Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 8, 2026

Removal of Exogenous Materials from the Outer Portion of Frozen Cores to Investigate the Ancient Biological Communities Harbored Inside
Published on: July 3, 2016
The Plasticene: Time and rocks
Nelson Rangel-Buitrago1, William Neal2, Allan Williams3
1Programas de Física y Biologia, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad del Atlántico, Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia.
Abstract:
Plastics, "yesterday's hero... today's villain" or "the contemporary symbol of modernity," were invented in the early 20th century by Leo Hendrik Baekeland from macromolecules (resins, elastomers, and artificial fibres) of formaldehyde and phenol. This synthetic organic polymer took hold of daily human life and transformed the modern world with an ever-widening range of applications. Plastics are the third most-widely manufactured material in the world after cement and steel, and they have become widespread in our society with excessive production and consumption to meet demand. Plastics use is so dominant that they are inappropriately considered essential in the world consumers marketplace. Plastics are a clear indicator of the Anthropocene and can be considered the marker of the upper subdivision of this stage: the Plasticene.
Related Concept Videos
Conditions on Early Earth
The Fossil Record
Conditions on Early Earth
Classification and Mechanical Properties of Synthetic Polymers
Plasticizers
Plasticizers function by using surface-active agents to create repulsive electrostatic forces between cement particles. This dispersion enhances the concrete's...
Diversity of Protists III

