tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526498499129692237.post2663151136008405854..comments2024-03-22T05:17:53.112-04:00Comments on Big Bad Bald Bastard: Secret Science Club Post-Lecture Recap: Astrobiology and the AnthropoceneBig Bad Bald Bastardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01983025559556548658noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526498499129692237.post-44681681056451067792018-06-25T16:40:21.812-04:002018-06-25T16:40:21.812-04:001)As always, your thoughtful report on the evening...1)As always, your thoughtful report on the evening is thought-provoking. A couple of weeks ago I saw Adam Frank's latest op-ed in the NY Times:<br /><br />https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/12/opinion/earth-will-survive-we-may-not.html<br /><br />I am fourth in line to read his recent book when my local library system gets it.<br /><br />2)My hope is that humankind comes through the impending period of rapid change not only surviving, but with our scientific and technological abilities preserved. On CNN yesterday morning former astronaut Leroy Chiao spoke about efforts to detect and eventually deflect space rocks that might have a major impact on the planet. Surprisingly, he gave an incorrect number about the last extinction-causing event - '300 million years ago', he said - twice. Actually, the Yucatan impact in question was a mere 66 million years ago. I wrote him about this error, but have received no acknowledgment from him so far. <br /><br />3)One hopes wiser heads will be able to mitigate the impending catastrophe - those around at the time will see how it goes (not I - I have perhaps 20 years left, at most). From a Wikipedia summary of a Cosmos episode, hosted by Neal DeGrasse Tyson:<br /><br />"Tyson then notes that humans have discovered means of harvesting solar power, such as Augustin Mouchot's solar-driven motor in the 19th century, and Frank Shuman's solar-based steam generator in the 1910's. Tyson points out that in both cases, the economics and ease of using cheap coal and oil caused these inventions to be overlooked at the time. Today, solar and wind-power systems would be able to collect enough solar energy from the sun easily. Tyson then compares the motivation for switching to these cleaner forms of energy to the efforts of the Space race and emphasizes that it is not too late for humanity to correct its course."<br /><br />From the abstract to Jon Kabat-Zinn's "Some reflections on the origins of MBSR, skillful means, and the trouble with maps", Contemporary Buddhism, Vol. 12, No. 1, May 2011:<br /><br />"The author recounts some of the early history of what is now known as MBSR, and its relationship to mainstream medicine and the science of the mind/body connection and health....He locates these developments within an historic confluence of two very different epistemologies encountering each other for the first time, that of science and that of the meditative traditions. ... The author's perspective is grounded in what the Zen tradition refers to as the one thousand year view. Although it is not stated explicitly in this text, he sees the current interest in mindfulness and its applications as signaling a multi-dimensional emergence of great transformative and liberative promise, one which, if cared for and tended, may give rise to a flourishing on this planet akin to a second, and this time global, Renaissance, for the benefit of all sentient beings and our world." [end of quote from Kabat-Zinn]<br /><br />Another American Zen teacher, Shinzen Young: "Science has beauty, depth, power, and practical utility. I believe that the two most impressive discoveries of our species are the Eastern method of meditative exploration and the Western method of scientific exploration. Some people claim that meditation and science have mated, but I think they are just starting to date. I believe the true mating will occur sometime later in this century and will give birth to a world-transforming paradigm shift."mistah charley, ph.d.https://www.blogger.com/profile/06303695341246058680noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526498499129692237.post-39576976146444139182018-06-20T15:56:36.642-04:002018-06-20T15:56:36.642-04:00The Drake Equation and Fermi Paradox came up. I t...The Drake Equation and Fermi Paradox came up. I think the Fermi Paradox can be explained by ‘Make Proxima Centauri IV Great Again’.Big Bad Bald Bastardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01983025559556548658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526498499129692237.post-47525266505742622862018-06-20T13:16:36.207-04:002018-06-20T13:16:36.207-04:00Are you familiar with the Drake equation? Because ...Are you familiar with the Drake equation? Because it's all right there. A set of variables to allow you to estimate the likelihood and perhaps the number of intelligent, spacefaring civilizations in the galaxy or universe.<br /><br />The final variable is the most interesting from our standpoint - the lifespan of and intelligent, spacefaring civilization. Because now that we are one - the sample size of one that you noted in your post - we can see that getting here from agricultural roots through industrialization to technology did tremendous damage to the ecosystem and depleted planetary resources at an unsustainable level. <br /><br />So that makes it interesting to think about in four dimensions - at any given time there might be 10 or 25 or 50 intelligent spacefaring civilizations in the galaxy, but they are regularly dying out due to pollution, resource/food scarcity and war. Of course, there may be another 100 planets evolving intelligent life to replace those, but is there a way to get to where humans are now without destroying the ability of the planet to sustain that intelligent life?<br /><br />The parallel question is around the number of intelligent beings a planetary ecosystem can support. A necessary outgrowth of industrialization is curing disease and extending lifespan, which allows for more of a given species to live longer. Soon there are more of them than the planet can support in a sustainable manner, so resources are depleted at an accelerating rate and toxic pollutants are massively increased...Michael Hyatthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11316769019524130729noreply@blogger.com