Which scenereo is more likely: the human species populating atnother planet or going into extinction?

Question

at our current rate, according to Stephan Hawkings, we will have to populate another planet because of what we are doing to this one with global warming and all that we consume. considering the fact that we have found other earth like planets, is there any likelyhood of populating it? or will we face our own extinction first? what do you think

Answer 1

Extinction first.  Those earth-like planets are too far away.

Answer 2

The first answerer is right it would take extraordinary technology which we don't have for the foreseeable future to get to those planets, but another option is terraforming nearer planets.  Then again ours is the one which is the ideal distance from the sun - but I think he's talking about something along the lines of making Mars habitable.   Also it's not certain yet that either of the Gliese planets are earth-like.

Answer 3

Interesting question. The Earth has finite resources, and once they are gone we're screwed. However there are lots of places in the solar system that we can get additional resources from.

The problem with space exploration is, space is not a very hospitable environment to human life. We evolved in a specific environment which provided specific conditions allowing life (gravity, atmosphere, radiation, etc). Humanity will re-engineer itself as we expand into space. We can already to this to a current degree today with technologies like cybernetics and gene therapy. As this technology develops we will redefine humanity.

What I wonder is, In a thousand years (of hundred for that matter) will humanity look like humans today, the Borg, or branch off in several different directions, each uniquely suited for whatever environment it lives in.

Answer 4

We will start populating Mars toward the end of this century or into the next century.  We are planning a manned Mars exploration to take place in about 20 years.  That will be followed by 50 years of controversy and planning.  Then there will be another 20 to 40 years of false starts.

The real issue will be terraforming...  Do we start before a thorough exploration of Mars has been completed.  That process could delay terraforming for 20 to 40 more years.

This is 2008.  Think back to 1908.  Consider all that has happened in the last 100 years.  Flight by a fixed-wing aircraft was first accomplished in 1903.  100 years is a long time for progress.

All of this is predicated upon a relatively stable international political scene.  A world war would change things beyond recognition.

Answer 5

<scenario>

If there was somewhere to hide from the coming Judgement, don't you think the 'elitists' of this world would be trying to hide somewhere "out there" instead of lame places like this:   http://youtube.com/watch?v=2aou6c2MOmg