Survival of our species/Risks to humanity

Major potential threats to humanity:

• Strike by asteroid or comet. Possible at any time. Accepted in scientific community as not an 'if' but a 'when'.
• Genetically engineered biological weapon or lab-experiment let loose (accidentally or maliciously). Possible at any time.
• Out of control self-replicating molecular nanotechnology (accidental or malicious). Underlying technology is perhaps 15 years away.
• Out of control artificial intelligence. Underlying technology is perhaps 20 years away.
• Global war with nuclear or other advanced weaponry. Possible at any time.
• Increasingly powerful particle accelerators. Some physicist think we have already created phenomena similar to black holes [1], although theorists believe these pose no risk as they evaporate extremely quickly. Although the very reason people are doing these experiments is because we do not precisely know how nature behaves at these extremely high energies. Possible at any time.
• Super-volcanic geological activity. Not sure that the risk is known.
• Climate change. It is more likely to affect other species that do not have the means to adapt first. But if it gets to the point where it affects species we rely on for our own survival then we will be at risk. Possible in the near future.

It sounds a bit grim reading through this list, and people naturally tend not to think too much about these things, but with awareness of the problems and precautionary measures, these scenarios can be mitigated to a certain extent. Colonising Space is the ultimate insurance policy, and it needs to happen before it is too late.

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