Your Daily Awesome

I’m really kicking myself for missing Alan Weisman reading from his new book, The World Without Us, here in Portland a few weeks ago. The book is a scientific exploration of “how our planet would respond without the relentless pressure of the human presence.” (I.e., what would happen if humans were to suddenly vanish. Here’s a hint: nature gets to work pretty quickly.) But even if you’re like me and haven’t actually read the book yet, there’s a whole cottage industry of World Without Us supplementary materials to nibble on that will help you sound like you know what you’re talking about when the book comes up. The book’s website has some incredible material, including a fantastic animation of what would happen to our homes in an unattended world over the course of centuries, and you can get caught up with the book’s main points on NPR.