Here\u2019s what you\u2019ll learn when you read this story:<\/p>\n
Researchers believe that a new epoch may have begun on the Moon back in 1959, when humans first affected the surface.<\/p>\n
Dubbed the \u201cLunar Anthropocene,\u201d the epoch has now seen over 100 spacecraft visit the Moon, and humans are becoming a dominant force in shaping the surface.<\/p>\n
It is yet to be seen how exactly growing human influence will shape our natural satellite.<\/p>\n
When humans get involved in places they weren\u2019t invited, things start to change. The Moon<\/a> is no different.<\/p>\n A team of researchers at the University of Kansas believes that human involvement\u2014including the more than 100 spacecraft<\/a> interactions we have had with our natural satellite over the past 64 years\u2014makes us one of the most dominant forces shaping the Moon.<\/p>\n That\u2019s enough, they believe, to declare a new epoch on the Moon\u2014the \u201cLunar Anthropocene.\u201d<\/p>\n The researchers published<\/a> a paper detailing this proposal in the journal Nature Geoscience. In it, they highlight the fact that the Moon is not the unchanging environment barely impacted by humanity<\/a> that we sometimes think it to be. Since the Soviet Union\u2019s Luna 2 spacecraft first hit the surface in September of 1959, humans have played a key role in the evolution of our closest cosmic companion.<\/p>\n \u201cThis idea is much the same as the discussion of the Anthropocene on Earth\u2014the exploration of how much humans have impacted our planet,\u201d Justin Holcomb, the study\u2019s lead author, said in a statement<\/a>. \u201cThe consensus is on Earth<\/a> the Anthropocene began at some point in the past, whether hundreds of thousands of years ago or in the 1950s. Similarly, on the Moon, we argue the Lunar Anthropocene already has commenced, but we want to prevent massive damage or a delay of its recognition until we can measure a significant lunar halo cause by human activities, which would be too late.\u201d<\/p>\n The team says that, with over 100 spacecraft touching the Moon\u2014sometimes crash-landing, and sometimes bringing actual humans to the surface\u2014there\u2019s been enough interaction to signify a geological<\/a> epoch.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the context of the new space race, the lunar landscape will be entirely different in 50 years,\u201d Holcomb said, noting how human involvement is already moving sediments and significantly disturbing the surface. \u201cMultiple countries<\/a> will be present, leading to numerous challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n Holcomb added that the outdoor community\u2019s mantra of \u201cleave no trace\u201d doesn\u2019t exist on the Moon. The list of items already brought to and left on the surface by humans is long, though the abandoned spacecraft are far and away the most impactful in terms of size. The study\u2019s authors claim that various aspects of the Moon\u2014including the delicate exosphere composed of dust<\/a> and gas<\/a>, and any ice found in permanently shadowed areas\u2014are susceptible to exhaust gas propagation. \u201cFuture missions,\u201d they wrote, \u201cmust consider mitigating deleterious effects on lunar environments.\u201d<\/p>\n The research team hopes to accomplish multiple goals by declaring the Lunar Anthropocene. They want to call attention to the vulnerability of lunar sites, especially considering the current lack of legal or policy protections against destructive disturbance of the Moon. They also want to ensure that each human interaction with and impact on the satellite is well chronicled, and aim to work with archeologists<\/a> and anthropologists along the way to ensure that recording.<\/p>\n By cataloging each footprint on the Moon\u2019s surface\u2014not to mention the presence of rovers<\/a>, golf balls, and the left-behind bags of human waste\u2014we could hope to could preserve a detailed record of human interaction.<\/p>\n \u201cAs archaeologists, we perceive footprints on the Moon as an extension of humanity\u2019s journey out of Africa, a pivotal milestone in our species\u2019 existence,\u201d Holcomb said. \u201cThese imprints are intertwined with the overarching narrative of evolution<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n You Might Also Like<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s what you\u2019ll learn when you read this story: Researchers believe that a new epoch may have begun…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":350650,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[174681,174682,174680,174683,79],"class_list":["post-350649","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-science","tag-anthropocene","tag-human-involvement","tag-justin-holcomb","tag-natural-satellite","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350649","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=350649"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350649\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/350650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=350649"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=350649"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=350649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}