People in middles ages rarely thought about life beyond the next generation, yet they still built beautiful cathedrals that took hundreds of years to complete. In the 21st Century, we know that life on Earth will continue long into the future, but what is this future we're building for the generations ahead of us?
Should we work on technologies that will one day create a permanent human base on Mars, or should we concentrate on climate change here on Earth? What does a future governed by artificial intelligence mean for our livelihoods?
These are the big questions facing our species, and indeed all the other inhabitants of planet Earth, which Astronomer Royal Lord Martin Rees begins to answer in his new book On The Future: Prospects For Humanity (£14.99, Princeton University Press).
In this Science Focus Podcast he talks to sciencefocus.com editor Alexander McNamara about taxing robots, terraforming mars, and tackling climate change.
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Listen to more Science Focus Podcast episodes:
- What NASA’s InSight will tell us about Mars – Bruce Banerdt
- This is how to invent everything – Ryan North
- Why AI is not the enemy - Jim Al-Khalili
- What asteroids can tell us about our Solar System - Natalie Starkey
- Is there anybody out there? - Mike Garrett
- The future of humanity - Michio Kaku
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