Guano and the Opening of the Pacific World: A Global Ecological History

It may be annoying to see on the hood of your car, but humble bird excrement has had a surprising influence on human history around the world, particularly during the past two centuries. The abrupt opening of remote oceanic bird colonies to external exploitation utterly transformed modern civilizations basic relationship with nitrogen and phosphorus. Meanwhile, experts who studied and manipulated this malodorous commodity arrived at new perspectives on the challenges posed by the El Nio phenomenon and dangers posed by rapidly expanding human populations. For this Science on Tap, Associate Professor of History and Enviromental Studies Gregory Cushman will demonstrate that modern environmental consciousness has surprising roots in a biological substance we usually treat with disdain.guano turned this once little-known commodity into an engine of Western industrialization. Science on Tap takes place at Free State Brewing Co. 636 Massachusetts St.