What Will End the World I
In this modern day of flying cars and space aged hair-doos, it's easy to forget the darker side of science. Everything is so cool and dandy, who would think that cellphones might cause deadly braincancer? Radium (a highly radioactive material) used to be perscribed like tonic water mere decades ago.
We caught on when people's jaws started falling off.
The shadowy spectre of the darker end of the scientific spectrum frightens me. In light of the fact that I perfer fear from knowledge over ignorance, I keep a running list of possible world ending (read: changing the face of the world as we know it) scenarios:
6: Nanobots aka Grey Goo overrun the planet, replicating itself with Earth's mass, and we all die.
5: Biotechnology weapons or accidents (aka Green Goo)infect the populace, or force us out of our massive niche, and we all die.
4: AI Overthrows mankind, likely for some kind of social problems, and we are all enslaved, or killed (we all die)
3: MAD (Mutually Assuered Destruction aka: Nuclear War) creates massive fallout, and we all die or mutate.
2: Accidental Ignition of the Atmosphere (Likely due to Fusion reactors) planet is incinerated, and we all die.
1: Antibacterial Soap causes bacteria to build up resistance to antibiotics and we all die. (ALREADY STARTING TO HAPPEN, JAPAN STOP USING SO MUCH ANTIBIOTIC HANDSOAP!)
So remember, always look both ways before you ross the street.
Comments
Neither atmospheric tests of thermonuclear weapond (in the 1950s and 60s) nor existing nuclear fusion reactors (http://www.fusor.net) have ignited the atmosphere. I think you can cross off #2.
#1 is a huge concern though.
Neither atmospheric tests of thermonuclear weapons (in the 1950s and 60s) nor existing nuclear fusion reactors (http://www.fusor.net) have ignited the atmosphere. I think you can cross off #2.
#1 is a huge concern though.
sory for double (now triple) post, stupid back button