February has been a tough month for reading. I picked up Satanic Verses in January and it took me at-least 4 weeks to slog through that dense, dry, oft confusing body of work. While I enjoyed parts of it, I am still trying to make sense of it.
Future of Humanity came next.
I think Michio Kaku is amazing. I was lucky to attend his talk on the future of humanity at Google I/O 2019. He left me v.inspired. This book has been on my shelf ever since and I couldn’t have picked it at a better time when despite everything - the world is once again looking towards the stars rooting for Perseverance
What makes a science fiction story really good, in my estimation, is when it gets the science right - which is, surprisingly, not the case for a number of works. (side note: Andy Weir is among the few authors who gets is right). This book is not a science fiction story but a foreshadowing of what the future would look like if we were to become a multi-planetary species and what would be expected of us to make it happen.
Humanity cant be expected to live on earth forever. If global warming and wars wont end us then the next solar flare, stray meteorite, sleeping super volcano under Yellowstone national park or the sun evolving into a red giant will. We were meant to be a multi-planetary species.
“Why go to the stars? Because we are the descendants of those primates who chose to look over the next hill. Because we won’t survive here indefinitely. Because the stars are there, beckoning with fresh horizons.
—JAMES AND GREGORY BENFORD”
Michio Kaku begins the book with our current obsession - Mars. The first few chapters attempt to answer some of our collective burning questions - How will we reach Mars? How will we terraform it? What will we trigger greenhouse effect in a freezing planet with an atmosphere that is 95% Carbon dioxide. How will it be sustained?
“Terraforming Mars is a primary goal for the twenty-second century. But scientists are looking beyond Mars as well. The most exciting prospects may be the moons of the gas giants, including Europa, a moon of Jupiter, and Titan, a moon of Saturn. The moons of gas giants were once thought to be barren hunks of rock that were all alike, but they are now seen as unique wonderlands, each with its own array of geysers, oceans, canyons, and atmospheric lights. These moons are now being eyed as future habitats for human life.”
He also writes about the efforts of NASA and other space programs and how ambitious billionaires like Bezos and Musk are stepping in to bridge the gaps that government programs cant. My favourite part is how this book isn’t just limited to Mars or even our solar system but the larger universe beyond that as-well. How can we harvest rare metals on the rings of Saturn or have fuelling stations on the moons of Jupiter. How will we venture beyond this solar system? Where humans cant go, robots and AI most certainly will.
Most of it is all speculation but Michio Kaku uses physics to support his theories. His love of science is evident in his writing and is very contagious. The book is highly readable and endlessly fascinating. It is very easy to grasp the ideas and examples. If you enjoy Astrophysics, Cosmology, Terraforming, Science Fiction, or anything about Space this book is a winner and i would highly recommend it.
“For the Earth, the future lies in fire. In five or so billion years we will have the last nice day on our home planet, then the sun will exhaust its hydrogen fuel and expand into a red giant star. Eventually the sun will set the sky on fire. The oceans will boil and the mountains will melt. The Earth will be engulfed by the sun, and will orbit like a burnt-out cinder within its fiery atmosphere. There is a biblical reference that says, from ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Physicists say, from stardust we came, to stardust we will return.”
Saima