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What will destroy humans?

3.3K views 91 replies 61 participants last post by  markwalters2  
#1 ·
I was watching the Daily Show and Jon Stewart asked Neil deGrasse Tyson what is the biggest threat to humans. His answer was basically asteroids and that that has been what most astrophysicists have said.

What is the biggest threat to the human species and how long do we have?
 
#7 ·
Agreed. Anyone ever think maybe after a species gets to a certain level of intelligence, they undoubtedly will wipe themselves out?

I think food and water concerns are up there on the list. With how the population is growing, I don't know if we will be able to adapt to new technologies quick enough to produce more energy, food and water which may make world wars more routine and more deadly because of technology advancements (more nuclear weapons, weapons we've yet to create).
 
#11 ·
I always just figured we'd destroy ourselves.

I'm an optimist that way. :boogie
 
#19 ·
Probably multiple things that happen over a couple of thousand years as a chain of events. It could be old school pestilence and famine, along with poison accumulation in the food and water supplies, and more direct links like nuclear radiation exposure or erroneous genetic engineering. Once fossil fuels are depleted, it doesn't seem likely that we will be able to keep up the population density that we have now. Shortages lead to conflict. And conflict leads to new disease opportunities.
 
#22 ·
There will probably be a super bug of some sort -one that's incredibly virulent and resistant to antibiotics,it will spread quickly from country to country-quarantines will be implemented far too late to have much effect.
 
#29 ·
the Wikipedia summary is nice. the thought among the people that study the topic is like that the most serious risks come from things along the lines of advances in artificial intelligence (AGI) or biotechnology (nanotechnology, pandemics)

Risks to Civilization, humans, and planet Earth
 
#38 ·
I believe that we will be the cause of our own biological extinction, through use of advanced nanotechnology. I know how far out there that sounds, but it makes sense that once we have the reigns over our own biological development, and the tools to go beyond that we will make use of them.

While there will be many people opposed to this, over time it will become more acceptable. Eventually, humanity will be phased out by a new, improved version of itself.