Advertisement

What will our ‘technofossils’ look like?

Imagine for a moment that it’s a million years in the future. You’re walking along a rocky sh...

Share this article

17.04 26 Feb 2025


What will our ‘technofossils’ look like?


Listen to this episode


Share this article

17.04 26 Feb 2025


Imagine for a moment that it’s a million years in the future.

You’re walking along a rocky shoreline, when suddenly you notice something jutting out of the cliff face.

It’s a plastic rectangle with 104 buttons on its face. Each button has a symbol on it that is completely unfamiliar to you.

Today, we recognise this object as a computer keyboard, but what will the archaeologists of the far future make of it and what could it tell them about us?

Sarah Gabbott is Professor of Palaeontology at the University of Leicester and co-author of ‘Discarded: How Technofossils Will be Our Ultimate Legacy’. She joins Seán to discuss.


Read more about

Moncrieff Highlights

Related Episodes

First Up 8th April 2026

00:07:34

First Up 8th April 2026

First Up – A GoLoud Original By Newstalk

00:07:34


Ye Not Welcome: Why Britain Ba...

00:22:56

Ye Not Welcome: Why Britain Banned Kanye West

Newstalk Daily

00:22:56


Minister Jack Chambers on fuel...

00:13:17

Minister Jack Chambers on fuel protest & nuclear energy

The Hard Shoulder

00:13:17


What has NASA’s Artemis II mis...

00:05:24

What has NASA’s Artemis II mission achieved?

The Hard Shoulder

00:05:24