumulative effects.

In this episode historians of science Sonja Brentjes and Pietro Daniel Omodeo discuss the long history of knowledge transmission in the Mediterranean basin and beyond, touching on the social, cultural and political aspects of such complex processes and their repercussions to the present day.  

“The Evolution of Knowledge” is a podcast created by SISSA-ILAS and the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science. Written and produced by Diego Visintin, Sophia Grew and Lorenzo Carta. Music by Gregor Quendel.