Stories and science: two roles for palaeontology in the Anthropocene

Abstract People have observed and collected fossils for thousands of years, sometimes using these to tell stories about mythical beasts or events. In more recent times, fossils have been fundamental to the development of a deep understanding of Earth’s dynamic processes, including its evolving biosphere, with notable contributions to the development of this science from Western, Middle Eastern and Asian traditions. Thus, fossils have been used both through technical studies in scholarly research and for telling stories about our broader relationships with the biosphere. Here, we examine the fossil records of two aspects of anthropogenic impact on the biosphere, those of extinction and of non-native species. We discuss how a scientific understanding of the fossil record grounds our projections of future environmental change, while storytelling is an essential art that helps people understand and forge a more sustainable relationship with a biosphere that has maintained life for billions of years. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The biosphere in the Anthropocene’.