Science & Futurism with Isaac Arthur

Reaching new worlds is a difficult task, but transplanting ecosystem and civilizations to them may be even harder.

A look at Statites, or Static Satellites, and variations like the Lagite, Quasite, Mag Sail, Solar Moth, and Non-Keplerian Orbits that offer us powerful foundations for advanced, Kardashev-scale space development.

Uplifting is the process of altering an animal - or even an alien - to be smarter or able to use technology. Our ability to do this seem inevitable, and with it a host of moral dilemmas.

We often worry that humanity might be attacked by Aliens or AI, but which is worse and which would win in a battle between them?

For us to live and build communities in space we will need law and order, but who will make the rules, what should they be, and what sheriff will see that the law is enforced?

Lagrange Points are the rare oases, stationary islands in space. As a result, they are invaluable real estate where we can build vast space habitats.

In a future so distant that all has decayed to nothingness and time itself ceases to exist, might this eternal moment of oblivion bring on a fiery resurrection to all of space and time?

The galaxy is a harsh place full of desolate and barren planets, but some worlds may be so deadly they actively seek to kill those who dare to travel to them.

In the future we will not simply travel to visit new worlds but seek to build homes and forge lives on them. So what would being a pioneer in space truly be like?

Until recently a planet-wide state of quarantine seemed almost unimaginable, but in the future could entire planets be quarantined from the rest of space, and what dreadful causes could necessitate such measures?

Black holes are objects of mystery and dread from which nothing can escape… but could they also be the foundations of future civilizations of unimaginable might and size.

We have gazed upon the Moon with wonder since the dawn of humanity, and named its craters as seas, but could those become true seas one day?

Vacuum Trains and other low pressure rail & maglev systems offer the possibility of ultra-fast and ultra-cheap transport on and off of Earth.

The vast gulfs between stars may take decades or even centuries to travel, requiring enormous generation ships carrying families and whole ecosystems with them. What will life be like on board such arks?

Our world is ancient, but the Universe is far older. What were those first planets like, and how soon can life emerge on new ones?

In the future we may be able to claim new worlds and forge them into paradises, but should we?

A look at the possible effects of alien food, drink, and microbes on us or our ecosystem.

The Red Planet beckons us toward it, and the day draws closer when humans will walk on its dusty surface, and the moons of Mars, Phobos & Deimos, may be our gateway to that future.

As ever more automation works its way into our legal system and courts, we must ask what challenges and advantages AI has in justice, and if AI will come to be our judge and jury.

Life is incredibly complicated, but for most of Earth’s history it was much simpler. Is it possible the Universe is full of planets with very simple life, and complex organisms are rare?

Black Holes can swallow anything, even light, and small black holes made from light itself may offer us abundant clean energy and a pathway to the stars.

One day humanity may settle countless worlds, but could any nation hope to govern multiple planets or even star systems?

Space offers a variety of clean and abundant sources of power, but how can we get them down to Earth? And which are safe and economical?

We often worry that the reason we hear nothing in our search for extraterrestrial intelligence is that travel to other stars is just too hard, but what if a civilization decides it’s just too dangerous to allow?

The galaxy is an immense and mysterious place we may one day explore and settle, but for now, we have only one planet, and the galaxy holds many dangers, so what can we do to defend Earth?

We are fascinated by portals between worlds, gateways between stars, wormholes through the fabric of reality, but could these be real, and if so, what would the civilizations using them be like?

This episode has no summary.

This episode has no summary.

This episode has no summary.