• HOME
  • NEWS
    • BIOENGINEERING
    • SCIENCE NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • FORUM
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • CONTACT US
Wednesday, June 29, 2022
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
    • BIOENGINEERING
    • SCIENCE NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • FORUM
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • CONTACT US
  • HOME
  • NEWS
    • BIOENGINEERING
    • SCIENCE NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • FORUM
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News Chemistry

The fate of the planet

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
April 16, 2021
in Chemistry
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

Unconventional takes on pandemics and nuclear defense could protect humanity from catastrophic failure

IMAGE

Credit: U.S. Navy

From engineered pandemics to city-toppling cyber attacks to nuclear annihilation, life on Earth could radically change, and soon. Scientists will forecast the fate of the planet at a press conference during the 2021 APS April Meeting.

“Our Earth is 45 million centuries old. But this century is the first when one species–ours–can determine the biosphere’s fate,” said Martin Rees, the United Kingdom’s Astronomer Royal and a founder of the Centre for the Study of Existential Risks at Cambridge University.

“Our globally-linked society is vulnerable to the unintended consequences of powerful new technologies–not only nuclear, but (even more) biotech, cyber, advanced AI, space technology,” he added.

Royal astronomer predicts the world in 2050 and beyond

Rees thinks biohackers pose a particularly underappreciated threat to humanity. In the near future, simple equipment will enable people to reengineer the human genome irrevocably or build a superspreading influenza. Like drug laws, regulations could never prevent all such actions–and in a world more interconnected than ever before, the consequences would spread globally.

He will discuss other dangers: population rise leading to plummeting biodiversity, disastrous climate change, uncontrollable cybercriminals, plans for artificial intelligence that erodes privacy, security, and freedom.

But Rees is an optimist. He will offer a path toward avoiding these risks and achieving a sustainable future better than the world we live in today.

“If all of us passengers on ‘spaceship Earth’ want to ensure that we leave it in better shape for future generations we need to promote wise deployment of new technologies, while minimizing the risk of pandemics, cyberthreats, and other global catastrophes,” he said.

Scaling back missile defense could prevent a nuclear attack

A single nuclear weapon could kill millions and destroy a city instantaneously. Hundreds of weapons could wipe out functioning society in a large nation. Even a limited nuclear war could cause a climate catastrophe, leading to the starvation of hundreds of millions of people.

Recently, Russia, China, and North Korea have deployed new types of nearly unstoppable missiles.

“Missile defense is an idea that can sound appealing at first–doesn’t defense sound like the right thing to do?” said Frederick Lamb, astrophysicist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, cochair of the 2003 APS Study of Boost-Phase Missile Defense, and chair of the current APS Panel on Public Affairs Study of Missile Defense and National Security.

“But when the technical challenges and arms race implications are considered, one can see that deploying a system that is intended to defend against intercontinental ballistic missiles is unlikely to improve the security of the United States,” he said.

Lamb points to the United Kingdom’s decision to increase its nuclear arsenal by 44%, possibly motivated by Russia’s new missile defense system around Moscow. He sees the move as yet another sign that existing limits on nuclear weapons are unraveling. Even missile defenses that would never work in practice can catalyze the development of new nuclear weapons and increase global risk.

Lamb will share what may happen if the United States ramps up new missile defense systems.

“What is done about nuclear weapons and missile defenses by the United States and other countries affects the safety and survival of every person on the planet,” he said.

FEATURED TALKS


The World in 2050–and Beyond (X06.1)


10:45 a.m. – 11:21 a.m. CDT, Tuesday, April 20, 2021

Martin Rees, [email protected]

Livestream: Access here

Abstract: http://meetings.aps.org/Meeting/APR21/Session/X06.1

Nuclear Weapons and Missile Defense (Y05.2)


2:06 p.m. – 2:42 p.m. CDT, Tuesday, April 20, 2021

Frederick Lamb, [email protected]

Livestream: Access here

Abstract: http://meetings.aps.org/Meeting/APR21/Session/Y05.2

PRESS CONFERENCE

Register for the press conference to be held on Zoom at 11:00 a.m. CDT, Monday, April 19, 2021.

Speakers:

  • Martin Rees (Cambridge)
  • Frederick Lamb (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

###

About 2021 APS April Meeting

Complimentary registration is available to journalists and public information officers for the express purpose of gathering and reporting news and information from the meeting. All prospective attendees must register to access the virtual meeting platform: https://my.aps.org/NC__Event?id=a0l5G00000CNAUJQA5

Staff reporters, freelance writers, and students are welcome. Those who have not previously attended APS meetings as press or do not directly receive the APS journals tip sheet may submit a request for APS press credentials by completing the form on this page: http://info.aps.org/press

Please visit the April Meeting Newsroom for a list of other press conferences and presentations featuring newsworthy research.

About APS

The American Physical Society is a nonprofit membership organization working to advance and diffuse the knowledge of physics through its outstanding research journals, scientific meetings, and education, outreach, advocacy, and international activities. APS represents over 55,000 members, including physicists in academia, national laboratories, and industry in the United States and throughout the world. Society offices are located in College Park, Maryland (Headquarters), Ridge, New York, and Washington, DC.

Media Contact
APS Press Office
[email protected]

Original Source

https://aps.org/newsroom/april/fate-planet.cfm

Tags: Chemical/Biological WeaponsChemistry/Physics/Materials SciencesInternetRobotry/Artificial IntelligenceSystem Security/HackersWeaponry
Share12Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

Dissolving the Problem: Organic Vapor Induces Dissolution of Molecular Salts

Dissolving the problem: Organic vapor induces dissolution of molecular salts

June 29, 2022
A tomato in a grocery store

Who trusts gene-edited foods? New study gauges public acceptance

June 28, 2022

Physicists confront the neutron lifetime puzzle

June 28, 2022

Belgian researchers explain why people with lower economic status don’t trust politicians as much

June 28, 2022
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • Pacific whiting

    Oregon State University research finds evidence to suggest Pacific whiting skin has anti-aging properties that prevent wrinkles

    37 shares
    Share 15 Tweet 9
  • University of Miami Rosenstiel School selected for National ‘Reefense’ Initiative focusing on Florida and the Caribbean

    35 shares
    Share 14 Tweet 9
  • Saving the Mekong delta from drowning

    37 shares
    Share 15 Tweet 9
  • Sharks may be closer to the city than you think, new study finds

    34 shares
    Share 14 Tweet 9

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Tags

VirusUrogenital SystemVirologyViolence/CriminalsUrbanizationZoology/Veterinary ScienceUniversity of WashingtonWeaponryVaccineVaccinesWeather/StormsVehicles

Recent Posts

  • Shedding light on reptilian health: Researchers investigate origins of snake fungal disease in U.S.
  • Dissolving the problem: Organic vapor induces dissolution of molecular salts
  • New kangaroo described – from PNG
  • Atrial fibrillation after surgery is linked to an increased risk of hospitalization for heart failure
  • Contact Us

© 2019 Bioengineer.org - Biotechnology news by Science Magazine - Scienmag.

No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

© 2019 Bioengineer.org - Biotechnology news by Science Magazine - Scienmag.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Posting....