Geoscience essays for International Year of Planet Earth
Historian Will Durant ... is said to have cautioned: "Civilization exists by geological consent, subject to change without notice."
This warning, re-broadcast in an essay by eminent public scientist Frank Press, wraps up an excellent special supplement on Earth science in this week's Nature. In honor of the International Year of Planet Earth, the supplement features more than a dozen in-depth commentaries on current topics in geoscience, almost all looking warily toward past, present and future climate change (with or without notice).
As an overview of several leading-edge climate science issues, it's well worth a look - and the thoughtful opening article on historical drivers of geoscientific progress is also not to be missed. Act now, because the entire supplement is currently free to access.
Anna Barnett
