Topic for Winter Quarter-
Long Term Threats To The Survival Of Intelligent Life On Planets - or What is L?
Student presentations/discussion sessions
Each student will do a presentation- can work singly or in pairs- interaction with mentors is highly encouraged
PICK A TOPIC WITHIN 1 WEEK (before Jan 15) AND EMAIL A TITLE AND SHORT DESCRIPTION to:
Don Brownlee brownlee@astro.washington.edu
Possible AB Discussion Topics
Survival or prevention of major future impacts- Effects of asteroid/comet impacts. How big an impact can people survive? How effectively can extinction-causing impacts be prevented.
Human extinction due to atmospheric, oceanic or biological calamities
Dealing with the decline of CO2 and the “end” of the age of plants and animals. Why CO2 declines as stars brighten. Loss time-scale and possible remediation.
See numerous papers by the Potsdam group Bloh, Frank, Bounama and more http://www.pik-potsdam.de/~bloh/publications/
What can life be like on a HZ planet with < 10ppm CO2. Super plants or just life indoors?
Ocean loss and life on HZ planets that have lost oceans. How oceans are lost to space. Can this be stopped or slowed? Kasting, Whitmire and Reynolds ICARUS 101, 108-128 (1993)
Long-term future human evolution and adaptation-Are humans extinction proof?
Are humans better off on space stations?
Is technology a savior or end? Review of Martin Rees’s - The Final Century
Can humans be extinction-proof until the Sun becomes a red giant star?
The ever-increasing brightness of stars surrounded by habitable planets. What is the life-time for different types of habitability.
Are humans better off dead? The Voluntary Human Extinction movement
What are reasonable limits on L?
Can sunlight be blocked to maintain constant sunlight levels? Can HZ planets be moved outwards to keep constant temperatures as their stars become brighter D.G. Korycansky1 , Gregory Laughlin2 and Fred C. Adams3Astrophysics and Space Science, v. 275, Issue 4, p. 349-366 (2001)
Binary scattering events and the fate of life on cast-off planets- The frozen Earth: Binary scattering events and the fate of the Solar System Laughlin, Gregory; Adams, Fred C.I carus, Vol. 145, p. 614-627 (2000))
How far can terraforming go?
What types of stars & planets promote long-term survival?
How will Earth’s non-human life change in the long-term future?
How will humans adapt to billions of years of human history. Long term population control and ~ infinite use of truly renewable resources
Extra-solar threats- Gamma ray bursts and more
Is intelligent life usually on planets or spacecraft?
Which stars are best for long-term intelligent life?
Is some form of chip-based “cyber-life” better than water-based wet life best? Can humans be immortal?
What are the ultimate limits on L in a galaxy. How long will there be stars to heat planets
1997ApJ...482..420L Laughlin, Gregory; Bodenheimer, Peter; Adams, Fred C. The End of the Main Sequence. What happens to life when there are no more stars?
Terraforming planets http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~mfogg/biblio.htm
Will people go elsewhere when the Sun gets too hot?
Schedule and presentation Downloads:
Jan 8 - Don Brownlee- First Lecture- Intro and overview of Earth's furture
Jan 15 - Peter Ward- Species lifetimes and mass extinctions
Jan 22 - Steve Warren- Snowball issues
Jan 29 - Richard Gammon- GAIA & Sustainability issues
Feb 5 - Darci Snowden/Michele Cash - Intelligence & faith- pros & cons
Feb 12- Rika Anderson/Nick Cowan - Death by AGN/ Long term evolution- can a species be extinction-proof?
Feb 19 - Sanjoy Som/Tyler Robinson/Andres Opatkiewicz - Habitability and solar dL/dT, Ways that a technologically advanced civilization can extend their planet's lifetime of habitability
Feb 26 - Praveen Kundurthy/Loren Ballanti - M stars - habitable time
March 4- Nathan Kaib - TBD
March 11 - Clara Fuchsman/Nicolas Pinel - Decline of CO2