Category: Essays

A glass terrarium-like installation stands among yellow and red plants in autumn.

The Deep Roots of Plant Time

Yota Batsaki explores the ways Kapwani Kiwanga’s sculpture “On Growth” converges the past and the present, challenging human temporalities through exploration of plant time. The sculpture is on display at the High Line in New York City.

A flock of sheep walking on a dry and barren landscape along with two male pastoralists holding sticks.

What Time is the Nomad?

Natasha Maru engages with the pastoralist temporalities as experienced by Rabari nomads in Kachchh, India. This narrative ethnographic account highlights the changing rhythms of pastoral lifestyles with shifts in the political economy of the region.

fossilized whale hone erected on a cliff

The Matter with Time

Monika Szuba confronts deep time through the examination of decay, between what is real and what is synthetic. In this, she writes that the long durée is not long enough to conceive the anthropogenic change unfolding around us.

gemma clucas on Georgia island collects poop with an albatross; Seabird Research on Climate Change Impacts and Conservation

Penguins, Puffins, and the Science of Seabird Scat

Erin Hassett speaks with Dr. Gemma Clucas, a researcher at Cornell University who analyzes the poop of penguins and other seabirds to reveal deteriorating ocean health and changing fish population ecology. Dr. Clucas and fellow researchers travel to remote locations to collect the poop from common terns, penguins, puffins, and other seabirds.

A lone, scraggly tabby cat sits on an urban street, with rumpled fur and a clipped left ear.

What Community Cats Can Teach Us about Multispecies Care

Community cats lead diverse multispecies lives outside of human care, but they should still be valued. Kuhelika Ghosh explores how human stewards can engage in forms of “non-kin” care to help them thrive in their outdoor environments.