This audiobook narrated by Martin Rees and Samuel West offers a provocative and inspiring look at the future of humanity and scienceHumanity has reached a critical moment. Our world is unsettled and rapidly changing, and we face existential risks over the next century. Various outcomes—good and bad—are possible. Yet our approach to the future is characterized by short-term thinking, polarizing debates, alarmist rhetoric, and pessimism. In this short, exhilarating bo...

Il nostro futuro dipende sempre di più da come riusciremo a sfruttare i progressi delle scienze per affrontare le sfide ambientali e sociali che si profilano all'orizzonte. Allo stesso tempo le opportunità sono divenute il campo di paure paralizzanti, e l'umanità si è trovata a mettere in discussione un'idea di progresso pressoché millenaria, alle prese con una tecnologia che si fa biologia e un'intelligenza che diviene artificiale. Martin Rees costruisce una riflessione critica ma ottimis...

Um olhar provocador e inspirador sobre o futuro da Humanidade e da CiênciaAtingimos um ponto crítico. O mundo como o conhecemos está a transformar-se depressa demais. Durante o próximo século enfrentaremos riscos existenciais com várias consequências, positivas e negativas. Contudo, a nossa abordagem ao futuro é caracterizada pelo pensamento a curto prazo, debates polarizados, retórica alarmista e pessimismo. Para Martin Rees, é necessária uma abordagem diferente no planeamento a l...

The BBC Radio 4 Reith Lectures were given in 2010 by the Astronomer Royal, Professor Martin Rees. In this expanded version of the lectures (doubled in length with new material) Martin Rees shows how important science will be to the global economies of the 21st century, to solving some of our apparently intractable problems and to understanding the risks that the world faces.Science is often seen as difficult or obscure, but some great scientists (like the author) are so clear that we can a...

A scientist known for unraveling the complexities of the universe over millions of years, Sir Martin Rees now warns that humankind is potentially the maker of its own demise -- and that of the cosmos. Though the twenty-first century could be the critical era in which life on Earth spreads beyond our solar system, it is just as likely that we have endangered the future of the entire universe. With clarity and precision, Rees maps out the ways technology could destroy our species and thereby...

How did a single "genesis event" create billions of galaxies, black holes, stars and planets? How did atoms assemble--here on earth, and perhaps on other worlds--into living beings intricate enough to ponder their origins? What fundamental laws govern our universe? This book describes new discoveries and offers remarkable insights into these fundamental questions. There are deep connections between stars and atoms, between the cosmos and the microworld. Just six numbers, imprinted in the "...

There has never been a time when 'following the science' has been more important for humanity. At no other point in history have we had such advanced knowledge and technology at our fingertips, nor had such astonishing capacity to determine the future of our planet.But the decisions we must make on how science is applied belong outside the lab and should be the outcome of wide public debate. For that to happen, science needs to become part of our common culture. Science is not just...

How did a single "genesis event" create billions of galaxies, black holes, stars and planets? How did atoms assemble -- here on earth, and perhaps on other worlds -- into living beings intricate enough to ponder their origins? What fundamental laws govern our universe?This book describes new discoveries and offers remarkable insights into these fundamental questions. There are deep connections between stars and atoms, between the cosmos and the microworld. Just six numbers, imprinted in th...

Mänskligheten har nått ett kritiskt ögonblick. Vår värld är i gungning och den förändras snabbt. Hur kommer världen att se ut efter 2050? Vilka prövningar för framtiden med sig?Den världskända astrofysikern och författaren Martin Rees reder ut begreppen och diskuterar alla de stora frågorna som kommer att påverka livet för människan i framtiden. Kommer vi att kunna förhindra klimatförändringarnas katastrofala följder? Hur kommer vardagen att påverkas när artificiell intelligens och...

One of our greatest scientific minds reflects on the role of science in the twenty-first century.In this riveting, eye-opening new book, preeminent astrophysicist Martin Rees charts out the future of science, offering a compelling vision of how scientists and laypeople can work together to address the most urgent issues of our era—including climate change and energy concerns, population growth, and epidemiological threats.Scientific research is crucial to a...

There has never been a time when ‘following the science’ has been more important for humanity. At no other point in history have we had such advanced knowledge and technology at our fingertips, nor had such astonishing capacity to determine the future of our planet.But the decisions we must make on how science is applied belong outside the lab and should be the outcome of wide public debate. For that to happen, science needs to become part of our common culture. Science is not just...

Cognition Switch: An Artefact for the Transmission of New IdeasIssue #2: January 2019Featuring Ideas by:Michael Shermer, Peter Staudenmaier, Sabine Hossenfelder, Kate Raworth, Benjamin G Martin, Noah Charney, David Wengrow, Kimberley Brownlee, Tali Sharot, Robert Simpson, Thea Bechshoft, Martin Rees, Jon Butterworth, Bill Nye, Huw Price, and Henry Cowles