When humans’ time on earth ends, what memory of us will survive?

In October 2021, Australian non-profit Rouser Lab announced an ambitious and somewhat apocalyptic project: a system designed to continuously record the environmental trajectory of modern civilisation.

What initially struck many as a publicity stunt is now moving toward reality, with plans underway to install Earth’s Black Box – a massive steel monolith – on the remote west coast of Tasmania by the end of this year.

Around the world, a small but growing set of projects is grappling with the same unsettling question: what will remain of humanity if things fall apart – or simply fade with time?