The End Of The World with Josh Clark iHeartPodcasts
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- Science
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We humans could have a bright future ahead of us that lasts billions of years. But we have to survive the next 200 years first. Join Josh Clark of Stuff You Should Know for a 10-episode deep dive that explores the future of humanity and finds dangers we have never encountered before lurking just ahead. And if we humans are alone in the universe, if we don't survive intelligent life dies out with us too.
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Fermi Paradox
Ever wondered where all the aliens are? It’s actually very weird that, as big and old as the universe is, we seem to be the only intelligent life. In this episode, Josh examines the Fermi paradox, and what it says about humanity’s place in the universe.
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Great Filter
The Great Filter hypothesis says we’re alone in the universe because the process of evolution contains some filter that prevents life from spreading into the universe. Have we passed it or is it in our future? Humanity’s survival may depend on the answer.
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X Risks
Humanity could have a future billions of years long – or we might not make it past the next century. If we have a trip through the Great Filter ahead of us, then we appear to be entering it now. It looks like existential risks will be our filter.
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Natural Risks
Humans have faced existential risks since our species was born. Because we are Earthbound, what happens to Earth happens to us. Josh points out that there’s a lot that can happen to Earth - like gamma ray bursts, supernovae, and runaway greenhouse effect.
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Artificial Intelligence
An artificial intelligence capable of improving itself runs the risk of growing intelligent beyond any human capacity and outside of our control. Josh explains why a superintelligent AI that we haven’t planned for would be extremely bad for humankind.
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Biotechnology
Natural viruses and bacteria can be deadly enough; the 1918 Spanish Flu killed 50 million people in four months. But risky new research, carried out in an unknown number of labs around the world, are creating even more dangerous humanmade pathogens.
Customer Reviews
Most fascinating podcast ever
This is one podcast I’ve listened to over and over and over. I’ve shared it with friends and family. I don’t think it’s importance can be overstated. Josh (and I) care deeply about humanity and the implications of the (very real, as he shows) possibility that we are the only intelligent life forms in the universe.
It’s made me reconsider many things, and appreciate the fragile beauty of this amazing life we live.
Wishing for season 2
Exciting, educating, and eery! I listen with morbid fascination to the extrapolations and genuine concern for the data and facts used to effectively illustrate the reason of these projections.
Most of these topics have had interesting developments since this show’s release! There is new data, new insights, new technology.
I’d love to hear more!
Marathoned
I just finished listening to the whole series straight through. Great stuff. Everything is well explained and well organized. Fact of the podcast for me was that A.I. doesn’t love me or hate me, it just was to use my atoms for something else.