Doom and Gloom by 2100

Scientific American ^ | July 2004 | Julie Wakefield

[PatrickHenry]

SIR MARTIN REES

An article with plenty to think about.

[traumer]

YAAAAAAWN........

[TADSLOS]

50-50...I'm betting on red.

[PatrickHenry]

Science list Ping! This is an elite subset of the Evolution list.
See the list's description in my freeper homepage. Then FReepmail me to be added or dropped.

[Psycho_Bunny]

DOOMED!

[Hank Rearden]

Sir Martin doesn't look manly enough to make it to 2100 hours tonight, much less 2020 to collect on his bet.

[billorites]

In the year 2525
If man is still alive.
If woman can survive, they may find.


In the year 3535
Ain't gonna need to tell the truth, tell no lies.
Everything you think, do and say, is in the pill you took today.


In the year 4545
Ain't gonna need your teeth, won't need your eyes.
You won't find a thing to chew.
Nobody's gonna look at you.


In the year 5555
Your arms hanging limp at your sides.
Your legs got nothing to do.
Some machine doing that for you.


In the year 6565
Ain't gonna need no husband, won't need no wife.
You'll pick your son, pick your daughter too.
From the bottom of a long glass tube. Whoa-oh


In the year 7510
If God's a-comin, he oughta make it by then.
Maybe he'll look around himself and say.
Guess it's time for the judgment day.

[cripplecreek]

Is that why the phone company starts threatening me if my bill is a whole day late?

[PatrickHenry]

The first few posts have appeared within the first 30 seconds of posting the thread. No time to read anything but the title, if that. Nevertheless, we appreciate your deeply thoughtful remarks.

[Boundless]

> Doom and Gloom by 2100

The Kerry campaign immediately issued a statement that if
you favor doom&gloom, Kerry is your man.

In other news, Sir Rees will be joining the Kerry
campaign as the top advisor for the next 56.8 hours,
when the next re-org is scheduled.

[sinanju]

Yea, another well-known scientific phenomenon: Eminent man of science spouts off on areas of which he has no expertise (usually with a political slant).

I call it scientific gadflyism. So this Martin Rees is the "gray-goo" nanotechnology hysteric?

[muir_redwoods]

Humanity will be fine. Despite the notions of all the Malthusian prophets of doom, we always fiugure something out when we need to. There are 6000 million humans here right now, maybe 100 new ones since I started writing this. If a million die that's 1/60 of 1%.

We'll be fine

[HiTech RedNeck]

From a "worst songs" website

[HiTech RedNeck]

I'd worry less about the "nanobots" and more about garden variety germs. If antibiotics peter out... heaven help us.

[goodnesswins]

"But so far he finds its handling of the controversies over stem cell research and global warming to be wanting: the U.S. "has been rather remiss in tackling issues that are taken more seriously elsewhere in the world, especially environmental problems."

BUSTED

[TheBigB]

WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE! UNLESS WE DON'T!

[BenLurkin]

Okay I read it.

I strongly disagree with this:

Astronomers are well positioned to ponder the fate of humanity, Rees insists, because they have a unique vantage point in terms of the vast timescales of the future.

I agree with this:

scientific explanations remain perpetually incomplete

[Happygal]

'God is dead' - Nietszche
'Nietszche is dead' - God

[Jack Black]

Why do experiments that have even a small chance of killing everyone on Eart? Is the knowledge gained so valuable? And to think our tax dollars pay for it all. The arrogance of science is amazing.

[1rudeboy]

I read the entire piece . . . and it left me wondering, why didn't Willie Green find it first?