Ask A Genius 1133: Cool Stuff From Back in the (To-?)Day
Author(s): Rick Rosner and Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): Ask A Genius
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2024/10/31
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Is there anything physics-related? Here is a thought: Space exploration used to be the coolestthing that captured everyone’s imagination.
Rick Rosner: Yes, especially back in the ’60s and ’70s. Before you were born, we would get out of class every time there was an Apollo launch.
Jacobsen: But now, do people care about space anymore?
Rosner: It is exciting, but nothing it used to be. We are more focused on our devices and what is happening on Earth than the idea of people living on the Moon.
There are still practical applications for space technology that could be transformative. For example, suppose we could capture a metallic asteroid—not an ice ball—and figure out how to mine it. In that case, that asteroid might contain as many rare earth metals as we’ve been able to mine on Earth, maybe more because the whole thing could be made of those materials. The challenge is that it’s zipping through space.
If we could drag it into Earth’s orbit, we could mine it and drop the metals down to Earth. That is exciting in a technical sense, but it does not inspire the same sense of wonder that space exploration once did. All the awe comes from information processing, AI, and other Earth-bound technology developments.
Jacobsen: So the question is, in a world that seems to care less about space exploration and other important things, having kids, does that reflect a diminishing interest in metaphysics and physics?
Rosner: People are so busy with social media and everything else that we need to make more babies to sustain the population. In the U.S., the replacement rate should be around 2.1 children per woman, but we are at 1.62. So we are only making 80% of the babies we need to keep the population stable if it were not for immigration.
We are less interested in space and relationships. Does that mean we care less about the deeper questions—metaphysics and physics—or am I reaching for a topic?
Jacobsen: Probably both.
Rosner: We will call it a night and let you get to the gym.
Jacobsen: Talk to you tomorrow.
Rosner: Thanks, take care.
Rick Rosner, American Comedy Writer, www.rickrosner.org
Scott Douglas Jacobsen, Independent Journalist, www.in-sightpublishing.com
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