BBCs science preview of the year 2016 includes Leicester research

Research into the Anthropocene has been mentioned in a BBC article covering the big upcoming science stories of 2016.

The Anthropocene is a term formulated in 2000 to denote the present age, where humans are dramatically altering many geologically important conditions. It might already have penetrated the surface of popular culture, but it is not an officially recognised term - some geologists suggest we are still in the Holocene, which begins around 11,700 years ago with the end of the last Ice Age.

In 2016, a working group convened by Professor Jan Zalasiewicz (pictured) from the Department of Geology will put its evidence and recommendations about formalising the Anthropocene before the International Commission on Stratigraphy. This could set in motion a process that will see it officially accepted as a geological epoch - with the same hierarchical standing as the Holocene or the Pleistocene.

Gizmodo has also featured research into the Anthropocene when discussing how the environment and climate change will make the headlines in 2016.