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Program for the Human Environment

Area of Research: Forests, Farms and Materials

How Much Land Can Ten Billion People Spare for Nature?

The Potato and the Prius

How Much Will Feeding More and Wealthier People Encroach on Forests?

The Shrinking Footprint of American Meat

Materialization and Dematerialization: Measures and Trends

National Material Metrics for Industrial Ecology

National Materials Flows and the Environment

Worthless Nature

December 21, 2018July 30, 2019

Thanks to Marian Tupy for republishing Jesse Ausubel’s short essay, We Must Make Nature Worthless, in Human Progress.

Posted in News, Forests, Farms and Materials, Technology & Human Environment

Peak stuff?

October 5, 2018July 30, 2019

Fred Pearce writes about our exploration of whether humanity is nearing peak use of stuff in this article in Anthropocene magazine: Are We Approaching Peak Stuff? Almost imperceptibly, we are stepping off the consumption treadmill

Posted in News, Forests, Farms and Materials, Technology & Human Environment

Potato and Prius

April 3, 2018September 27, 2022

We post ‘The Potato and the Prius,’ the January 2018 keynote address by Jesse Ausubel to the Potato Business Summit of the United Potato Growers of America.

Posted in News, Talks and Podcasts, Forests, Farms and Materials

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All What's New Publications

What’s New

  • Leonardo DNA in Science magazine January 6, 2026
  • PHE high school intern presents to international eDNA meeting in Japan December 22, 2025
  • Leonardo Da Vinci DNA Project public website November 24, 2025
  • Mark & Jesse give NOAA Webinar on Urban estuary eDNA November 19, 2025
  • On Trump’s Higher Ed Compact November 7, 2025
  • Climate change viewed from the 1890s October 20, 2025
  • Jesse on Decouple podcast October 14, 2025
  • “Cosmic View of Life” paper and video released September 4, 2025

See all


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