Milestones of the Anthropocene

This is a chapter of the virtual exhibition “Welcome to the Anthropocene: The Earth in Our Hands”—written and curated by historian Nina Möllers.

Welcome to the Anthropocene: The Earth in Our Hands

Together with the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society, the Deutsches Museum hosted a major special exhibition on the Anthropocene from December 2014 – September 2016, which was curated by Nina Möllers. Coined by the atmospheric chemist and Nobel Prize laureate Paul J. Crutzen, the term “Anthropocene” describes the idea of a new geological era shaped by deep interventions into nature by humans as biological and geological agents.

Nina Möllers

About the author

Möllers, Nina

Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society, LMU Munich, Germany

Dr. Nina Möllers is head curator and project manager of the special exhibition “Welcome to the Anthropocene: The Earth in Our Hands.” She studied in Palo Alto, Tübingen, and Nashville, Tennessee and received her PhD in 2007 with a dissertation on “Creoles of Color in New Orleans.”

As part of a post-doc project at the Deutsches Museum she curated a special exhibition on the history of energy consumption in private households. Her publications include the exhibition catalogs Kabelsalat: Energiekonsum im Haushalt (2012) and Willkommen im Anthropozän: Unsere Verantwortung für die Zukunft der Erde (2015).

She is grateful to Josephine Musil-Gutsch, Vanessa Osganian, Brenda Black, Helmuth Trischler, Iris Trautmann, Eliza Encheva, and Dorothea Föcking for their collaboration on this digital companion exhibition.

Browse the exhibition

“A huge variety of possibilities”: Interview with Nobel Laureate Paul Crutzen on his life, his career in research, and his views on the Anthropocene idea

This interview with Paul Crutzen is a chapter of the virtual exhibition “Welcome to the Anthropocene: The Earth in Our Hands”—written and curated by historian Nina Möllers.

Welcome to the Anthropocene: The Earth in Our Hands

Together with the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society, the Deutsches Museum hosted a major special exhibition on the Anthropocene from December 2014 – September 2016, which was curated by Nina Möllers. Coined by the atmospheric chemist and Nobel Prize laureate Paul J. Crutzen, the term “Anthropocene” describes the idea of a new geological era shaped by deep interventions into nature by humans as biological and geological agents.

Nina Möllers

About the author

Möllers, Nina

Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society, LMU Munich, Germany

Dr. Nina Möllers is head curator and project manager of the special exhibition “Welcome to the Anthropocene: The Earth in Our Hands.” She studied in Palo Alto, Tübingen, and Nashville, Tennessee and received her PhD in 2007 with a dissertation on “Creoles of Color in New Orleans.”

As part of a post-doc project at the Deutsches Museum she curated a special exhibition on the history of energy consumption in private households. Her publications include the exhibition catalogs Kabelsalat: Energiekonsum im Haushalt (2012) and Willkommen im Anthropozän: Unsere Verantwortung für die Zukunft der Erde (2015).

She is grateful to Josephine Musil-Gutsch, Vanessa Osganian, Brenda Black, Helmuth Trischler, Iris Trautmann, Eliza Encheva, and Dorothea Föcking for their collaboration on this digital companion exhibition.

Browse the exhibition

About the exhibition

This is a chapter of the virtual exhibition “Welcome to the Anthropocene: The Earth in Our Hands”—written and curated by historian Nina Möllers.

Welcome to the Anthropocene: The Earth in Our Hands

Together with the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society, the Deutsches Museum hosted a major special exhibition on the Anthropocene from December 2014 – September 2016, which was curated by Nina Möllers. Coined by the atmospheric chemist and Nobel Prize laureate Paul J. Crutzen, the term “Anthropocene” describes the idea of a new geological era shaped by deep interventions into nature by humans as biological and geological agents.

Nina Möllers

About the author

Möllers, Nina

Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society, LMU Munich, Germany

Dr. Nina Möllers is head curator and project manager of the special exhibition “Welcome to the Anthropocene: The Earth in Our Hands.” She studied in Palo Alto, Tübingen, and Nashville, Tennessee and received her PhD in 2007 with a dissertation on “Creoles of Color in New Orleans.”

As part of a post-doc project at the Deutsches Museum she curated a special exhibition on the history of energy consumption in private households. Her publications include the exhibition catalogs Kabelsalat: Energiekonsum im Haushalt (2012) and Willkommen im Anthropozän: Unsere Verantwortung für die Zukunft der Erde (2015).

She is grateful to Josephine Musil-Gutsch, Vanessa Osganian, Brenda Black, Helmuth Trischler, Iris Trautmann, Eliza Encheva, and Dorothea Föcking for their collaboration on this digital companion exhibition.

Browse the exhibition

Urbanization

This is a chapter of the virtual exhibition “Welcome to the Anthropocene: The Earth in Our Hands”—written and curated by historian Nina Möllers.

Welcome to the Anthropocene: The Earth in Our Hands

Together with the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society, the Deutsches Museum hosted a major special exhibition on the Anthropocene from December 2014 – September 2016, which was curated by Nina Möllers. Coined by the atmospheric chemist and Nobel Prize laureate Paul J. Crutzen, the term “Anthropocene” describes the idea of a new geological era shaped by deep interventions into nature by humans as biological and geological agents.

Nina Möllers

About the author

Möllers, Nina

Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society, LMU Munich, Germany

Dr. Nina Möllers is head curator and project manager of the special exhibition “Welcome to the Anthropocene: The Earth in Our Hands.” She studied in Palo Alto, Tübingen, and Nashville, Tennessee and received her PhD in 2007 with a dissertation on “Creoles of Color in New Orleans.”

As part of a post-doc project at the Deutsches Museum she curated a special exhibition on the history of energy consumption in private households. Her publications include the exhibition catalogs Kabelsalat: Energiekonsum im Haushalt (2012) and Willkommen im Anthropozän: Unsere Verantwortung für die Zukunft der Erde (2015).

She is grateful to Josephine Musil-Gutsch, Vanessa Osganian, Brenda Black, Helmuth Trischler, Iris Trautmann, Eliza Encheva, and Dorothea Föcking for their collaboration on this digital companion exhibition.

Browse the exhibition

Mobility

This is a chapter of the virtual exhibition “Welcome to the Anthropocene: The Earth in Our Hands”—written and curated by historian Nina Möllers.

Welcome to the Anthropocene: The Earth in Our Hands

Together with the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society, the Deutsches Museum hosted a major special exhibition on the Anthropocene from December 2014 – September 2016, which was curated by Nina Möllers. Coined by the atmospheric chemist and Nobel Prize laureate Paul J. Crutzen, the term “Anthropocene” describes the idea of a new geological era shaped by deep interventions into nature by humans as biological and geological agents.

Nina Möllers

About the author

Möllers, Nina

Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society, LMU Munich, Germany

Dr. Nina Möllers is head curator and project manager of the special exhibition “Welcome to the Anthropocene: The Earth in Our Hands.” She studied in Palo Alto, Tübingen, and Nashville, Tennessee and received her PhD in 2007 with a dissertation on “Creoles of Color in New Orleans.”

As part of a post-doc project at the Deutsches Museum she curated a special exhibition on the history of energy consumption in private households. Her publications include the exhibition catalogs Kabelsalat: Energiekonsum im Haushalt (2012) and Willkommen im Anthropozän: Unsere Verantwortung für die Zukunft der Erde (2015).

She is grateful to Josephine Musil-Gutsch, Vanessa Osganian, Brenda Black, Helmuth Trischler, Iris Trautmann, Eliza Encheva, and Dorothea Föcking for their collaboration on this digital companion exhibition.

Browse the exhibition

Humans and machines

This is a chapter of the virtual exhibition “Welcome to the Anthropocene: The Earth in Our Hands”—written and curated by historian Nina Möllers.

Welcome to the Anthropocene: The Earth in Our Hands

Together with the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society, the Deutsches Museum hosted a major special exhibition on the Anthropocene from December 2014 – September 2016, which was curated by Nina Möllers. Coined by the atmospheric chemist and Nobel Prize laureate Paul J. Crutzen, the term “Anthropocene” describes the idea of a new geological era shaped by deep interventions into nature by humans as biological and geological agents.

Nina Möllers

About the author

Möllers, Nina

Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society, LMU Munich, Germany

Dr. Nina Möllers is head curator and project manager of the special exhibition “Welcome to the Anthropocene: The Earth in Our Hands.” She studied in Palo Alto, Tübingen, and Nashville, Tennessee and received her PhD in 2007 with a dissertation on “Creoles of Color in New Orleans.”

As part of a post-doc project at the Deutsches Museum she curated a special exhibition on the history of energy consumption in private households. Her publications include the exhibition catalogs Kabelsalat: Energiekonsum im Haushalt (2012) and Willkommen im Anthropozän: Unsere Verantwortung für die Zukunft der Erde (2015).

She is grateful to Josephine Musil-Gutsch, Vanessa Osganian, Brenda Black, Helmuth Trischler, Iris Trautmann, Eliza Encheva, and Dorothea Föcking for their collaboration on this digital companion exhibition.

Browse the exhibition

Biotechnology

A few decades ago, breeding efforts were limited to combining the genetic materials of existing agricultural plants and farm animals. Today, biotechnicians are creating new types of plants and animal species in their labs.

Read more about Biotechnology

The Steam Engine

Steam power became the energy source for many machines and vehicles, making it cheaper and easier to produce commodities in large amounts.

Read more about The Steam Engine

Robotics

The development of specific instruments that aid in the mastery of life has led to the creation of artificial intelligence—soon maybe humans will also be replaceable.

Read more about Robotics

Welcome to the Anthropocene: The Earth in Our Hands

This exhibition will visualize the history, present, and (scientifically based) future of the Anthropocene as well as the deep interventions of humans into the geo- and biosphere over the last two centuries.

Read more about Welcome to the Anthropocene: The Earth in Our Hands