On February 4, 2026, as part of its ongoing public lecture series IAS Wednesdays, the Institute for Advanced Studies welcomed Professor Abderrazak El Albani, geoscientist at the University of Poitiers, for a thought-provoking conference on the Anthropocene — a term used to describe the period in which human activity has become a major force shaping the Earth’s systems.

Drawing on decades of research in Earth sciences, Professor El Albani invited the audience to consider a central question: At what point does human activity become visible in the natural record of the planet? Through geological evidence, climate data and interdisciplinary research, the lecture explored how the impact of human societies can now be detected in the atmosphere, the oceans, biodiversity and even in the sedimentary record.

The Anthropocene is not only a scientific concept but also a societal and ethical one. While natural climatic and environmental variations have always occurred throughout Earth’s history, the unprecedented speed and scale of recent changes raise new questions about collective responsibility, governance and the future of life on the planet. From the Industrial Revolution to today’s hyper-connected societies, human actions have left measurable traces that scientists are now able to observe, quantify and interpret.

Professor El Albani emphasized that the role of science is to document, measure and understand these transformations. The solutions, however, are multiple and require coordinated efforts at the global scale — involving individual behavior, technological choices and public policy. Rather than focusing on a single region or country, the Anthropocene calls for a planetary perspective on environmental challenges and their consequences.

The discussion that followed the lecture highlighted the importance of dialogue between science and society, as well as the need to foster informed conversations across disciplines and generations. By bringing together researchers, students and the wider community, the Institute for Advanced Studies continues to create spaces where complex global issues can be examined through the lens of scientific knowledge and critical reflection.

This conference offered a timely reminder that the story of the Anthropocene is still being written. Under our feet, in the rocks and landscapes that surround us, the Earth is recording the marks of our time — and the choices we make today will shape the geological memory of tomorrow.