Book Talk: Ferris Jabr on Becoming Earth

The Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT is excited to welcome journalist Ferris Jabr, a 2022 KSJ project fellow, for a talk about his latest book Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life.

The notion of a living world is one of humanity’s oldest beliefs. Though once scorned by some scientists, the concept of Earth as a vast interconnected living system has gained acceptance in recent decades. A relatively young field called Earth system science now studies the living and nonliving components of the planet as an integrated whole. We, and all living things, are more than inhabitants of Earth—we are Earth, an outgrowth of its structure and an engine of its evolution.

To reveal life’s profound influence on the planet, Jabr transports the reader to some of the world’s most extraordinary places: a former gold mine nearly one mile underground, an experimental nature reserve in remote Siberia, and an observatory perched on a dizzyingly tall tower in the heart of the Amazon rainforest.

Please contact Learning and Events Coordinator Claire Sadar if you are interested in attending.