Archive for the ‘existential risks’ category: Page 92
Mar 28, 2018
Mars Colony Would Be a Hedge Against World War III, Elon Musk Says
Posted by Julius Garcia in categories: asteroid/comet impacts, climatology, Elon Musk, existential risks, robotics/AI, space travel, sustainability
Humanity’s brutal and bellicose past provides ample justification for pursuing settlements on the moon and Mars, Elon Musk says.
The billionaire entrepreneur has long stressed that he founded SpaceX in 2002 primarily to help make humanity a multiplanet species — a giant leap that would render us much less vulnerable to extinction.
Human civilization faces many grave threats over the long haul, from asteroid strikes and climate change to artificial intelligence run amok, Musk has said over the years. And he recently highlighted our well-documented inability to get along with each other as another frightening factor. [The BFR: SpaceX’s Mars Colony Plan in Images].
Mar 21, 2018
Divert an Astroid? Yes! But, no need to blast or shove it
Posted by Philip Raymond in categories: asteroid/comet impacts, existential risks, lifeboat, space travel
Instead of Nuking an Asteroid, Just Splash It With Paint
Recent headlines have contained lots of asteroid-nuking talk. There’s a team of Russian scientists zapping mini asteroids in their lab, and supposedly NASA is thinking about a plan that would hypothetically involve nuking Bennushould it threaten Earth in 2135.
It’s true that NASA is drafting up ideas on how one might nuke an incoming asteroid, a theoretical plan called HAMMER, or the Hypervelocity Asteroid Mitigation Mission for Emergency Response, as we’ve reported. But scientists probably won’t need to use such a response on the “Empire State Building-sized” asteroid 101955 Bennu, which is set to pass close to Earth in 2135. Diverting such a threat could be much, much easier.
“Even just painting the surface a different color on one half would change the thermal properties and change its orbit,” Michael Moreau, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Flight Dynamics System Manager, told Gizmodo. That would involve literally sending a spacecraft to somehow change the color of some of the asteroid.
Continue reading “Divert an Astroid? Yes! But, no need to blast or shove it” »
Mar 17, 2018
North Korea’s Most Powerful Missile Now Has Its Own Shrine
Posted by Genevieve Klien in category: existential risks
Satellite imaging, astronomy and a smart hunch about North Korea propaganda confirmed the launching site of the North Korean missile and a new monument.
Mar 15, 2018
Elon Musk: ‘Mark my words — A.I. is far more dangerous than nukes’
Posted by John Gallagher in categories: Elon Musk, existential risks, robotics/AI
The billionaire tech entrepreneur called AI more dangerous than nuclear warheads and said there needs to be a regulatory body overseeing the development of super intelligence, speaking at the South by Southwest tech conference in Austin, Texas on Sunday.
It is not the first time Musk has made frightening predictions about the potential of artificial intelligence — he has, for example, called AI vastly more dangerous than North Korea — and he has previously called for regulatory oversight.
Some have called his tough talk fear-mongering. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said Musk’s doomsday AI scenarios are unnecessary and “pretty irresponsible.” And Harvard professor Steven Pinker also recently criticized Musk’s tactics.
Continue reading “Elon Musk: ‘Mark my words — A.I. is far more dangerous than nukes’” »
Mar 14, 2018
Asteroids! WWIII! N. Korea! Military bunkers transformed into survivalist homes in S. Dakota (VIDEO)
Posted by Derick Lee in categories: existential risks, habitats, military
Describing the bunker community as “large” is perhaps an understatement. “…This base is 18 square miles (47 square kilometers), about three quarters the size of Manhattan,” Vicino told RT’s Ruptly agency. He says the community has 575 bunkers and will be able to hold between 6,000 and 10,000 residents.
The motto “always be prepared” is wise advice, but one man is taking the mantra to the max. He’s got former military bunkers spanning a space that is three-quarters the size of Manhattan, and is selling them to survivalists.
Mar 13, 2018
NASA building ‘HAMMER’ spacecraft to save Earth from cataclysmic asteroid impact
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: asteroid/comet impacts, existential risks, space travel
NASA has a plan to deal with potential asteroid impacts that sounds like it’s been taken straight from a science fiction film.
The space agency is building a spacecraft named HAMMER — which stands for Hypervelocity Asteroid Mitigation Mission for Emergency Response.
The plan is to blow any harmful looking asteroids out of the sky before they have a chance to hit out planet.
Mar 12, 2018
Elon Musk still thinks a Mars colony will save us from a future dark age
Posted by Klaus Baldauf in categories: climatology, Elon Musk, existential risks, robotics/AI, space travel, sustainability
Elon Musk, the head of SpaceX and Tesla, came to SXSW this week and gave a grave talk about the future of humanity, warning about the dangers of nuclear war, climate, change, and runaway AI and telling the audience that the only way to keep humanity alive is to colonize the Solar System.
Mar 2, 2018
Is this what doomsday will look like?
Posted by John Gallagher in categories: existential risks, military
Castle Bravo was the first in a series of high-yield thermonuclear weapon design tests conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands, as part of ‘Operation Castle’.
The operation’s ultimate objective was to test designs for a powerful nuclear weapon that could be delivered by aircraft.
Feb 27, 2018
Norway’s Stronghold Against Human Starvation Needs a $13 Million Upgrade
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: existential risks, government
The Norwegian government proposed $12.7 million in upgrades to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault as melting permafrost threatens this doomsday seed bank.