FIELD NOTES
From backyard birders to stargazers, citizen scientists are generating observations at an unprecedented scale. Combined with AI, this data is transforming how we understand the natural world.
The movement traces back to pioneers like Fred Urquhart, a Canadian zoologist who mobilized thousands of volunteers to track monarch butterflies across North America, revealing theirwintering grounds in Mexico. Today, this collective approach has become a global network, turning everyday observations into powerful scientific insight.
But as AI accelerates discovery and uncovers patterns beyond human perception, it raises a key question: what place remains for knowledge systems beyond algorithms?