1 00:00:05,960 --> 00:00:10,240 Speaker 1: Imagine a future one hundred maybe two hundred years from now. 2 00:00:10,520 --> 00:00:13,640 Speaker 1: In space, manufacturing has come a long way, and we 3 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:17,759 Speaker 1: can now build colossal structures using resources collected from the 4 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:21,960 Speaker 1: Moon and the asteroids. First interstellar ship has been built 5 00:00:22,079 --> 00:00:24,400 Speaker 1: and is getting loaded up with supplies for a long 6 00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:27,600 Speaker 1: trip to Alpha Centauri. It's now time to pick the 7 00:00:27,680 --> 00:00:30,520 Speaker 1: crew who will be the ambassadors for humanity should we 8 00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:34,120 Speaker 1: meet intelligent life in the neighboring Solar System. How many 9 00:00:34,240 --> 00:00:37,280 Speaker 1: people will we send, how should we pick them, What 10 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:39,919 Speaker 1: dangers will they face en root and what will their 11 00:00:39,960 --> 00:00:43,560 Speaker 1: lives be like during this journey. In our last episode, 12 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:46,040 Speaker 1: we talked about the rockets that could carry us to 13 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:49,640 Speaker 1: distant stars. Today, we're going to talk about the squishier 14 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:52,320 Speaker 1: side of things, focusing on some of the human stuff 15 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:55,720 Speaker 1: you'd have to deal with on an interstellar journey. Welcome 16 00:00:55,880 --> 00:01:12,399 Speaker 1: to Daniel and Kelly's Extraordinary Universe. Hi. 17 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:15,920 Speaker 2: I'm Daniel. I'm a particle physicist and the longest flight 18 00:01:15,959 --> 00:01:18,520 Speaker 2: I've ever taken was fourteen hours. 19 00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:22,000 Speaker 1: Hi. I'm Kelly Wiiner Smith. I studied parasites in space, 20 00:01:22,080 --> 00:01:24,920 Speaker 1: and I think the longest flight I've taken was twelve 21 00:01:24,959 --> 00:01:27,680 Speaker 1: I've been down to Brazil. I haven't really kept track 22 00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:29,400 Speaker 1: of how long my flights were. Where were you going? 23 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:33,759 Speaker 2: I went to an absolutely ridiculous slash amazing boondoggle conference 24 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:37,280 Speaker 2: in Fiji on the island of Morea, where the University 25 00:01:37,319 --> 00:01:39,720 Speaker 2: of California has a research station, and we were there 26 00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:43,600 Speaker 2: to talk about dark matter, of course, So I brought 27 00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:46,200 Speaker 2: my daughter and we did a lot of snorkeling and hiking, 28 00:01:46,319 --> 00:01:49,440 Speaker 2: and we rode horseback of the mountains and tried to 29 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:51,640 Speaker 2: keep the horses from eating pineapple plants. And it was 30 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:54,200 Speaker 2: an amazing time. But wow, the flight was long. 31 00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:55,880 Speaker 1: What made it a boondoggle? 32 00:01:56,120 --> 00:01:58,400 Speaker 2: Why do you need to go to a tropical island 33 00:01:58,480 --> 00:01:59,559 Speaker 2: to talk about dark matter? 34 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:04,480 Speaker 1: Don't That's what makes it a Yeah, I gotta be honest. 35 00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:06,720 Speaker 1: Ecology has a lot of that too. It's like, why 36 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:08,960 Speaker 1: do you need to go to the glorious rainforest to 37 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:11,919 Speaker 1: answer questions about frogs when you've got frogs in the US. 38 00:02:12,040 --> 00:02:14,320 Speaker 1: But I get it. We like go into beautiful places. 39 00:02:14,560 --> 00:02:16,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's one of the perks of being a scientist 40 00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:19,839 Speaker 2: is getting to travel to weird, random places to meet 41 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:20,760 Speaker 2: with your colleagues. 42 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:23,359 Speaker 1: That's true, that's true. I love getting to see new places. 43 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:25,840 Speaker 1: I often get invited to places that I never actually 44 00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:28,560 Speaker 1: really wanted to go to, but once I get invited, 45 00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:31,720 Speaker 1: I'm like, yeah, I want to go to Slovakia, and 46 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:34,040 Speaker 1: I love Slovakia. Broadoslava was beautiful. 47 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:36,760 Speaker 2: Well what's your experience like on these long flights, because 48 00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:39,480 Speaker 2: I always feel like, oh, fourteen hours, no big deal. 49 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:41,919 Speaker 2: I'll just watch a few movies and then like two 50 00:02:41,960 --> 00:02:44,360 Speaker 2: movies in, I'm like, wow, get me off this plane, 51 00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:47,760 Speaker 2: and then like four movies in I'm gonna kill myself. 52 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:49,800 Speaker 2: And then by the time I land, I'm like, hmm, 53 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:50,720 Speaker 2: that wasn't so bad. 54 00:02:52,520 --> 00:02:54,680 Speaker 1: I hate it. I have a very similar experience. I 55 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:56,840 Speaker 1: can't sleep. I try to sleep, I can't sleep. I'm 56 00:02:56,880 --> 00:02:59,400 Speaker 1: not comfortable. Every once in a while, I'll get lucky 57 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:00,800 Speaker 1: and there'll be no one else in the row and 58 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:03,200 Speaker 1: I can just like lay down and at least then 59 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:09,760 Speaker 1: I feel kind of rest ish or restoids. I know, 60 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:12,280 Speaker 1: I hate it too, And then I always feel kind 61 00:03:12,320 --> 00:03:14,720 Speaker 1: of angry at the people in first class because they've 62 00:03:14,760 --> 00:03:18,120 Speaker 1: got like a much nicer setup. But you know, what 63 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:18,640 Speaker 1: are you gonna do. 64 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:21,000 Speaker 2: You're not gonna spend ten thousand dollars for that flight, 65 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:25,240 Speaker 2: that's right. Yeah, no, But if I was an astronaut 66 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:27,639 Speaker 2: and I was going to the Moon or to Mars 67 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:31,000 Speaker 2: or to Alpha Centauri, I might want the engineers to 68 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:33,280 Speaker 2: build in a seat that can fully recline. What do 69 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:33,600 Speaker 2: you think? 70 00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:36,920 Speaker 1: Heck, yes, you do have to have a completely different 71 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:40,280 Speaker 1: mindset to really enjoy super long trips. Like Jim Lovell 72 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:43,560 Speaker 1: and Frank Borman were on a Gemini trip around the 73 00:03:43,600 --> 00:03:45,000 Speaker 1: Earth and I think they were up there for something 74 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:47,120 Speaker 1: like two weeks, and it was a really tiny space 75 00:03:47,320 --> 00:03:49,840 Speaker 1: and at least on airplanes, like, yeah, the bathroom is small, 76 00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:52,600 Speaker 1: it's super inconvenient. I hate it. But it's got a 77 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:57,280 Speaker 1: door and the Gemini didn't. And so Frank Borman tried 78 00:03:57,320 --> 00:03:59,920 Speaker 1: to go all twelve days without having a bowel movement, 79 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:02,240 Speaker 1: and I think he made it like eight days or something, 80 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:06,000 Speaker 1: and then he was like, Jim, I can't wait anymore. 81 00:04:06,120 --> 00:04:07,400 Speaker 2: I'm about to make a delivery. 82 00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:10,280 Speaker 1: Oh gosh. Yeah, So anyway, it could be worse. 83 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:13,200 Speaker 2: So you're saying that the cutting edge super distant travel 84 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:17,159 Speaker 2: is less convenient and less comfortable than like economy flights 85 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:19,080 Speaker 2: across the country. That doesn't make any sense to me. 86 00:04:19,320 --> 00:04:21,719 Speaker 1: Well, you know, you've got to pay for all of 87 00:04:21,760 --> 00:04:24,159 Speaker 1: the space that you send up there, and it's super expensive. 88 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:26,160 Speaker 1: And I mean, let's be honest, anybody who's told you 89 00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:27,800 Speaker 1: get to go to space is going to put up 90 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:30,400 Speaker 1: with whatever you give them, and so they're definitely going 91 00:04:30,480 --> 00:04:32,680 Speaker 1: to go. But there was a recent SpaceX trip where 92 00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:35,040 Speaker 1: there were complaints about the bathroom also, and I think 93 00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:37,839 Speaker 1: it was the Dragon capsule. Restrooms in space are just 94 00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:38,680 Speaker 1: hard to pull off. 95 00:04:38,720 --> 00:04:40,839 Speaker 2: Well, I think this is another case of like my 96 00:04:41,040 --> 00:04:44,320 Speaker 2: over optimistic rose colored glasses when it comes to space travel, 97 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:47,920 Speaker 2: imagining that the problems we have with like airplane flights 98 00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:50,880 Speaker 2: are not going to be even worse on space trips. 99 00:04:50,960 --> 00:04:53,520 Speaker 2: They're somehow all going to be comfortable and get along 100 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:55,520 Speaker 2: and the food is going to be amazing like it 101 00:04:55,600 --> 00:04:58,080 Speaker 2: is on Star Trek. Right. That's why I was excited 102 00:04:58,080 --> 00:05:00,360 Speaker 2: that today we're going to dig into like the reality 103 00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:03,080 Speaker 2: of a potential interstellar trip. What's it going to be like? 104 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:05,800 Speaker 2: Will there be doors on the bathrooms? How far back 105 00:05:05,880 --> 00:05:08,680 Speaker 2: will this eat recline? And will they have anything besides 106 00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:09,919 Speaker 2: peanuts and pretzels? 107 00:05:10,040 --> 00:05:12,600 Speaker 1: Well, let's dig in and find out. So this is 108 00:05:12,640 --> 00:05:16,320 Speaker 1: part two of our interstellar travel series. We talked about 109 00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:18,359 Speaker 1: the kinds of rockets that get you to space in 110 00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:20,600 Speaker 1: the last episode, and today we're talking about the squishy 111 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:23,839 Speaker 1: human side of things, and so we asked our listeners, 112 00:05:24,120 --> 00:05:29,040 Speaker 1: can humans survive interstellar travel? Why or why not. Here's 113 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:33,000 Speaker 1: what they had to say. Humans could survive interstellar travel 114 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:39,280 Speaker 1: with terraform spaceships, and over multiple generations, they could get 115 00:05:39,279 --> 00:05:40,160 Speaker 1: somewhere interesting. 116 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:46,400 Speaker 3: There are so many unknown issues with closed ecosystems in 117 00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:50,440 Speaker 3: order to produce the food that we need in the 118 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:53,080 Speaker 3: form of plants, et cetera, that I'm too sure that 119 00:05:53,080 --> 00:05:55,760 Speaker 3: we've solved all the problems necessary in order to have 120 00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:58,680 Speaker 3: a long duration interstellar travel with. 121 00:05:58,680 --> 00:06:02,080 Speaker 4: Our current technology. I don't think it's possible, but maybe 122 00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:08,960 Speaker 4: with advances in propulsion and radiation shielding and artificial gravity 123 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:10,919 Speaker 4: from propulsion, that might be possible. 124 00:06:11,400 --> 00:06:15,200 Speaker 5: One human couldn't survive because we haven't sought in suspended 125 00:06:15,200 --> 00:06:19,680 Speaker 5: animation yet. But if you're talking about generations of humans, 126 00:06:19,800 --> 00:06:23,120 Speaker 5: if as human we've sorted all the problems of sustaining 127 00:06:23,160 --> 00:06:27,880 Speaker 5: reproduction and nutrition and health, I wonder whether the risks 128 00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:31,800 Speaker 5: of the dangers posed by cosmic rays will actually be 129 00:06:32,040 --> 00:06:36,719 Speaker 5: less in deep space. We do only then have to 130 00:06:36,760 --> 00:06:39,880 Speaker 5: worry about the problem of re entry into the new 131 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:41,200 Speaker 5: stellar system. 132 00:06:41,720 --> 00:06:44,960 Speaker 6: I think generally it's possible, but you have the problem 133 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:47,560 Speaker 6: that when you go fast you have cosmic rays that 134 00:06:47,640 --> 00:06:50,680 Speaker 6: are really high energy, and if you go slow, it 135 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:53,159 Speaker 6: takes forever. So it's a tradeoff and you're lose in 136 00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:54,400 Speaker 6: both situations. 137 00:06:54,720 --> 00:06:57,800 Speaker 7: It depends on how far away the other stars. If 138 00:06:57,800 --> 00:06:59,440 Speaker 7: the star we're trying to get to is there one 139 00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:01,920 Speaker 7: that we're going to share our clouds with in about 140 00:07:01,960 --> 00:07:05,039 Speaker 7: a million years or so, then that's much more achievable 141 00:07:05,160 --> 00:07:07,240 Speaker 7: than a star on the other side of our galaxy. 142 00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:09,600 Speaker 8: I say no because the first two mens who leave 143 00:07:09,600 --> 00:07:12,440 Speaker 8: Earth going to interstellar space will not be alive because 144 00:07:12,480 --> 00:07:14,880 Speaker 8: it takes approximately twenty two to twenty five thousand years 145 00:07:14,920 --> 00:07:17,120 Speaker 8: to exit our solar system. And that opens up the 146 00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:19,560 Speaker 8: question about children in space to continue to journey, because 147 00:07:19,600 --> 00:07:21,680 Speaker 8: the adults who begin the journey will not live to 148 00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:22,720 Speaker 8: exit our solar system. 149 00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:25,960 Speaker 9: So no, if we allow for human reproduction all root, 150 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:29,880 Speaker 9: which is a big if, humans would encounter significant survival challenges, 151 00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:32,240 Speaker 9: not the least which is that our physiology is ill 152 00:07:32,240 --> 00:07:36,400 Speaker 9: equipped to handle zero gravity and excessive radiation exposure in 153 00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:38,120 Speaker 9: the vein of we do not know what we do 154 00:07:38,200 --> 00:07:41,119 Speaker 9: not know. There are likely other factors that terrustrial living 155 00:07:41,120 --> 00:07:43,640 Speaker 9: either provides for us or protects us from that we 156 00:07:43,680 --> 00:07:47,720 Speaker 9: would faithfully and tragically encounter on the interstellar voyage. 157 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:51,520 Speaker 10: We can imagine traveling to other solar systems, but can 158 00:07:51,560 --> 00:07:57,760 Speaker 10: we deal with all the questions radiation, food, power sources, generationships. 159 00:07:58,480 --> 00:08:00,520 Speaker 10: We just don't know enough at this point. 160 00:08:00,960 --> 00:08:03,560 Speaker 2: Those are super fun answers, And if you find yourself 161 00:08:03,680 --> 00:08:06,560 Speaker 2: speaking back to the podcast with your own answers, then 162 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:09,040 Speaker 2: send us those answers and we'll put them on the 163 00:08:09,040 --> 00:08:11,440 Speaker 2: pod so that everyone else can hear what you have 164 00:08:11,520 --> 00:08:14,680 Speaker 2: to say. Just write to us to questions at Danielankelly 165 00:08:15,040 --> 00:08:17,800 Speaker 2: dot org and we will share your insights with the world. 166 00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:20,280 Speaker 1: Looking forward to hearing from you. And we've been very 167 00:08:20,320 --> 00:08:23,320 Speaker 1: excited to have more women sharing their responses lately, so 168 00:08:23,440 --> 00:08:24,920 Speaker 1: let's keep that up. Go women. 169 00:08:25,320 --> 00:08:27,600 Speaker 2: Well, do you think our listeners also have rose colored 170 00:08:27,600 --> 00:08:31,640 Speaker 2: glasses and they're underestimating the difficulty of traveling to space 171 00:08:31,720 --> 00:08:33,199 Speaker 2: or do you think they have a realistic sense. 172 00:08:33,600 --> 00:08:36,680 Speaker 1: We have a really nice range of people who are 173 00:08:36,760 --> 00:08:40,720 Speaker 1: super optimistic, and I would maybe say not quite reasonably so, 174 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:43,920 Speaker 1: and then people who are maybe a bit more down 175 00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:46,319 Speaker 1: on the enterprise than is necessary. We've got a lot 176 00:08:46,360 --> 00:08:48,079 Speaker 1: of variability. I think it depends a lot on the 177 00:08:48,120 --> 00:08:50,520 Speaker 1: timeframe that you're willing to consider for this question. 178 00:08:50,800 --> 00:08:53,600 Speaker 2: All right, well, let's dig into the problem why space 179 00:08:53,640 --> 00:08:56,240 Speaker 2: travel is so much harder than airplane trips, or if 180 00:08:56,240 --> 00:08:59,440 Speaker 2: it's just airplane trips times a thousand, tell us what 181 00:08:59,559 --> 00:09:03,319 Speaker 2: basically are the obstacles here to traveling in safety and 182 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:05,160 Speaker 2: comfort to another solar system. 183 00:09:05,520 --> 00:09:08,000 Speaker 1: Well, as you pointed out in the last episode, space 184 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:11,160 Speaker 1: is vast, and so if we're going to Alpha Centauri, 185 00:09:11,240 --> 00:09:14,400 Speaker 1: that is four light years away. So with current technologies, 186 00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:17,040 Speaker 1: we're talking about eighty thousand years. That's a lot of 187 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:18,120 Speaker 1: human generations. 188 00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:20,079 Speaker 2: That's a lot of movies to watch. 189 00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:22,560 Speaker 1: Wow, oh my gosh. Yeah, maybe in the next one 190 00:09:22,600 --> 00:09:24,880 Speaker 1: hundred years Marvel will make enough movies to get you 191 00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:25,760 Speaker 1: to Alpha Centauri. 192 00:09:26,600 --> 00:09:28,600 Speaker 2: I think there might be enough fast and furious movies 193 00:09:28,600 --> 00:09:29,520 Speaker 2: to make sure. 194 00:09:30,800 --> 00:09:33,480 Speaker 1: I would not make it to Alpha Centauri fast and 195 00:09:33,520 --> 00:09:36,200 Speaker 1: furious movies. I would rather push myself out the airlock. 196 00:09:36,240 --> 00:09:38,280 Speaker 2: But our he no, you're missing out, You're missing out. 197 00:09:38,360 --> 00:09:41,800 Speaker 2: Fast and furious is fantastic because they don't take themselves seriously. 198 00:09:41,880 --> 00:09:45,120 Speaker 2: Like every movie they have an even more ridiculous stunt. 199 00:09:45,160 --> 00:09:47,800 Speaker 2: They're like, oh yeah, how about a space shuttle. Okay, 200 00:09:47,920 --> 00:09:50,959 Speaker 2: how about a submarine on the ice with a torpedo. 201 00:09:51,160 --> 00:09:54,560 Speaker 2: It's ridiculous and fantastic and really creative. I watch a 202 00:09:54,559 --> 00:09:57,719 Speaker 2: lot of terrible movies, and there's always something new in 203 00:09:57,760 --> 00:09:59,840 Speaker 2: the Fast and Furius that makes me go, whoa that 204 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:02,400 Speaker 2: it was cool. So yeah, don't overlook them. 205 00:10:02,480 --> 00:10:04,120 Speaker 1: Okay, all right, I'll take another look at the Fast 206 00:10:04,120 --> 00:10:06,200 Speaker 1: and Furious series. I didn't imagine I would say that 207 00:10:06,240 --> 00:10:07,439 Speaker 1: phrase today, but there you go. 208 00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:09,160 Speaker 2: But I don't think we want to travel the stars 209 00:10:09,200 --> 00:10:11,080 Speaker 2: fast and furious. I think it's kind of more like 210 00:10:11,160 --> 00:10:12,800 Speaker 2: slow and calm is the way to go. 211 00:10:13,400 --> 00:10:15,839 Speaker 1: That's what I would like, and with no explosions or 212 00:10:15,880 --> 00:10:17,839 Speaker 1: anything like that. So you said that we could get 213 00:10:17,840 --> 00:10:20,360 Speaker 1: to Alpha Centauri in forty years if you can travel 214 00:10:20,400 --> 00:10:22,520 Speaker 1: at ten percent the speed of light. Yeah, So we're 215 00:10:22,520 --> 00:10:24,880 Speaker 1: going to talk about a range of different options. What 216 00:10:24,960 --> 00:10:27,640 Speaker 1: if you could get there fast if the technology works out, 217 00:10:27,679 --> 00:10:29,720 Speaker 1: and what if you need to get there over the 218 00:10:29,800 --> 00:10:32,120 Speaker 1: course of multiple generations. So you need to have a 219 00:10:32,240 --> 00:10:35,840 Speaker 1: generational ship sometimes called an arc and this field has 220 00:10:35,840 --> 00:10:37,960 Speaker 1: a good sense of humor, so sometimes they call the 221 00:10:38,040 --> 00:10:43,360 Speaker 1: study archaeology also, yeah, which I love. 222 00:10:43,880 --> 00:10:44,880 Speaker 2: That is very cool. 223 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:47,200 Speaker 1: All right, So one human thing we're going to need 224 00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:50,760 Speaker 1: to overcome is this whole money situation because the cost 225 00:10:50,840 --> 00:10:52,679 Speaker 1: of a project like this is probably going to be 226 00:10:53,160 --> 00:10:56,960 Speaker 1: massively prohibitive. So you talked about how much mass would 227 00:10:56,960 --> 00:10:59,559 Speaker 1: be needed to hold the propellant, and that for chemical 228 00:10:59,640 --> 00:11:02,880 Speaker 1: rockets the tank would have to be as big as Jupiter. 229 00:11:03,160 --> 00:11:05,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, and then you also need to somehow find that fuel. 230 00:11:05,640 --> 00:11:05,800 Speaker 9: Yeah. 231 00:11:05,880 --> 00:11:08,240 Speaker 2: Right, basically you have to use Jupiter as your rocket. Yeh. 232 00:11:08,480 --> 00:11:10,920 Speaker 1: Many layers of problems here. But you know, if you're 233 00:11:10,960 --> 00:11:13,280 Speaker 1: talking about bringing humans that are awake, you're also going 234 00:11:13,320 --> 00:11:16,439 Speaker 1: to need space for recreation areas, space for schooling, space 235 00:11:16,440 --> 00:11:19,800 Speaker 1: for medical facilities, places to grow food. The International Space 236 00:11:19,800 --> 00:11:22,840 Speaker 1: Station is the most expensive human made object ever and 237 00:11:22,880 --> 00:11:25,080 Speaker 1: it's clocking in at about one hundred and fifty billion 238 00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:28,640 Speaker 1: dollars and it usually holds seven people uncomfortably. 239 00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:32,160 Speaker 2: So this is going to cost a lot of money. 240 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:34,640 Speaker 2: But we're basically just going to ignore the financial side 241 00:11:34,640 --> 00:11:35,079 Speaker 2: of the question. 242 00:11:35,240 --> 00:11:37,800 Speaker 1: We are, yes, right, So let's assume that money is 243 00:11:37,840 --> 00:11:41,120 Speaker 1: no longer an object. Yea, yeah, hey, that's right. Humanity 244 00:11:41,160 --> 00:11:43,840 Speaker 1: has decided we absolutely must do this. Okay, what kind 245 00:11:43,840 --> 00:11:46,280 Speaker 1: of problems are the humans going to encounter? As you 246 00:11:46,360 --> 00:11:49,400 Speaker 1: might remember from our conversations on Mars and the Moon, 247 00:11:49,840 --> 00:11:53,040 Speaker 1: space has a lot of radiation that is bad for humans. 248 00:11:53,120 --> 00:11:55,920 Speaker 1: It has two kinds of radiation that are not very 249 00:11:55,920 --> 00:11:59,600 Speaker 1: common here on Earth, and that scalactic cosmic radiation and 250 00:11:59,760 --> 00:12:03,079 Speaker 1: solar particle events. And these are bad for equipment and 251 00:12:03,120 --> 00:12:05,920 Speaker 1: for people. And I'm kicking over to Daniel tell us 252 00:12:05,920 --> 00:12:08,520 Speaker 1: about galactic cosmic radiation and solar particle events. 253 00:12:09,520 --> 00:12:11,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, so the Sun puts out a lot of light, 254 00:12:11,960 --> 00:12:14,160 Speaker 2: but it also shoots out a lot of other stuff. 255 00:12:14,200 --> 00:12:14,400 Speaker 4: You know. 256 00:12:14,440 --> 00:12:19,000 Speaker 2: They're protons, they're electrons. Basically, it's just spewing plasma. We 257 00:12:19,080 --> 00:12:22,000 Speaker 2: call this the solar wind, and it's moving at high speed. 258 00:12:22,080 --> 00:12:24,920 Speaker 2: So these particles are dangerous because any one of them 259 00:12:25,040 --> 00:12:27,480 Speaker 2: hits your body, tears through it like a little tiny bullet. 260 00:12:27,720 --> 00:12:30,560 Speaker 2: You can rip apart DNA, you can destroy cells. It's 261 00:12:30,600 --> 00:12:33,320 Speaker 2: not good. One random one you're probably fine, But you 262 00:12:33,360 --> 00:12:35,959 Speaker 2: take enough of these you're getting cancer. And down here 263 00:12:36,000 --> 00:12:37,679 Speaker 2: on the surface of the Earth. We don't worry about 264 00:12:37,679 --> 00:12:40,079 Speaker 2: this because while the solar wind is hitting the Earth, 265 00:12:40,160 --> 00:12:43,959 Speaker 2: the atmosphere protects us. It's an enormous, very thick, very 266 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:46,760 Speaker 2: massive blanket. And the whole idea is that when you 267 00:12:46,840 --> 00:12:49,440 Speaker 2: go out into space, you no longer have that atmosphere, 268 00:12:49,720 --> 00:12:52,920 Speaker 2: so you have to replicate that with shielding. Galactic cosmic 269 00:12:53,040 --> 00:12:56,120 Speaker 2: rays are a whole other question. They're basically radiation from 270 00:12:56,160 --> 00:12:58,839 Speaker 2: other stuff in the galaxy, like the combined radiation from 271 00:12:58,920 --> 00:13:02,120 Speaker 2: other stars and from black holes and from other weird 272 00:13:02,160 --> 00:13:05,280 Speaker 2: stuff we've never even figured out, like there are particles 273 00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:08,280 Speaker 2: that are so high energy. There's nothing in the universe 274 00:13:08,320 --> 00:13:11,120 Speaker 2: we know of that can make particles go that fast, 275 00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:14,280 Speaker 2: and yet we see them. So there's like really fascinating 276 00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:17,200 Speaker 2: physics mysteries there. But from a human survival point of view, 277 00:13:17,240 --> 00:13:20,960 Speaker 2: you don't want these super duper high energy particles hitting you. Basically, 278 00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:23,400 Speaker 2: space is filled with tiny bullets, and you got to 279 00:13:23,440 --> 00:13:24,960 Speaker 2: go up there with a bulletproof vest. 280 00:13:25,200 --> 00:13:27,200 Speaker 1: I am always so impressed by how eloquent you are 281 00:13:27,240 --> 00:13:29,520 Speaker 1: when I put you on the spot, Bravo. So we're 282 00:13:29,520 --> 00:13:31,280 Speaker 1: going to need to shield against this kind of stuff. 283 00:13:31,280 --> 00:13:33,719 Speaker 1: And it's not just a problem for human bodies, it's 284 00:13:33,760 --> 00:13:35,960 Speaker 1: also a problem for our machines. Did I tell the 285 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:39,280 Speaker 1: story on the show before about Terry Vertz and Samantha 286 00:13:39,360 --> 00:13:42,079 Speaker 1: Christofferetti when the ISS had a false alarm? 287 00:13:42,280 --> 00:13:42,959 Speaker 2: Oh? Tell us? 288 00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:45,600 Speaker 1: All right, So you've got Terry and Samantha in space 289 00:13:45,640 --> 00:13:48,240 Speaker 1: on the International Space Station and an alarm starts going 290 00:13:48,240 --> 00:13:51,080 Speaker 1: off and Terry's not immediately sure what this alarm means, 291 00:13:51,120 --> 00:13:54,120 Speaker 1: but Samantha has memorized all the alarms and it's an 292 00:13:54,120 --> 00:13:57,960 Speaker 1: ammonia leak. And on the US side, ammonia is used 293 00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:01,760 Speaker 1: to cool the space station is also toxic. So the 294 00:14:01,800 --> 00:14:03,920 Speaker 1: protocol for what you do when there's an ammonia leak 295 00:14:04,120 --> 00:14:07,440 Speaker 1: as you run over to the Russian side, you close 296 00:14:07,520 --> 00:14:10,680 Speaker 1: the first hatch, you take off your clothes. You close 297 00:14:10,760 --> 00:14:13,880 Speaker 1: the second hatch with you on the other side, you take. 298 00:14:13,679 --> 00:14:15,280 Speaker 2: Off your clothes. Why do you have to take off 299 00:14:15,320 --> 00:14:17,439 Speaker 2: your clothes as just make it more fun and dramatic. 300 00:14:17,520 --> 00:14:21,040 Speaker 1: Well, yeah, I mean one, sure, but also that ammonia 301 00:14:21,120 --> 00:14:22,640 Speaker 1: could cling to your clothes and you don't want to 302 00:14:22,640 --> 00:14:24,400 Speaker 1: bring it over to the Russian side. So you got 303 00:14:24,400 --> 00:14:26,320 Speaker 1: to hope the Russians have some undies they'll be willing 304 00:14:26,320 --> 00:14:28,920 Speaker 1: to loan you, and so they ran over. They closed 305 00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:31,920 Speaker 1: the first hatch, but they didn't smell the ammonia. And 306 00:14:31,920 --> 00:14:35,080 Speaker 1: this is an important sort of lesson about how humans respond, 307 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:37,400 Speaker 1: like it sort of doesn't matter what protocols you put 308 00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:40,280 Speaker 1: into place. When one human is looking at another human 309 00:14:40,320 --> 00:14:42,240 Speaker 1: and they're both like, am I going to really see 310 00:14:42,240 --> 00:14:44,960 Speaker 1: you naked? Right now? They decided to just skip that 311 00:14:45,080 --> 00:14:47,400 Speaker 1: step and they went in with all of their clothes 312 00:14:47,400 --> 00:14:50,200 Speaker 1: over to the Russian module. It did turn out it 313 00:14:50,280 --> 00:14:52,000 Speaker 1: was a false alarm, and the reason you go to 314 00:14:52,080 --> 00:14:54,840 Speaker 1: the Russian module is because they use glycol to cool 315 00:14:54,880 --> 00:14:56,800 Speaker 1: their side, which is not as toxic, and so if 316 00:14:56,800 --> 00:14:58,480 Speaker 1: the leak was coming from anywhere, it was the US 317 00:14:58,560 --> 00:15:02,840 Speaker 1: side anyway. It was later determined that the most likely 318 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:06,160 Speaker 1: reason that this alarm got switched on was because the 319 00:15:06,160 --> 00:15:09,600 Speaker 1: computer had been hit with galactic cosmic radiation, which messed 320 00:15:09,600 --> 00:15:12,160 Speaker 1: with the equipment and started setting off alarms. You could 321 00:15:12,200 --> 00:15:15,520 Speaker 1: have cancer, cognitive declines, your machines could start breaking down. 322 00:15:15,600 --> 00:15:17,680 Speaker 1: So this is a problem we need to take seriously. 323 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:20,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, this is actually really fascinating from an engineering point 324 00:15:20,560 --> 00:15:23,400 Speaker 2: of view. You know, what's happening is that these particles 325 00:15:23,560 --> 00:15:26,160 Speaker 2: are passing through your equipment. Sensitive bits of it are 326 00:15:26,160 --> 00:15:28,840 Speaker 2: mostly made out of silicon, and when a high energy 327 00:15:28,840 --> 00:15:32,080 Speaker 2: particle passes through, it leaves a trail of ions, you know, 328 00:15:32,120 --> 00:15:35,080 Speaker 2: it like kicks electrons and leaves holes, and this is 329 00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:37,360 Speaker 2: how these things work also, right, they like separate the 330 00:15:37,360 --> 00:15:40,360 Speaker 2: holes and the electrons, and so all this equipment can 331 00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:41,920 Speaker 2: get like a false bit, like you can have a 332 00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:44,120 Speaker 2: zero in your memory and then they can turn into 333 00:15:44,120 --> 00:15:46,640 Speaker 2: a one or something, and so these kind of cosmic 334 00:15:46,680 --> 00:15:50,160 Speaker 2: ray bitflips are real concern and like massive data centers 335 00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:52,160 Speaker 2: worry about this also, but they have a lot of 336 00:15:52,280 --> 00:15:55,400 Speaker 2: error correction and so they have like duplications and cross 337 00:15:55,480 --> 00:15:58,160 Speaker 2: checking to basically remove this. So you can either have 338 00:15:58,200 --> 00:15:59,960 Speaker 2: a lot of duplication or you can try to make 339 00:16:00,080 --> 00:16:02,760 Speaker 2: get radiation hard by shielding it. The even folks who 340 00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:06,120 Speaker 2: are using diamonds instead of silicon, because diamond has a 341 00:16:06,120 --> 00:16:09,120 Speaker 2: lot of the same electrical properties, but it's radiation hard. 342 00:16:09,240 --> 00:16:11,880 Speaker 2: You can grow diamond, it's much more expensive and there's 343 00:16:11,880 --> 00:16:14,040 Speaker 2: not a huge industry for this. But like at the 344 00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:17,320 Speaker 2: large hadron collider, there's very intense radiation near all of 345 00:16:17,320 --> 00:16:19,720 Speaker 2: our sensitive detectors. So every couple of years, we've got 346 00:16:19,760 --> 00:16:21,800 Speaker 2: to pull it out and swap in a new one 347 00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:23,160 Speaker 2: because it's basically ruined. 348 00:16:23,240 --> 00:16:23,560 Speaker 1: Wow. 349 00:16:23,600 --> 00:16:26,840 Speaker 2: So, yeah, electronics are very sensitive to high levels of radiation. 350 00:16:27,280 --> 00:16:30,080 Speaker 2: And if you are relying on your electronics to keep 351 00:16:30,080 --> 00:16:32,760 Speaker 2: you alive and an eighty thousand year journey in all 352 00:16:32,800 --> 00:16:35,160 Speaker 2: of your grandkids and great grandkids, then yeah, you want 353 00:16:35,160 --> 00:16:35,880 Speaker 2: those things to work. 354 00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:38,120 Speaker 1: Yeah. And so the shielding could come in the form 355 00:16:38,240 --> 00:16:40,600 Speaker 1: of things like water, like you could store your water 356 00:16:40,600 --> 00:16:43,560 Speaker 1: supply on the outside. Would that help with galctic cosmic 357 00:16:43,640 --> 00:16:45,280 Speaker 1: radiation too, Daniel. 358 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:47,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, with various kinds of it. Yeah, okay, but mostly 359 00:16:47,640 --> 00:16:50,560 Speaker 2: you basically just need high Z mass, like you need 360 00:16:50,640 --> 00:16:53,640 Speaker 2: atoms with a lot of protons and neutrons between you 361 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:54,760 Speaker 2: and the radiation. 362 00:16:55,040 --> 00:16:58,360 Speaker 1: Got it. I've also seen proposals for scraping the regolith 363 00:16:58,400 --> 00:17:01,640 Speaker 1: off the Moon and padding your interstellarship with it. That 364 00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:03,840 Speaker 1: would be complicated, but it's a solution. 365 00:17:03,680 --> 00:17:05,840 Speaker 2: That would be pretty cool because then your ship looks 366 00:17:05,880 --> 00:17:08,760 Speaker 2: like a rock, you know, yeah, like floating through space, 367 00:17:08,920 --> 00:17:11,399 Speaker 2: like masquerading as an asteroid or something. 368 00:17:12,119 --> 00:17:14,520 Speaker 1: Well, another complicated problem we're going to need to solve 369 00:17:14,600 --> 00:17:16,720 Speaker 1: is what do you do about no gravity. 370 00:17:16,359 --> 00:17:18,840 Speaker 2: Right, But the takeaway from the shielding is an important one. Right. 371 00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:21,480 Speaker 2: It makes our ship big and massive and heavy, and 372 00:17:21,520 --> 00:17:24,639 Speaker 2: that makes it expensive. Right, But fortunately money is no 373 00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:25,119 Speaker 2: hurdle for. 374 00:17:25,200 --> 00:17:28,160 Speaker 1: Us, so cool, that's right. In space manufacturing might help 375 00:17:28,160 --> 00:17:29,760 Speaker 1: with this a lot. So you know, you could, like 376 00:17:29,840 --> 00:17:31,840 Speaker 1: I mentioned, go get the regulis from the surface of 377 00:17:31,880 --> 00:17:34,159 Speaker 1: the Moon, but also you could go to the asteroids 378 00:17:34,200 --> 00:17:36,000 Speaker 1: and extract water from the asteroids. In that way, you 379 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:37,760 Speaker 1: don't have to pay to boost it from Earth. But 380 00:17:37,800 --> 00:17:39,719 Speaker 1: one way or another, it's going to be an expensive, 381 00:17:40,359 --> 00:17:41,600 Speaker 1: massive project. 382 00:17:41,800 --> 00:17:44,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, all right, So problem number one is radiation. 383 00:17:44,080 --> 00:17:46,119 Speaker 1: Yes, and problem number two is going to make the 384 00:17:46,160 --> 00:17:49,240 Speaker 1: design of our vehicle even more complicated. And problem number 385 00:17:49,240 --> 00:17:52,560 Speaker 1: two is that there's no gravity in deep space. So 386 00:17:52,600 --> 00:17:55,240 Speaker 1: we know from astronauts on the International Space Station and 387 00:17:55,280 --> 00:17:57,800 Speaker 1: the space stations that came before that when they are 388 00:17:58,000 --> 00:18:01,280 Speaker 1: essentially in free fall and feeling the equivalent of no gravity, 389 00:18:01,400 --> 00:18:04,399 Speaker 1: that their bones start breaking down, their muscles start breaking down. 390 00:18:04,680 --> 00:18:06,920 Speaker 1: And the gravity on Earth and the fact that we're 391 00:18:06,960 --> 00:18:11,280 Speaker 1: constantly moving around and submitting our bones and muscles to gravity, 392 00:18:11,320 --> 00:18:13,880 Speaker 1: and then the pressure of our bodies as we run 393 00:18:13,920 --> 00:18:16,440 Speaker 1: around that makes our bones and muscles strong. That's like 394 00:18:16,480 --> 00:18:19,000 Speaker 1: a que Our bodies need to keep these things toned. 395 00:18:19,160 --> 00:18:21,600 Speaker 1: Without those cues, they just start to decay because you're 396 00:18:21,640 --> 00:18:24,719 Speaker 1: not using them, so bodies start falling apart. Additionally, we 397 00:18:24,760 --> 00:18:27,560 Speaker 1: see declines in vision, and we think that's because the 398 00:18:27,600 --> 00:18:30,200 Speaker 1: fluids in our bodies without gravity to pull them down, 399 00:18:30,200 --> 00:18:32,920 Speaker 1: sort of accumulate near our heads and change the shape 400 00:18:32,920 --> 00:18:35,480 Speaker 1: of our eyes. There's also some evidence that there could 401 00:18:35,480 --> 00:18:40,119 Speaker 1: be some cognitive declines. Basically, we're gonna want some gravity 402 00:18:40,359 --> 00:18:43,040 Speaker 1: when we're living out our lives on a ship, and folks. 403 00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:45,680 Speaker 2: Out there might be thinking, well, you know, we're adapted 404 00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:47,479 Speaker 2: to life on Earth, but if we spend it long 405 00:18:47,600 --> 00:18:49,760 Speaker 2: enough in space, maybe our bodies are just going to adapt. 406 00:18:49,800 --> 00:18:52,439 Speaker 2: Maybe we don't need those bones and those muscles because hey, 407 00:18:52,440 --> 00:18:55,320 Speaker 2: we're all floating around to the Blue Danube anyway, right, 408 00:18:55,600 --> 00:18:58,159 Speaker 2: Why do we care about degradation of our bones and 409 00:18:58,200 --> 00:19:00,000 Speaker 2: our muscles if we're just floating in space. 410 00:19:00,240 --> 00:19:02,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, so that's a great question. We don't actually know 411 00:19:02,840 --> 00:19:05,639 Speaker 1: that we could survive long term. So the longest anyone 412 00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:08,040 Speaker 1: has ever been in space, I think, is four hundred 413 00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:11,080 Speaker 1: and thirty seven days. That was Valeri Polyi call. So 414 00:19:11,160 --> 00:19:13,080 Speaker 1: we don't even have like more than a year and 415 00:19:13,119 --> 00:19:16,119 Speaker 1: a half of consecutive time in space. We know that 416 00:19:16,240 --> 00:19:19,560 Speaker 1: astronauts lose something like one percent of the density of 417 00:19:19,600 --> 00:19:22,320 Speaker 1: their hip bone per month, and we don't know if 418 00:19:22,320 --> 00:19:25,439 Speaker 1: that tapers off eventually. But if you imagine trying to 419 00:19:25,440 --> 00:19:27,120 Speaker 1: have babies in space, hold. 420 00:19:26,880 --> 00:19:29,080 Speaker 2: On, wait, I'm gonna imagine it. Hold on. Hmmm, yeah 421 00:19:29,080 --> 00:19:29,879 Speaker 2: that seems gooey. 422 00:19:30,160 --> 00:19:33,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, that is such a dive response. The gooeyness 423 00:19:33,080 --> 00:19:34,480 Speaker 1: is not a problem. 424 00:19:34,119 --> 00:19:36,080 Speaker 2: Man, But now you're in space, you have like weird 425 00:19:36,080 --> 00:19:36,680 Speaker 2: balls of goo. 426 00:19:36,760 --> 00:19:39,119 Speaker 1: It's oh, imagine trying to do a C section in 427 00:19:39,160 --> 00:19:43,480 Speaker 1: space with like the blood floating around your head anyway unpleasants. 428 00:19:43,680 --> 00:19:46,080 Speaker 2: Or imagine like a diaper explosion, you know, like loss 429 00:19:46,080 --> 00:19:48,680 Speaker 2: of containment in space. I don't know about that loss 430 00:19:48,680 --> 00:19:52,479 Speaker 2: of containment. You've had that experience, you know what I'm 431 00:19:52,520 --> 00:19:55,119 Speaker 2: talking about. We've all had the like Transatlantic flight with 432 00:19:55,200 --> 00:19:57,800 Speaker 2: loss of containment of the diaper like ooh, no, I. 433 00:19:57,800 --> 00:20:00,399 Speaker 1: Did right when a plane was taking off. My had 434 00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:02,639 Speaker 1: a blowout on my lap and we couldn't get up 435 00:20:02,640 --> 00:20:05,840 Speaker 1: for thirty minutes, and oh man, nobody liked me. And 436 00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:07,320 Speaker 1: it brought a change of clothes for her, but not 437 00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:10,120 Speaker 1: for me, but she sat on my lap anyway. All Right, 438 00:20:10,520 --> 00:20:12,959 Speaker 1: these problems can only get more difficult in space. So 439 00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:15,440 Speaker 1: we don't know, for example, that women's hips will be 440 00:20:15,480 --> 00:20:18,760 Speaker 1: able to survive childbirth, and we just generally don't know 441 00:20:18,760 --> 00:20:20,840 Speaker 1: if you can survive a lifetime. But maybe you can. 442 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:22,959 Speaker 1: So let's say that you can. Let's say that not 443 00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:25,240 Speaker 1: only can you survive, but you can also go through 444 00:20:25,280 --> 00:20:28,880 Speaker 1: reproduction in zero gravity, which again I think is highly unlikely, 445 00:20:28,880 --> 00:20:30,439 Speaker 1: but we don't have a lot of good science for that. 446 00:20:30,840 --> 00:20:32,800 Speaker 1: There's a lot of reasons why you'd want at least 447 00:20:32,880 --> 00:20:34,879 Speaker 1: a little bit of gravity, and you know, a lot 448 00:20:34,920 --> 00:20:37,800 Speaker 1: of them have to do with things like using the restroom. 449 00:20:37,920 --> 00:20:40,720 Speaker 1: So we talked a little bit about how that's unpleasant. 450 00:20:40,760 --> 00:20:41,680 Speaker 1: At the start of the show. 451 00:20:42,320 --> 00:20:44,679 Speaker 2: My gooey imagination is filling in the details for me. 452 00:20:44,760 --> 00:20:47,880 Speaker 1: Yes, oh oh yeah, you're really into Guey today. It's 453 00:20:47,920 --> 00:20:50,199 Speaker 1: only going to go downhill from here. When I was 454 00:20:50,320 --> 00:20:53,119 Speaker 1: researching a city on Mars, every space vehicle that I 455 00:20:53,160 --> 00:20:57,160 Speaker 1: read about had a story about escapees, where the escapees 456 00:20:57,200 --> 00:20:59,760 Speaker 1: were like bits of feces that kind of floated out. 457 00:20:59,800 --> 00:21:02,760 Speaker 1: It's hard to keep things clean. Everything is more of 458 00:21:02,760 --> 00:21:04,280 Speaker 1: a pain in the rear end. If you have just 459 00:21:04,320 --> 00:21:08,400 Speaker 1: a little bit of gravity, Surgery gets easier, restrooms get easier, 460 00:21:08,600 --> 00:21:12,000 Speaker 1: farming gets easier. We're almost certainly going to need at 461 00:21:12,080 --> 00:21:14,240 Speaker 1: least a little bit of gravity just to like hold 462 00:21:14,280 --> 00:21:15,919 Speaker 1: our stuff down and make our lives easy. 463 00:21:16,080 --> 00:21:18,399 Speaker 2: And if you hope that your descendants or whoever is 464 00:21:18,480 --> 00:21:21,000 Speaker 2: arriving in the distant Solar System is going to be 465 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:22,960 Speaker 2: able to get off the ship and walk around on 466 00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:24,639 Speaker 2: this new alien planet, they're going to have to have 467 00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:26,840 Speaker 2: some bones and muscles, right, So it makes sense to 468 00:21:26,880 --> 00:21:28,960 Speaker 2: maintain that capacity on the trip. 469 00:21:29,200 --> 00:21:31,280 Speaker 1: Absolutely. So not only are we going to have this 470 00:21:31,440 --> 00:21:33,879 Speaker 1: massive object, but this massive object needs to have at 471 00:21:33,960 --> 00:21:38,520 Speaker 1: least some areas that are spinning to create artificial gravity, 472 00:21:38,560 --> 00:21:40,320 Speaker 1: so that you've got some of that force keeping your 473 00:21:40,320 --> 00:21:43,200 Speaker 1: body strong or helping the brown trout swim down the 474 00:21:43,280 --> 00:21:44,159 Speaker 1: river in the right direction. 475 00:21:44,440 --> 00:21:47,080 Speaker 2: All right, So we've talked about radiation and that might 476 00:21:47,119 --> 00:21:49,280 Speaker 2: be a solvable problem with enough shielding, and we talked 477 00:21:49,280 --> 00:21:51,679 Speaker 2: about gravity might be a solvable problem if we have 478 00:21:51,720 --> 00:21:55,600 Speaker 2: acceleration or something spinning or something like that. So so far, 479 00:21:55,600 --> 00:21:58,960 Speaker 2: I'm feeling kind of optimistic about how our kids' kids, kids' kids' 480 00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:01,840 Speaker 2: kids might be able to walk off the ship and 481 00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:05,040 Speaker 2: stand on a planet around Alpha Centauri. So let's take 482 00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:06,840 Speaker 2: a break, and when we come back, Kelly's going to 483 00:22:06,880 --> 00:22:11,320 Speaker 2: tell us about how that's all an impossible dream. 484 00:22:11,119 --> 00:22:12,760 Speaker 1: I'm not trying to be negative today. 485 00:22:14,760 --> 00:22:33,439 Speaker 2: The facts that we're going to get into though, all right, 486 00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:35,720 Speaker 2: So we're back and we're talking about whether we could 487 00:22:35,720 --> 00:22:39,240 Speaker 2: survive an interstellar trip, whether it's a good idea to 488 00:22:39,320 --> 00:22:41,760 Speaker 2: build an arc where people can have their babies and 489 00:22:41,800 --> 00:22:45,320 Speaker 2: their babies babies babies can one day visit an alien 490 00:22:45,440 --> 00:22:49,400 Speaker 2: solar system, or whether these problems are insurmountable. We've talked 491 00:22:49,400 --> 00:22:52,120 Speaker 2: about radiation, We've talked about money, we've talked about gravity. 492 00:22:52,320 --> 00:22:55,360 Speaker 2: Now Kelly tell us about knowledge. Why do we need 493 00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:58,760 Speaker 2: to make sure knowledge doesn't decay along the way we. 494 00:22:58,840 --> 00:23:01,439 Speaker 1: We've already talked about how difficult it is to store 495 00:23:01,520 --> 00:23:03,840 Speaker 1: knowledge in computers, or at least how careful you need 496 00:23:03,880 --> 00:23:06,400 Speaker 1: to be to protect it from radiation. But another problem 497 00:23:06,440 --> 00:23:08,240 Speaker 1: you're going to have is that the farther you get 498 00:23:08,280 --> 00:23:12,560 Speaker 1: from Earth, the longer the communication delay. So if people 499 00:23:12,560 --> 00:23:15,080 Speaker 1: are living on Mars, for example, there's a minimum three 500 00:23:15,119 --> 00:23:17,760 Speaker 1: minute communication delay, just because it takes a long time 501 00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:20,439 Speaker 1: for the message to go from Mars to Earth and 502 00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:22,600 Speaker 1: then from Earth to Mars when you're ready to respond. 503 00:23:22,680 --> 00:23:25,119 Speaker 2: I think that's really fascinating because you know, the Earth 504 00:23:25,160 --> 00:23:27,240 Speaker 2: is not small, but it's small compared to the speed 505 00:23:27,240 --> 00:23:28,840 Speaker 2: of light, So you can have what feels like an 506 00:23:28,840 --> 00:23:32,159 Speaker 2: instantaneous phone call with somebody in Tokyo, right, and the 507 00:23:32,240 --> 00:23:34,840 Speaker 2: lag is imperceptible. But then once you go to the 508 00:23:34,840 --> 00:23:37,959 Speaker 2: Moon or to Mars, like now, it really ruins what 509 00:23:38,040 --> 00:23:39,320 Speaker 2: it feels like to have a conversation. 510 00:23:39,440 --> 00:23:39,560 Speaker 3: Right. 511 00:23:39,600 --> 00:23:41,600 Speaker 2: You can ask a question, you got to wait like 512 00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:45,040 Speaker 2: six minutes to hear the answer. That's like not a conversation, 513 00:23:45,119 --> 00:23:47,119 Speaker 2: it's more like writing letters back and forth. 514 00:23:47,240 --> 00:23:48,840 Speaker 1: It is. Yeah, I mean, I think even on the 515 00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:51,960 Speaker 1: Moon you can have a close to real time conversation, 516 00:23:52,040 --> 00:23:54,000 Speaker 1: maybe a little bit of an awkward delay. But when 517 00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:56,840 Speaker 1: you get to Mars, it's a minimum of three minutes, 518 00:23:56,880 --> 00:23:59,280 Speaker 1: a maximum of something like twenty to twenty two minutes. 519 00:23:59,480 --> 00:24:02,000 Speaker 1: But when you're starting to get to Alpha Centauri, it's 520 00:24:02,040 --> 00:24:04,960 Speaker 1: just going to keep extending, extending, extending, until at some 521 00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:06,680 Speaker 1: point you're not communicating anymore. 522 00:24:07,400 --> 00:24:10,720 Speaker 2: So for example, if you like need it support, you're like, hey, 523 00:24:10,760 --> 00:24:12,920 Speaker 2: my MacBook is crashing. You don't want to wait four 524 00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:14,840 Speaker 2: years for the answer to be like, turn it on 525 00:24:14,920 --> 00:24:15,480 Speaker 2: and off again. 526 00:24:15,560 --> 00:24:17,680 Speaker 1: That's right, it's not helpful anymore. At that point you've 527 00:24:17,680 --> 00:24:18,640 Speaker 1: probably figured. 528 00:24:18,359 --> 00:24:20,800 Speaker 2: It out, hope, so, or you're all dead. 529 00:24:20,920 --> 00:24:22,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, And I mean that also means at some point 530 00:24:22,560 --> 00:24:26,119 Speaker 1: you're gonna stop benefiting from any new knowledge that is 531 00:24:26,200 --> 00:24:28,080 Speaker 1: created on Earth because it's gonna be hard to get 532 00:24:28,119 --> 00:24:29,879 Speaker 1: it to you and probably at some point impossible to 533 00:24:29,880 --> 00:24:31,959 Speaker 1: get it to you. But it also means if somebody 534 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:34,119 Speaker 1: has an illness that you don't have anyone on the 535 00:24:34,160 --> 00:24:36,840 Speaker 1: ship who's an expert in that you're on your own 536 00:24:36,920 --> 00:24:39,320 Speaker 1: the surgical procedure that you're doing. You better hope you 537 00:24:39,400 --> 00:24:42,320 Speaker 1: downloaded a good YouTube video for it, because nobody's gonna 538 00:24:42,320 --> 00:24:44,359 Speaker 1: walk you through it in real time. You really are 539 00:24:44,359 --> 00:24:44,920 Speaker 1: on your own. 540 00:24:45,240 --> 00:24:47,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, you can't look things up unless you bring like 541 00:24:47,359 --> 00:24:51,720 Speaker 2: all of human knowledge with you somehow download Wikipedia onto 542 00:24:51,720 --> 00:24:53,359 Speaker 2: your ship's computers. I mean that seems that could be 543 00:24:53,440 --> 00:24:54,639 Speaker 2: a good idea anyway, doesn't it. 544 00:24:54,720 --> 00:24:58,480 Speaker 1: No, absolutely, yes, for both entertainment purposes and you know, 545 00:24:58,480 --> 00:25:01,480 Speaker 1: knowledge purposes. You should bring as much information with you 546 00:25:01,520 --> 00:25:04,000 Speaker 1: as you can. That would absolutely be worth the storage space. 547 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:05,040 Speaker 1: In my opinion, what. 548 00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:07,480 Speaker 2: Do you think takes more storage space? Like Wikipedia or 549 00:25:07,520 --> 00:25:08,840 Speaker 2: all the Fast and Furious movies? 550 00:25:10,240 --> 00:25:12,680 Speaker 1: Are you taking Wikipedia in every language? 551 00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:14,479 Speaker 2: Ooh question? 552 00:25:14,760 --> 00:25:15,200 Speaker 1: I don't know. 553 00:25:15,400 --> 00:25:17,600 Speaker 2: We better though, yeah, including the Scottish one. That the 554 00:25:17,600 --> 00:25:19,320 Speaker 2: Scottish one turns out to be totally made up. 555 00:25:19,359 --> 00:25:21,399 Speaker 1: There's no Scottish wikip Wait what There. 556 00:25:21,320 --> 00:25:23,600 Speaker 2: Is a Scottish Wikipedia, but it's mostly written by a 557 00:25:23,640 --> 00:25:26,600 Speaker 2: guy who just invented what he thought Scottish should sound like. 558 00:25:26,720 --> 00:25:28,600 Speaker 2: Oh my god, yeah, it's bad. 559 00:25:28,920 --> 00:25:32,080 Speaker 1: I am regularly amazed by the amount of time that 560 00:25:32,240 --> 00:25:34,880 Speaker 1: humans are willing to put into messing with each other. 561 00:25:35,240 --> 00:25:37,000 Speaker 1: That must have taken a long time. 562 00:25:37,359 --> 00:25:39,439 Speaker 2: Oh he thought he was doing something good. No, he 563 00:25:39,520 --> 00:25:41,840 Speaker 2: was like, hey, nobody else has done this, and I 564 00:25:41,880 --> 00:25:44,240 Speaker 2: know how to do it right, so my goodness, the 565 00:25:44,240 --> 00:25:47,280 Speaker 2: best intentions. Anyway, you should read that story. It's hilarious. Okay, 566 00:25:47,280 --> 00:25:50,240 Speaker 2: but anyway, what is the impediment though, to just bringing 567 00:25:50,280 --> 00:25:52,439 Speaker 2: all of human knowledge with us and saying like, all right, 568 00:25:52,440 --> 00:25:54,119 Speaker 2: we're gonna be cut off from the mothership or we're 569 00:25:54,160 --> 00:25:56,600 Speaker 2: not going to get the latest advancements in quantum computing 570 00:25:56,960 --> 00:25:58,960 Speaker 2: at the same moment. Maybe they can beam them to 571 00:25:59,040 --> 00:26:00,879 Speaker 2: us as they come in who are a little behind. 572 00:26:01,040 --> 00:26:02,880 Speaker 2: But why can't we just bring it all with us. 573 00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:05,240 Speaker 1: You can bring a ton of knowledge with you, but 574 00:26:05,440 --> 00:26:07,240 Speaker 1: you know, if you set me down next to a 575 00:26:07,280 --> 00:26:10,480 Speaker 1: bunch of textbooks on quantum computing, I could do nothing 576 00:26:10,480 --> 00:26:13,000 Speaker 1: with that information. Like I mean, maybe after a couple 577 00:26:13,040 --> 00:26:15,600 Speaker 1: generations I could. But this ties into the next problem 578 00:26:15,640 --> 00:26:17,879 Speaker 1: that we're going to deal with, which is you have 579 00:26:17,960 --> 00:26:19,960 Speaker 1: to pick whatich humans you send with you, and what 580 00:26:20,040 --> 00:26:21,840 Speaker 1: kind of knowledge they have, and how many of them 581 00:26:21,880 --> 00:26:25,480 Speaker 1: you get. But I'm guessing you had another limitation in mind. 582 00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:28,520 Speaker 1: Was it how many hard drives you'd have to bring? 583 00:26:28,680 --> 00:26:30,399 Speaker 1: Or should I stop trying to guess what you're thinking. 584 00:26:30,560 --> 00:26:32,439 Speaker 2: No, I think that your point is valid that you 585 00:26:32,440 --> 00:26:34,639 Speaker 2: can bring a bunch of knowledge, but just having that 586 00:26:34,680 --> 00:26:37,240 Speaker 2: knowledge isn't enough. You need people who can digest it 587 00:26:37,280 --> 00:26:38,879 Speaker 2: and people who can put it to work. So you're 588 00:26:38,920 --> 00:26:41,600 Speaker 2: essentially saying, make sure you bring enough physicists on board. 589 00:26:41,760 --> 00:26:44,200 Speaker 1: You know, you guys are good for a lot of stuff. 590 00:26:44,240 --> 00:26:46,879 Speaker 1: I don't know how many practical problems. Also, you have 591 00:26:46,920 --> 00:26:54,520 Speaker 1: to worry about like hygiene interstellar trip, but you should 592 00:26:54,520 --> 00:26:57,520 Speaker 1: bring a couple cleanly physicists probably, Yeah. 593 00:26:57,560 --> 00:26:59,199 Speaker 2: I think the real problem here is that you need 594 00:26:59,240 --> 00:27:01,760 Speaker 2: a breadth of notice, right, And so there's a question of, 595 00:27:01,800 --> 00:27:04,240 Speaker 2: like what is the minimum size of a community that 596 00:27:04,359 --> 00:27:09,880 Speaker 2: has enough technical knowledge and expertise to basically run independently 597 00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:12,199 Speaker 2: of Earth, Because it's not like two people, it's not 598 00:27:12,280 --> 00:27:14,639 Speaker 2: ten people. And I'm guessing that's where you're going to 599 00:27:14,720 --> 00:27:16,800 Speaker 2: go next, is like how big a community you need 600 00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:19,120 Speaker 2: not just have the knowledge, but also to like have 601 00:27:19,240 --> 00:27:20,040 Speaker 2: healthy babies. 602 00:27:20,200 --> 00:27:21,879 Speaker 1: Yeah, so I'm going to be focusing on the healthy 603 00:27:21,920 --> 00:27:25,080 Speaker 1: babi's part, but this occupation's part is really important, and 604 00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:27,600 Speaker 1: it's very hard to have a concrete answer for it 605 00:27:27,600 --> 00:27:29,520 Speaker 1: because it depends on what you're willing to live without. 606 00:27:29,720 --> 00:27:32,080 Speaker 1: I heard once that there's something like one hundred thousand 607 00:27:32,160 --> 00:27:36,040 Speaker 1: medical specialties, and that number seems unreasonably large. But let's 608 00:27:36,040 --> 00:27:39,520 Speaker 1: even say there's like a thousand medical specialties. Okay, you'd 609 00:27:39,600 --> 00:27:43,320 Speaker 1: probably want one person from each of those specialties, or 610 00:27:43,520 --> 00:27:46,679 Speaker 1: like duplicates of all of those people, but you also 611 00:27:46,800 --> 00:27:51,359 Speaker 1: need janitors and plumbers and engineers and farmers, and there's 612 00:27:51,440 --> 00:27:53,840 Speaker 1: just so many different kinds of people you would like 613 00:27:53,920 --> 00:27:55,919 Speaker 1: to have there, but you might not be able to 614 00:27:55,960 --> 00:27:58,520 Speaker 1: have everyone you want there. Like, you know, you probably 615 00:27:58,520 --> 00:28:01,600 Speaker 1: couldn't have three of every remedical specialist if there are 616 00:28:01,640 --> 00:28:03,800 Speaker 1: one hundred thousand kinds, So you're gonna have to sort 617 00:28:03,840 --> 00:28:05,960 Speaker 1: of pick and choose and decide what you're willing to 618 00:28:05,960 --> 00:28:06,399 Speaker 1: do without. 619 00:28:06,560 --> 00:28:09,080 Speaker 2: I think there's also an interesting interplay there between are 620 00:28:09,080 --> 00:28:11,159 Speaker 2: you just trying to survive the trip or are you 621 00:28:11,200 --> 00:28:14,159 Speaker 2: trying to bring the seeds of a future civilization with you? 622 00:28:14,880 --> 00:28:17,600 Speaker 2: Because think about just like pencils. Okay, you need a 623 00:28:17,600 --> 00:28:20,520 Speaker 2: lot of pencils on an eighty thousand year journey. Maybe 624 00:28:20,520 --> 00:28:22,240 Speaker 2: you could just stock a bunch of pencils, right, bring 625 00:28:22,320 --> 00:28:24,399 Speaker 2: a bunch of pencils, or like light bulbs or whatever, 626 00:28:24,600 --> 00:28:27,160 Speaker 2: and you might be able to survive the journey and 627 00:28:27,160 --> 00:28:28,919 Speaker 2: not use up all the light bulbs and pencils. But 628 00:28:28,960 --> 00:28:30,920 Speaker 2: once you get there, you might still want light bulbs 629 00:28:30,920 --> 00:28:33,760 Speaker 2: and pencils in a thousand years. And so what you 630 00:28:33,800 --> 00:28:37,119 Speaker 2: need to do is bring like the manufacturing capacity to 631 00:28:37,240 --> 00:28:40,080 Speaker 2: produce all of the goodies that we expect for a 632 00:28:40,120 --> 00:28:44,360 Speaker 2: certain quality of life, or to severely restrict the goodies 633 00:28:44,440 --> 00:28:47,280 Speaker 2: that you're expecting these people to live without. So you 634 00:28:47,360 --> 00:28:50,920 Speaker 2: really need to bring like your entire manufacturing supply chain 635 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:53,560 Speaker 2: and pipeline with you if you're going to seed a 636 00:28:53,560 --> 00:28:55,680 Speaker 2: civilization on the other end of this, not just like 637 00:28:56,000 --> 00:28:58,120 Speaker 2: visit Alpha Centauri and turn around and come back. 638 00:28:58,280 --> 00:29:00,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, so let's jump for a second to a conversation 639 00:29:00,720 --> 00:29:02,840 Speaker 1: about what you bring with you. So, yeah, you would 640 00:29:02,880 --> 00:29:06,200 Speaker 1: want to maybe bring all the manufacturing stuff to make pencils. Additionally, 641 00:29:06,360 --> 00:29:08,640 Speaker 1: we should have invited Katrina on the show briefly, because 642 00:29:08,680 --> 00:29:10,240 Speaker 1: you're going to want to make sure, for example, you 643 00:29:10,280 --> 00:29:12,400 Speaker 1: have a diversity of microbes, But how do you know 644 00:29:12,440 --> 00:29:13,360 Speaker 1: which ones to bring? 645 00:29:13,600 --> 00:29:15,360 Speaker 2: You just bring all the poop on Earth. That's the 646 00:29:15,440 --> 00:29:16,840 Speaker 2: easy solution, that's what she would say. 647 00:29:16,920 --> 00:29:19,600 Speaker 1: Okay, but a lot of that poop on Earth has parasites, 648 00:29:19,600 --> 00:29:21,040 Speaker 1: And while I don't want to live in a world 649 00:29:21,120 --> 00:29:24,440 Speaker 1: without interesting parasites to study, I think most people would, 650 00:29:24,560 --> 00:29:28,120 Speaker 1: although I prefer parasites that aren't infecting people. But anyway, so, yeah, 651 00:29:28,120 --> 00:29:29,760 Speaker 1: you got to figure out what kind of microbes and 652 00:29:29,800 --> 00:29:32,760 Speaker 1: that requires knowledge that we don't necessarily even have yet. 653 00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:34,960 Speaker 1: What kind of microbes do you want to bring with you? 654 00:29:35,160 --> 00:29:38,320 Speaker 1: But you also need to bring medicine, but medicine expires, 655 00:29:38,480 --> 00:29:40,360 Speaker 1: and eighty thousand years is a long time, so you're 656 00:29:40,360 --> 00:29:42,080 Speaker 1: probably going to want to bring the equipment that you 657 00:29:42,160 --> 00:29:44,920 Speaker 1: need to make more medicine. And there are some designs 658 00:29:44,960 --> 00:29:47,440 Speaker 1: for three D printers that will print medicine on demand, 659 00:29:47,840 --> 00:29:49,440 Speaker 1: but you need to make sure you've got the raw 660 00:29:49,560 --> 00:29:50,400 Speaker 1: materials for that. 661 00:29:50,760 --> 00:29:53,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly. It feels like you're cutting that very tip 662 00:29:53,960 --> 00:29:59,400 Speaker 2: off a very complex pyramid of manufacturing and civilization, and 663 00:29:59,520 --> 00:30:02,120 Speaker 2: it's going to rumble eventually. It feels very difficult to 664 00:30:02,200 --> 00:30:05,520 Speaker 2: maintain the same level of civilization if you're not bringing 665 00:30:05,560 --> 00:30:07,200 Speaker 2: the whole pyramid with you. And it turns out the 666 00:30:07,200 --> 00:30:09,800 Speaker 2: pyramid is huge, right, Like, just to make a pencil 667 00:30:10,160 --> 00:30:14,040 Speaker 2: requires an enormous manufacturing capacity and lots of different specialties. 668 00:30:14,200 --> 00:30:17,040 Speaker 1: Our global supply chains are amazing. We rely on them 669 00:30:17,080 --> 00:30:19,880 Speaker 1: for so many things. That pencil takes a million people. 670 00:30:20,400 --> 00:30:22,360 Speaker 1: Thing came from somewhere in one of these days. I 671 00:30:22,360 --> 00:30:24,520 Speaker 1: want to figure out, was it a Milton Friedman essay? 672 00:30:24,800 --> 00:30:27,560 Speaker 2: I do no holpu with't Malcolm Gladwell, because you can't 673 00:30:27,600 --> 00:30:28,680 Speaker 2: trust anything in these. 674 00:30:30,120 --> 00:30:32,720 Speaker 1: We're on the record now, all right, let's go ahead 675 00:30:32,800 --> 00:30:35,760 Speaker 1: and just accept that there's a lot of stuff that 676 00:30:35,760 --> 00:30:37,040 Speaker 1: you're going to need to bring if you want to 677 00:30:37,120 --> 00:30:39,920 Speaker 1: keep your standard of living reasonably high, and also a 678 00:30:39,920 --> 00:30:41,480 Speaker 1: lot of stuff that you're going to need to bring 679 00:30:41,760 --> 00:30:44,320 Speaker 1: or be able to build so that you can replace 680 00:30:44,440 --> 00:30:47,160 Speaker 1: parts of your ship as they break down over time 681 00:30:47,200 --> 00:30:49,520 Speaker 1: in the very harsh environment of space. So now let's 682 00:30:49,560 --> 00:30:51,600 Speaker 1: jump to biology, the good part. Let's get to the 683 00:30:51,600 --> 00:30:51,960 Speaker 1: good part. 684 00:30:51,960 --> 00:30:54,240 Speaker 2: All right, Are we talking about parasites? Minimum number of 685 00:30:54,240 --> 00:30:55,959 Speaker 2: parasites to bring to allisantaries? 686 00:30:56,200 --> 00:30:59,000 Speaker 1: Unfortunately, No, I couldn't figure out a way to really 687 00:30:59,040 --> 00:31:00,840 Speaker 1: shoehorn parasites and more than once. 688 00:31:01,600 --> 00:31:03,280 Speaker 2: I'm ready for it though, when you ring it up, 689 00:31:03,280 --> 00:31:03,880 Speaker 2: I'm ready for it. 690 00:31:03,960 --> 00:31:05,240 Speaker 1: Okay, good, But how. 691 00:31:05,080 --> 00:31:07,760 Speaker 2: Big a group do we need, like biologically to keep 692 00:31:07,760 --> 00:31:10,360 Speaker 2: our community healthy and to make sure we don't all 693 00:31:10,400 --> 00:31:14,040 Speaker 2: suffer from some genetic defect that like one guy has 694 00:31:14,080 --> 00:31:16,200 Speaker 2: on board? How big a population do we need? 695 00:31:16,360 --> 00:31:18,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, this is a really difficult question. So we don't 696 00:31:18,560 --> 00:31:21,320 Speaker 1: necessarily know what kind of diversity we need. So it 697 00:31:21,360 --> 00:31:24,120 Speaker 1: would be great to have people, for example, that are 698 00:31:24,240 --> 00:31:27,280 Speaker 1: resistant to radiation in case we can't shield all of it. 699 00:31:27,320 --> 00:31:29,880 Speaker 1: But we don't really know what genes are important for 700 00:31:29,920 --> 00:31:32,680 Speaker 1: that at this point. So the more diversity you can have, 701 00:31:33,120 --> 00:31:36,480 Speaker 1: the better. You also want people who are not closely 702 00:31:36,520 --> 00:31:40,160 Speaker 1: related to each other, because we all have some genes 703 00:31:40,240 --> 00:31:44,080 Speaker 1: that are carrying the code for negative traits. So you know, 704 00:31:44,120 --> 00:31:46,920 Speaker 1: it could be sickle cell anemia or something like that, 705 00:31:47,160 --> 00:31:49,640 Speaker 1: where if you get two versions of the gene that 706 00:31:49,720 --> 00:31:51,760 Speaker 1: cause the disease, you're in a lot more trouble than 707 00:31:51,760 --> 00:31:52,600 Speaker 1: if you just have one. 708 00:31:52,720 --> 00:31:54,800 Speaker 2: I wonder, from an evolution air point of view, if 709 00:31:54,840 --> 00:31:56,600 Speaker 2: this is a scenario where you actually want to be 710 00:31:56,640 --> 00:31:59,880 Speaker 2: susceptible to radiation because it induces a higher mutation rate 711 00:32:00,240 --> 00:32:02,520 Speaker 2: in your babies. And that might mean that you lose 712 00:32:02,560 --> 00:32:04,640 Speaker 2: a bunch because like they have bad mutations, But you 713 00:32:04,680 --> 00:32:08,560 Speaker 2: also might like invent some new weird like spacefaring, hearty 714 00:32:08,640 --> 00:32:11,240 Speaker 2: human that can like I don't know, extrude pencils from 715 00:32:11,280 --> 00:32:14,400 Speaker 2: some new orifice or something you're useful. I don't know, Like, 716 00:32:14,480 --> 00:32:16,920 Speaker 2: is there a possibility there that more mutation might actually 717 00:32:16,920 --> 00:32:17,600 Speaker 2: be beneficial? 718 00:32:17,840 --> 00:32:21,200 Speaker 1: So mutation is a mechanism through which you get more 719 00:32:21,320 --> 00:32:24,760 Speaker 1: genetic diversity, and some of that could be good. I 720 00:32:24,800 --> 00:32:29,080 Speaker 1: think our expectation would be statistically, you'd probably get a 721 00:32:29,080 --> 00:32:32,600 Speaker 1: lot more things breaking than a lot more things resulting 722 00:32:32,760 --> 00:32:36,160 Speaker 1: in pencils coming out of your nose at appropriate times 723 00:32:36,280 --> 00:32:38,720 Speaker 1: or something. And I think a lot of those mutations 724 00:32:38,800 --> 00:32:41,200 Speaker 1: are going to be you know, like causing cancer as 725 00:32:41,280 --> 00:32:43,960 Speaker 1: you're older, and not necessarily resulting in like really well 726 00:32:43,960 --> 00:32:46,920 Speaker 1: adapted babies. But who knows, who knows? All right, So 727 00:32:46,960 --> 00:32:49,160 Speaker 1: I've seen a bunch of estimates for how many people 728 00:32:49,200 --> 00:32:51,400 Speaker 1: you need, and you do need to be careful about 729 00:32:51,400 --> 00:32:53,320 Speaker 1: who these people are. So like, yes, we talked about 730 00:32:53,320 --> 00:32:55,920 Speaker 1: you want doctors and stuff like that, but when you're 731 00:32:55,960 --> 00:32:58,320 Speaker 1: thinking about the number of people you need, the number 732 00:32:58,320 --> 00:33:00,800 Speaker 1: of people over sixty, it's great to have their knowledge, 733 00:33:00,840 --> 00:33:02,640 Speaker 1: great to have their help, but they're not going to 734 00:33:02,640 --> 00:33:05,160 Speaker 1: be contributing to having children. So you need to think 735 00:33:05,200 --> 00:33:09,360 Speaker 1: about the number of reproductively aged individuals. And you need 736 00:33:09,400 --> 00:33:11,040 Speaker 1: to think a little bit about the mix of people. 737 00:33:11,080 --> 00:33:14,480 Speaker 1: So if you bring you know, ten thousand men, you 738 00:33:14,560 --> 00:33:17,560 Speaker 1: better also have artificial wounds or something at that point. 739 00:33:17,600 --> 00:33:19,320 Speaker 1: So you need to think about the makeup. 740 00:33:19,400 --> 00:33:21,240 Speaker 2: Well, dig into that for a moment for us, Like 741 00:33:21,400 --> 00:33:23,160 Speaker 2: what is it best gender ratio? I mean, because like 742 00:33:23,160 --> 00:33:25,840 Speaker 2: a woman can't be pregnant from two men simultaneously, but 743 00:33:25,880 --> 00:33:27,520 Speaker 2: a man can have multiple partners. 744 00:33:27,720 --> 00:33:30,240 Speaker 1: It depends on what your goal is, and frankly, it 745 00:33:30,240 --> 00:33:32,400 Speaker 1: depends on what your culture is willing to accept, because 746 00:33:32,400 --> 00:33:34,360 Speaker 1: I think you don't want to send people into interstellar 747 00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:37,600 Speaker 1: space under conditions that they would, you know, find abhorrent. Yes, 748 00:33:37,680 --> 00:33:40,400 Speaker 1: if your goal is to just have as many babies 749 00:33:40,440 --> 00:33:43,400 Speaker 1: as possible, and you've set up the interstellar ship to 750 00:33:43,440 --> 00:33:46,280 Speaker 1: be able to scale, to feed and provide oxygen for 751 00:33:46,360 --> 00:33:50,320 Speaker 1: a rapidly expanding population, then you could send exclusively women 752 00:33:50,640 --> 00:33:53,960 Speaker 1: who got pregnant using embryos that you sent with you. 753 00:33:54,400 --> 00:33:57,240 Speaker 1: There are ways to maximize the speed at which the 754 00:33:57,280 --> 00:34:00,680 Speaker 1: population increases, but I don't necessarily know that the goal 755 00:34:00,960 --> 00:34:03,480 Speaker 1: and root is going to be to increase numbers as 756 00:34:03,480 --> 00:34:05,480 Speaker 1: fast as possible, because if you just wanted to have 757 00:34:05,520 --> 00:34:07,120 Speaker 1: a lot of people, you could have just started with 758 00:34:07,160 --> 00:34:09,279 Speaker 1: a lot more people. So I think you want to 759 00:34:09,320 --> 00:34:12,520 Speaker 1: find a makeup where you can sustain your population numbers, 760 00:34:12,760 --> 00:34:14,759 Speaker 1: and I don't necessarily know if the best way to 761 00:34:14,800 --> 00:34:16,080 Speaker 1: go is fifty to fifty. 762 00:34:16,200 --> 00:34:17,719 Speaker 2: Well, I think your point is a good one, though. 763 00:34:17,760 --> 00:34:19,799 Speaker 2: If you want your people to be happy, then you're 764 00:34:19,840 --> 00:34:21,759 Speaker 2: going to have to create an environment they're going to 765 00:34:21,880 --> 00:34:25,799 Speaker 2: like to live in. And currently most people enjoy monogamous 766 00:34:25,880 --> 00:34:28,719 Speaker 2: relationships or you know, one to one ratios, which means 767 00:34:28,760 --> 00:34:30,920 Speaker 2: you're going to need roughly a gender balance. 768 00:34:31,000 --> 00:34:33,960 Speaker 1: So I found an estimate where someone did a computer 769 00:34:34,040 --> 00:34:36,960 Speaker 1: simulation and they found that you could possibly get away 770 00:34:37,160 --> 00:34:38,759 Speaker 1: with ninety eight people. 771 00:34:38,880 --> 00:34:41,799 Speaker 2: If ninety eight thousand or ninety eight people. 772 00:34:41,680 --> 00:34:47,359 Speaker 1: Ninety eight individuals. What if every generation they mate it 773 00:34:47,400 --> 00:34:50,400 Speaker 1: with whoever a computer program told them to mate with 774 00:34:50,560 --> 00:34:53,200 Speaker 1: based on their genetic makeup. So this is an interesting 775 00:34:53,239 --> 00:34:56,239 Speaker 1: thought experiment for a lower bound but if you're thinking 776 00:34:56,280 --> 00:34:59,080 Speaker 1: about what humans are willing to accept, that's probably not 777 00:34:59,120 --> 00:34:59,759 Speaker 1: going to work out. 778 00:35:00,239 --> 00:35:03,600 Speaker 2: And for this study, how do they define success? You 779 00:35:03,719 --> 00:35:08,040 Speaker 2: have like a population downstream that's healthy and doesn't have 780 00:35:08,080 --> 00:35:10,480 Speaker 2: a lot of recessive traits that are hurting people. 781 00:35:10,680 --> 00:35:13,400 Speaker 1: I forget the exact details, but it was something like 782 00:35:13,680 --> 00:35:16,680 Speaker 1: after five generations, would you expect the population to still 783 00:35:16,719 --> 00:35:19,360 Speaker 1: persist or would they have had inbreeding problems or something 784 00:35:19,400 --> 00:35:19,640 Speaker 1: like that. 785 00:35:19,719 --> 00:35:21,960 Speaker 2: Well, it's really fascinating because I've heard some of these 786 00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:26,279 Speaker 2: studies that speculate the humanity might have had bottlenecks early on, 787 00:35:26,320 --> 00:35:28,320 Speaker 2: you know, down to like as many as ten thousand 788 00:35:28,360 --> 00:35:31,279 Speaker 2: individuals on the planet, and here we are, you know, 789 00:35:31,560 --> 00:35:34,480 Speaker 2: eight billion people later doing pretty well. So it's not 790 00:35:34,520 --> 00:35:36,719 Speaker 2: implausible to me that you could get down to a 791 00:35:36,760 --> 00:35:39,240 Speaker 2: few thousand. Ninety eight seems kind of crazy. 792 00:35:39,400 --> 00:35:41,320 Speaker 1: And there are plenty of people who will also point 793 00:35:41,320 --> 00:35:44,560 Speaker 1: out that there are indigenous peoples living in populations of 794 00:35:44,800 --> 00:35:47,200 Speaker 1: something like one hundred to five hundred. But what those 795 00:35:47,440 --> 00:35:51,520 Speaker 1: numbers often miss is that those indigenous populations are often 796 00:35:51,560 --> 00:35:55,320 Speaker 1: interacting with others and intermarrying, and so actually the population 797 00:35:55,480 --> 00:35:59,360 Speaker 1: that is interbreeding is much larger than the individual communities themselves. 798 00:35:59,440 --> 00:36:01,960 Speaker 1: But yeah, I've I've seen estimates that seem pretty reasonable 799 00:36:01,960 --> 00:36:05,480 Speaker 1: that range from about five thousand to forty thousand people 800 00:36:05,520 --> 00:36:08,680 Speaker 1: of reproductive age. The forty thousand numbers seemed a little 801 00:36:08,680 --> 00:36:10,600 Speaker 1: bit more realistic to me. So it was taking into 802 00:36:10,680 --> 00:36:15,239 Speaker 1: account the ability to survive five generations even if a 803 00:36:15,360 --> 00:36:19,120 Speaker 1: black plague like catastrophe comes along. And so this is 804 00:36:19,160 --> 00:36:23,600 Speaker 1: incorporating like what if some bacteria in our gut mutate 805 00:36:23,920 --> 00:36:26,160 Speaker 1: and kills twenty five percent of us, Like you might 806 00:36:26,280 --> 00:36:27,600 Speaker 1: have to assume that every once in a while you're 807 00:36:27,600 --> 00:36:30,960 Speaker 1: going to lose people. So estimates range from ninety eight 808 00:36:31,000 --> 00:36:33,440 Speaker 1: to about forty thousand, and really depend on the assumptions 809 00:36:33,440 --> 00:36:34,359 Speaker 1: you're making well. 810 00:36:34,360 --> 00:36:37,200 Speaker 2: Keeping in mind our constraints. Even if money isn't an optical, 811 00:36:37,239 --> 00:36:39,680 Speaker 2: of course, in reality it is. And we know that 812 00:36:39,800 --> 00:36:42,440 Speaker 2: size is an issue and fuel and all that stuff, 813 00:36:42,560 --> 00:36:44,560 Speaker 2: and so if what we want to do is keep 814 00:36:44,560 --> 00:36:47,240 Speaker 2: the ship small, then we want to keep these numbers low. 815 00:36:47,680 --> 00:36:49,680 Speaker 2: And that was really interested in your comment about how 816 00:36:49,719 --> 00:36:51,919 Speaker 2: you could keep it down to around one hundred if 817 00:36:51,960 --> 00:36:55,240 Speaker 2: people accepted, you know, computer assigned dating. And I'm wondering 818 00:36:55,280 --> 00:36:57,359 Speaker 2: how far we could push that, Like, could we make 819 00:36:57,400 --> 00:37:00,840 Speaker 2: an even lower if we assume some sort of technology 820 00:37:00,880 --> 00:37:05,040 Speaker 2: to like modify your genetics or correct issues or something 821 00:37:05,080 --> 00:37:08,240 Speaker 2: that couldn't the interaction between biology and technology really change 822 00:37:08,239 --> 00:37:09,319 Speaker 2: how small we could go. 823 00:37:09,600 --> 00:37:11,520 Speaker 1: I hear a lot of engineers propose stuff like this, 824 00:37:11,680 --> 00:37:13,839 Speaker 1: and it totally makes sense. It's true, it could work, 825 00:37:13,880 --> 00:37:16,719 Speaker 1: But when ideas like this come like head to head 826 00:37:16,719 --> 00:37:19,080 Speaker 1: with human behavior, they tend to fall apart. I mean, 827 00:37:19,120 --> 00:37:22,120 Speaker 1: you could have five women who start the trip with 828 00:37:22,320 --> 00:37:25,920 Speaker 1: a vat of freeze dried sperm from lots of different people, 829 00:37:26,120 --> 00:37:28,279 Speaker 1: and you could maybe make it. But now you've got 830 00:37:28,320 --> 00:37:30,520 Speaker 1: problems with well, do you have enough doctors and enough 831 00:37:30,520 --> 00:37:33,080 Speaker 1: engineers and enough people to work the farm. So there's 832 00:37:33,120 --> 00:37:36,560 Speaker 1: a lot of reasons why going big has a lot 833 00:37:36,560 --> 00:37:37,160 Speaker 1: of benefits. 834 00:37:37,560 --> 00:37:39,759 Speaker 2: I think it's funding the mental image of that of 835 00:37:39,880 --> 00:37:42,480 Speaker 2: freeze dried sperm. Why wouldn't you have them, you know, 836 00:37:42,640 --> 00:37:45,600 Speaker 2: like delicate test tubes, you know, imagining like you know, 837 00:37:45,800 --> 00:37:49,080 Speaker 2: liquid nitrogen flowing over them and something. Instead your words 838 00:37:49,080 --> 00:37:51,000 Speaker 2: give me a mental image of like a barrel of 839 00:37:51,040 --> 00:37:51,520 Speaker 2: the stuff. 840 00:37:52,400 --> 00:37:54,480 Speaker 1: You started this guy theme, and I was just kind 841 00:37:54,480 --> 00:37:56,520 Speaker 1: of running with it. But you're right, they'll probably be 842 00:37:56,600 --> 00:37:59,360 Speaker 1: in viles in a tube of liquid nitrogen or something 843 00:37:59,400 --> 00:38:01,080 Speaker 1: like that. Yeah, treat them better. 844 00:38:00,880 --> 00:38:03,680 Speaker 2: Delicately, clinking glasses and stuff like that. 845 00:38:03,680 --> 00:38:07,240 Speaker 1: That's right. Having technology to help with reproduction and bringing 846 00:38:07,239 --> 00:38:11,160 Speaker 1: along extra genetic diversity in the form of embryos, stuff 847 00:38:11,200 --> 00:38:13,960 Speaker 1: like this can really help with diversity problems. But again, 848 00:38:14,000 --> 00:38:16,080 Speaker 1: each generation you're going to have to deal with the 849 00:38:16,120 --> 00:38:18,319 Speaker 1: wants and desires of the humans who are there, who 850 00:38:18,360 --> 00:38:20,400 Speaker 1: are going to want to find partners that make them 851 00:38:20,400 --> 00:38:22,759 Speaker 1: feel complete, and who may or may not be comfortable 852 00:38:22,880 --> 00:38:26,840 Speaker 1: with being told, hey, your partner isn't as genetically diverse 853 00:38:26,880 --> 00:38:29,440 Speaker 1: as you might want. Sorry, this is what five generations 854 00:38:29,440 --> 00:38:32,640 Speaker 1: and an interstellarship does. So you are going to have 855 00:38:32,719 --> 00:38:35,160 Speaker 1: the embryo for which we provide fifty percent of the 856 00:38:35,200 --> 00:38:38,520 Speaker 1: genetic information, and not everybody is likely to love that. 857 00:38:38,600 --> 00:38:42,200 Speaker 1: And then what do you do when people get pregnant unintentionally? 858 00:38:42,440 --> 00:38:45,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly. I think that's super fascinating and it touches 859 00:38:45,080 --> 00:38:47,719 Speaker 2: on another whole area of questions of like how you 860 00:38:47,760 --> 00:38:49,560 Speaker 2: manage the people on board, and what laws do you 861 00:38:49,640 --> 00:38:52,400 Speaker 2: have and what punishments can you do? Like you're shooting 862 00:38:52,400 --> 00:38:54,680 Speaker 2: people out the airlock if they're not being the right person. 863 00:38:54,719 --> 00:38:57,520 Speaker 2: It's crazy, But you know, on ships, the captains in 864 00:38:57,600 --> 00:39:00,319 Speaker 2: charge and for a reason. And so anyway, that's whole 865 00:39:00,360 --> 00:39:02,760 Speaker 2: other issue we could dig into another time of laws 866 00:39:02,800 --> 00:39:05,160 Speaker 2: on board interstellar trips. For now, let's take a break, 867 00:39:05,200 --> 00:39:07,280 Speaker 2: and when we come back, let's hear about a strategy 868 00:39:07,280 --> 00:39:09,840 Speaker 2: that might make that all moot. What if everybody just 869 00:39:09,880 --> 00:39:29,520 Speaker 2: sleeps their way to Alpha Centauri? All right, we're back, 870 00:39:29,600 --> 00:39:33,080 Speaker 2: and we are facing all the questions for taking humans 871 00:39:33,120 --> 00:39:37,400 Speaker 2: to another solar system. Radiation and gravity and greeding and 872 00:39:37,520 --> 00:39:41,040 Speaker 2: knowledge and all these things require keeping people awake, having 873 00:39:41,040 --> 00:39:44,360 Speaker 2: a functioning society on board, people sitting there munching on 874 00:39:44,400 --> 00:39:47,640 Speaker 2: their snacks and watching fast and furious. What if, Kelly, 875 00:39:47,880 --> 00:39:50,120 Speaker 2: we decide not to What if we just put everybody 876 00:39:50,200 --> 00:39:52,920 Speaker 2: out for the journey. What if we can freeze them 877 00:39:53,000 --> 00:39:55,720 Speaker 2: or hibernate them. You see this a lot in science fiction. 878 00:39:56,200 --> 00:39:58,640 Speaker 2: Is that realistic? Where is the technology now? 879 00:39:58,880 --> 00:40:02,160 Speaker 1: It's not realistic with current technology, But I wouldn't say 880 00:40:02,160 --> 00:40:06,160 Speaker 1: it's absolutely impossible. You can't just put everybody to sleep 881 00:40:06,239 --> 00:40:09,600 Speaker 1: as sleep is technically defined, because while you're sleeping, you 882 00:40:09,680 --> 00:40:13,400 Speaker 1: still have metabolic processes happening. You're still aging. So if 883 00:40:13,440 --> 00:40:15,640 Speaker 1: you were asleep, you'd still need to have like fluids 884 00:40:15,640 --> 00:40:17,480 Speaker 1: put in through an IV. You need to be fed. 885 00:40:17,560 --> 00:40:20,239 Speaker 1: Machines would have to roll you over. Sleeping wouldn't really 886 00:40:20,239 --> 00:40:20,600 Speaker 1: cut it. 887 00:40:20,600 --> 00:40:22,680 Speaker 2: It'd be like a coma, and nobody wants to be 888 00:40:22,680 --> 00:40:24,640 Speaker 2: in a coma for eighty thousand years, and you can't 889 00:40:24,640 --> 00:40:26,319 Speaker 2: live that long even in a coma, right. It doesn't 890 00:40:26,360 --> 00:40:28,200 Speaker 2: extend your life to sleep. 891 00:40:27,960 --> 00:40:30,759 Speaker 1: Right exactly. That's a total nonstarter. The next step up 892 00:40:30,760 --> 00:40:34,239 Speaker 1: from that would be hibernation. And so hibernation you have 893 00:40:34,280 --> 00:40:37,560 Speaker 1: a reduced temperature, you still have some metabolic stuff happening, 894 00:40:37,960 --> 00:40:40,960 Speaker 1: but the metabolic activity is way down, so like your 895 00:40:41,000 --> 00:40:44,640 Speaker 1: caloric needs go way down, you need less you're using 896 00:40:44,640 --> 00:40:47,200 Speaker 1: the restroom less stuff like that. And there's lots of 897 00:40:47,200 --> 00:40:50,440 Speaker 1: animals that hibernate. You know, You've got bear, squirrels, marmots, 898 00:40:50,480 --> 00:40:54,040 Speaker 1: prairie dogs, crowned hogs. Hibernation happens a lot, but it's 899 00:40:54,080 --> 00:40:58,120 Speaker 1: worth noting that one hibernation doesn't keep these animals alive forever, 900 00:40:58,520 --> 00:41:01,520 Speaker 1: and sometimes animals die well hibernating, so it's not like 901 00:41:01,600 --> 00:41:03,840 Speaker 1: you're one hundred percent safe when you go into a 902 00:41:03,920 --> 00:41:04,840 Speaker 1: hibernation state. 903 00:41:05,040 --> 00:41:07,640 Speaker 2: And can every animal hibernate? I mean bears and squirrels, 904 00:41:07,680 --> 00:41:10,360 Speaker 2: they do these things themselves, but like I've never hibernated. 905 00:41:10,480 --> 00:41:11,400 Speaker 2: Do humans hibernate? 906 00:41:11,680 --> 00:41:14,640 Speaker 1: I would like to hibernate sometimes when it's too cold out, 907 00:41:14,680 --> 00:41:18,520 Speaker 1: but no, humans do not hibernate. It's not clear how 908 00:41:18,560 --> 00:41:21,799 Speaker 1: we would put humans into a hibernation like state. It's 909 00:41:21,800 --> 00:41:24,080 Speaker 1: tantalizing that other mammals can do it, but it doesn't 910 00:41:24,120 --> 00:41:27,040 Speaker 1: necessarily mean that if we learned the right tricks, humans 911 00:41:27,080 --> 00:41:31,040 Speaker 1: could do it too. Humans do sometimes survive being very cold, 912 00:41:31,120 --> 00:41:34,560 Speaker 1: so like in a very hypothermic state, and every once 913 00:41:34,600 --> 00:41:36,879 Speaker 1: in a while if people have particular problems. So I've 914 00:41:36,880 --> 00:41:38,959 Speaker 1: read about somebody who had rabies, and they were trying 915 00:41:38,960 --> 00:41:41,319 Speaker 1: to slow down the movement of rabies and give the 916 00:41:41,320 --> 00:41:44,040 Speaker 1: body some time to respond in the vaccine, some time 917 00:41:44,080 --> 00:41:46,800 Speaker 1: to work. And so they essentially put the person in 918 00:41:46,880 --> 00:41:50,600 Speaker 1: a very cold state to slow things down. And people 919 00:41:50,640 --> 00:41:53,880 Speaker 1: can survive, but it's not like it's great for the body, 920 00:41:53,960 --> 00:41:56,400 Speaker 1: and it's not like it's extending their lifetime. So you 921 00:41:56,440 --> 00:41:59,840 Speaker 1: would still end up with people dying in a hibernation state. 922 00:42:00,239 --> 00:42:03,720 Speaker 2: Probably all right, So we can't just knock people out 923 00:42:03,840 --> 00:42:07,200 Speaker 2: with nik will. We can't just turn down the temperature 924 00:42:07,200 --> 00:42:10,600 Speaker 2: a little bit so people get cold and hibernate. What 925 00:42:10,640 --> 00:42:13,239 Speaker 2: if we go even colder? What if we like dip 926 00:42:13,280 --> 00:42:17,040 Speaker 2: everyone in liquid helium and turn them into humansicles? Will 927 00:42:17,080 --> 00:42:19,160 Speaker 2: that help? Is that possible? I mean, you hear about 928 00:42:19,160 --> 00:42:22,000 Speaker 2: this all the time on science fiction and on the 929 00:42:22,040 --> 00:42:24,839 Speaker 2: Simpsons for example, or Futurama. I forget which one it is. 930 00:42:25,400 --> 00:42:28,520 Speaker 2: But is this just fictional nonsense or is the science 931 00:42:28,560 --> 00:42:29,480 Speaker 2: moving us in that direction? 932 00:42:29,920 --> 00:42:32,960 Speaker 1: Scientists are trying to move us in that direction, some 933 00:42:33,040 --> 00:42:35,839 Speaker 1: of them are. So there have been people who very 934 00:42:35,920 --> 00:42:39,360 Speaker 1: soon after they passed away, had their body cryogenically frozen 935 00:42:39,480 --> 00:42:42,120 Speaker 1: in the hopes that at some point will figure out 936 00:42:42,160 --> 00:42:44,200 Speaker 1: the cure for their disease, or figure out some way 937 00:42:44,239 --> 00:42:46,280 Speaker 1: to sort of wake them back up again, or figure 938 00:42:46,280 --> 00:42:49,360 Speaker 1: out some way to upload their brain to a computer 939 00:42:49,480 --> 00:42:52,680 Speaker 1: once we really understand brains, so that their consciousness or 940 00:42:52,760 --> 00:42:54,879 Speaker 1: something can be brought back to life. 941 00:42:54,960 --> 00:42:57,359 Speaker 2: Right, they freeze them after they die. Don't you need 942 00:42:57,400 --> 00:42:59,600 Speaker 2: to freeze them before they die, otherwise you're just thawing 943 00:42:59,600 --> 00:42:59,879 Speaker 2: a core. 944 00:43:00,640 --> 00:43:03,759 Speaker 1: I was under the impression that for ethical purposes, you 945 00:43:03,880 --> 00:43:06,520 Speaker 1: do it like as soon as they're dead, and then 946 00:43:06,600 --> 00:43:08,520 Speaker 1: hope you can find some way to get everything moving 947 00:43:08,560 --> 00:43:11,160 Speaker 1: again to undead them. I mean, you know, people's like 948 00:43:11,239 --> 00:43:14,040 Speaker 1: heart stops. You could say they're dead, but you can 949 00:43:14,040 --> 00:43:15,880 Speaker 1: get them kicking again as long as you do it quickly. 950 00:43:16,360 --> 00:43:16,880 Speaker 2: Interesting. 951 00:43:17,120 --> 00:43:18,720 Speaker 1: I think that's the plant. But you know, if anybody 952 00:43:18,760 --> 00:43:21,759 Speaker 1: has like frozen people and want to tell us about it, 953 00:43:22,040 --> 00:43:23,279 Speaker 1: we'd love more information. 954 00:43:23,480 --> 00:43:26,400 Speaker 2: But it's call us at FBI dot gov. 955 00:43:26,760 --> 00:43:29,080 Speaker 1: That's right, that's right. Yes, I'm hoping that you had 956 00:43:29,160 --> 00:43:31,240 Speaker 1: permission and signed waivers and stuff first. 957 00:43:31,320 --> 00:43:33,319 Speaker 2: All right, but before we try this on humans, I 958 00:43:33,320 --> 00:43:36,200 Speaker 2: imagine we're going to test this onlike frogs or kittens 959 00:43:36,440 --> 00:43:38,120 Speaker 2: or something. How is that progressing? 960 00:43:38,280 --> 00:43:41,000 Speaker 1: Well, So, there are some animals that freeze naturally. So, 961 00:43:41,080 --> 00:43:44,399 Speaker 1: for example, there are some frogs in cold climates that 962 00:43:44,560 --> 00:43:47,239 Speaker 1: have something like anti freezing their blood. So the way 963 00:43:47,280 --> 00:43:49,560 Speaker 1: anti freezing your car works is it lets things get 964 00:43:49,600 --> 00:43:52,480 Speaker 1: a little bit colder without actually freezing. I think that 965 00:43:52,520 --> 00:43:56,120 Speaker 1: there's some combination of that happening and the cells also 966 00:43:56,680 --> 00:43:59,840 Speaker 1: using some additional mechanisms to make them robust to avoid 967 00:44:00,000 --> 00:44:01,520 Speaker 1: burst as water expands. 968 00:44:01,640 --> 00:44:03,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, I think that is what's happening. I think for 969 00:44:03,640 --> 00:44:06,360 Speaker 2: frogs what's happening also is that, like they're producing some 970 00:44:06,560 --> 00:44:09,279 Speaker 2: substances and a freeze you say, which maybe prevents ice 971 00:44:09,280 --> 00:44:12,520 Speaker 2: crystals from forming, and so like basically, if you dope 972 00:44:12,560 --> 00:44:15,799 Speaker 2: water with this stuff, then its chemical properties change. And 973 00:44:15,840 --> 00:44:18,240 Speaker 2: I think it's so incredible that water has this bizarre 974 00:44:18,280 --> 00:44:21,719 Speaker 2: behavior that when it freezes, it gets larger. It's very unusual, right, 975 00:44:21,960 --> 00:44:24,319 Speaker 2: most things, when you freeze them, they get smaller. But 976 00:44:24,360 --> 00:44:27,120 Speaker 2: the fact that ice is less dense than water means fish, 977 00:44:27,120 --> 00:44:29,640 Speaker 2: for example, can survive in the lake right because the 978 00:44:29,680 --> 00:44:31,520 Speaker 2: ice is on the top rather than on the bottom. 979 00:44:31,760 --> 00:44:34,719 Speaker 2: But also means that if you freeze, you explode, So 980 00:44:34,760 --> 00:44:37,040 Speaker 2: it's this funny double edged sword of chemistry. 981 00:44:37,200 --> 00:44:39,600 Speaker 1: Well, I believe there are some fish in Antarctica who 982 00:44:39,640 --> 00:44:41,799 Speaker 1: can survive freezing also if they end up in that 983 00:44:41,920 --> 00:44:44,799 Speaker 1: like frozen layer of ice. So the point is there's 984 00:44:44,800 --> 00:44:47,960 Speaker 1: a variety of animals that can survive freezing, and while 985 00:44:48,000 --> 00:44:51,840 Speaker 1: humans at this point cannot survive freezing, maybe there's some 986 00:44:51,960 --> 00:44:53,960 Speaker 1: lessons that we can learn from these animals or from 987 00:44:54,040 --> 00:44:56,399 Speaker 1: Tartar grades, to try to figure out a way where 988 00:44:56,440 --> 00:45:00,120 Speaker 1: we could cryogenically preserve life people thaw them out and 989 00:45:00,160 --> 00:45:03,480 Speaker 1: bring them back to life. But it's worth noting that, 990 00:45:03,680 --> 00:45:07,080 Speaker 1: as far as I know, there's never been a frog, 991 00:45:07,200 --> 00:45:10,880 Speaker 1: for example, that was frozen for ten thousand years and 992 00:45:10,880 --> 00:45:13,600 Speaker 1: then brought back to life. You know, like we talked 993 00:45:13,600 --> 00:45:15,880 Speaker 1: about some tartar grades that managed to be frozen for 994 00:45:15,960 --> 00:45:18,440 Speaker 1: a very long time, but I think you know, when 995 00:45:18,440 --> 00:45:20,680 Speaker 1: you get to vertebrate level, it's even harder to survive 996 00:45:20,719 --> 00:45:23,560 Speaker 1: freezing for a very long time. So it's not clear 997 00:45:23,600 --> 00:45:27,160 Speaker 1: that cryogenics will be compatible with the human body, or 998 00:45:27,200 --> 00:45:28,960 Speaker 1: that it will be compatible with the human body on 999 00:45:29,000 --> 00:45:31,160 Speaker 1: the time scales needed to get to alpha centauri. 1000 00:45:31,239 --> 00:45:34,120 Speaker 2: It's too bad we don't have the biological technology of plants. 1001 00:45:34,320 --> 00:45:37,200 Speaker 2: You know, seeds are incredible. I read stories where they 1002 00:45:37,320 --> 00:45:39,719 Speaker 2: like dug up ancient seeds and like planted them and 1003 00:45:39,760 --> 00:45:41,759 Speaker 2: gave them water and they sprouted, and there's like, oh, 1004 00:45:41,800 --> 00:45:45,880 Speaker 2: here's a date palm whose parent grew like thousands of 1005 00:45:45,920 --> 00:45:48,759 Speaker 2: years ago and it just sat there it totally shelf 1006 00:45:48,800 --> 00:45:52,799 Speaker 2: stable for thousands of years. It's incredible biological technology. It's 1007 00:45:52,840 --> 00:45:54,120 Speaker 2: too bad we don't have seeds. 1008 00:45:54,280 --> 00:45:54,480 Speaker 4: You know. 1009 00:45:54,560 --> 00:45:57,200 Speaker 1: Trees make no sense to me. My husband has been 1010 00:45:57,200 --> 00:45:59,480 Speaker 1: gardening lately and he'll say things to me about like, oh, well, 1011 00:45:59,480 --> 00:46:01,040 Speaker 1: you can just cut that branch off and put it 1012 00:46:01,080 --> 00:46:02,440 Speaker 1: in the soil and you'll get a new tree. And 1013 00:46:02,440 --> 00:46:05,319 Speaker 1: I'm like, that's not how life works. You can't do 1014 00:46:05,440 --> 00:46:08,239 Speaker 1: that to me. But it works with trees. 1015 00:46:08,320 --> 00:46:10,120 Speaker 2: I know. I remember saying to him, like, why can't 1016 00:46:10,120 --> 00:46:11,719 Speaker 2: I just stick my arm in the ground and grow 1017 00:46:11,760 --> 00:46:12,320 Speaker 2: a new person? 1018 00:46:12,560 --> 00:46:16,600 Speaker 1: That's right, Yeah, trees are wild. And so some of 1019 00:46:16,640 --> 00:46:19,640 Speaker 1: the most sci fi ish plans I've come across involve 1020 00:46:19,760 --> 00:46:24,120 Speaker 1: things like having an artificial womb with freeze dried embryos 1021 00:46:24,160 --> 00:46:24,920 Speaker 1: that you send. 1022 00:46:24,719 --> 00:46:27,240 Speaker 2: With you because embryos we can freeze and revive. 1023 00:46:27,360 --> 00:46:27,440 Speaker 7: Right. 1024 00:46:27,520 --> 00:46:28,080 Speaker 2: That's amazing. 1025 00:46:28,239 --> 00:46:30,239 Speaker 1: It is amazing. Yeah, and so I don't know that 1026 00:46:30,320 --> 00:46:33,360 Speaker 1: you can freeze them for eighty thousand years for the 1027 00:46:33,400 --> 00:46:35,160 Speaker 1: trip to Alpha Centauri, but you know, if you get 1028 00:46:35,160 --> 00:46:37,560 Speaker 1: there faster, and you can probably move much faster if 1029 00:46:37,600 --> 00:46:39,640 Speaker 1: you don't have squishy humans on board to worry about. 1030 00:46:39,680 --> 00:46:41,759 Speaker 2: Some of my best friends have two kids, and both 1031 00:46:41,760 --> 00:46:44,520 Speaker 2: of them came from frozen embryos. One kid is two 1032 00:46:44,560 --> 00:46:47,680 Speaker 2: years older, but they're actually the same age. It's just 1033 00:46:47,719 --> 00:46:50,320 Speaker 2: that one of them has been unfrozen for two more years. 1034 00:46:50,640 --> 00:46:52,840 Speaker 2: And I think about that every time I see these brothers. 1035 00:46:52,840 --> 00:46:55,040 Speaker 2: I'm like, you guys are actually the same age. Just 1036 00:46:55,440 --> 00:46:57,240 Speaker 2: one of you was frozen for two years. 1037 00:46:57,320 --> 00:47:01,040 Speaker 1: That is amazing. Reproductive technology is incredible, the things that 1038 00:47:01,120 --> 00:47:01,759 Speaker 1: we're able to do. 1039 00:47:01,920 --> 00:47:04,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, so you're going to put this in the maybe 1040 00:47:04,080 --> 00:47:08,719 Speaker 2: category that we potentially could develop cryogenic technology that could 1041 00:47:08,719 --> 00:47:11,960 Speaker 2: freeze humans and unfreeze them after thousands of years. It's 1042 00:47:12,040 --> 00:47:13,600 Speaker 2: not clear how we would do it now, but you're 1043 00:47:13,600 --> 00:47:14,759 Speaker 2: not going to say it's impossible. 1044 00:47:14,840 --> 00:47:17,680 Speaker 1: I'm going to put the cryogenic humans on the fairly 1045 00:47:17,840 --> 00:47:21,279 Speaker 1: unlikely Oh no, for the time frames necessary to get 1046 00:47:21,280 --> 00:47:24,040 Speaker 1: to Alpha Center. If you could get one of those 1047 00:47:24,080 --> 00:47:27,760 Speaker 1: propulsion techniques to get you there in like five years, 1048 00:47:27,960 --> 00:47:29,719 Speaker 1: and you just had to freeze people so they didn't 1049 00:47:29,719 --> 00:47:31,920 Speaker 1: get bored during the trip. Then maybe you could get 1050 00:47:31,920 --> 00:47:34,560 Speaker 1: away with that. But when you think about what else 1051 00:47:34,680 --> 00:47:36,880 Speaker 1: humans would need when you wake them up, it starts 1052 00:47:36,920 --> 00:47:39,080 Speaker 1: getting complicated. So you know, if those humans ever want 1053 00:47:39,080 --> 00:47:41,160 Speaker 1: to have a fresh egg, you also need to figure 1054 00:47:41,200 --> 00:47:43,279 Speaker 1: out a way to get the chickens going. You know, 1055 00:47:43,440 --> 00:47:45,640 Speaker 1: you also need to store the food for them. Like 1056 00:47:45,719 --> 00:47:49,040 Speaker 1: it gets incredibly complicated. But you know, maybe you could 1057 00:47:49,080 --> 00:47:51,279 Speaker 1: just bring a bunch of genetic material with you and 1058 00:47:51,320 --> 00:47:54,080 Speaker 1: have a lot of robots that start planting the farm. 1059 00:47:54,560 --> 00:47:56,400 Speaker 1: You know, a couple months before the humans are going 1060 00:47:56,480 --> 00:48:00,239 Speaker 1: to be gestated in the artificial womb, but now was 1061 00:48:00,239 --> 00:48:02,759 Speaker 1: going to raise them. Like, as a parent, it is 1062 00:48:02,840 --> 00:48:06,040 Speaker 1: amazing to me how much work it takes to get 1063 00:48:06,120 --> 00:48:09,480 Speaker 1: children to like just shower or brush their teeth. Like, 1064 00:48:09,880 --> 00:48:12,040 Speaker 1: there's so much nagging that needs to happen. 1065 00:48:12,320 --> 00:48:14,000 Speaker 2: You're out in the crowd and you look at all 1066 00:48:14,040 --> 00:48:15,960 Speaker 2: those people and you're like, wow, all these people were 1067 00:48:16,080 --> 00:48:19,680 Speaker 2: raised some parents like taught these humans how to survive 1068 00:48:19,840 --> 00:48:22,600 Speaker 2: and exist in a crowd, and like be functional, Like, 1069 00:48:22,640 --> 00:48:23,680 Speaker 2: that's so much work. 1070 00:48:23,800 --> 00:48:26,640 Speaker 1: Wow, it is. Yeah, culture is incredible. The fact that 1071 00:48:26,680 --> 00:48:29,560 Speaker 1: we've managed to get ourselves here by like policing each 1072 00:48:29,600 --> 00:48:31,759 Speaker 1: other's behaviors is fantastic. 1073 00:48:33,200 --> 00:48:35,440 Speaker 2: All right. Well, I see you struggling to not be 1074 00:48:35,719 --> 00:48:38,360 Speaker 2: the negative nelly and do not want to say no, 1075 00:48:38,480 --> 00:48:41,480 Speaker 2: it's impossible, but it seems like, yeah, pretty implausible. 1076 00:48:41,560 --> 00:48:44,799 Speaker 1: I would say within my lifetime, not gonna happen, right, 1077 00:48:44,840 --> 00:48:48,000 Speaker 1: But science often has breakthroughs that surprise me, and in 1078 00:48:48,080 --> 00:48:50,200 Speaker 1: a couple of lifetimes maybe it would happen. 1079 00:48:50,560 --> 00:48:54,799 Speaker 2: But the embryos and parental robots thing, that's a cultural issue, right. 1080 00:48:54,840 --> 00:48:58,319 Speaker 2: We think that technologically that might actually be possible. I mean, 1081 00:48:58,360 --> 00:49:00,600 Speaker 2: you might get weird humans that might kill all each other, 1082 00:49:00,680 --> 00:49:03,080 Speaker 2: or they might like launch nukes back at us or something. 1083 00:49:03,800 --> 00:49:06,319 Speaker 2: But in terms of like getting people to the other 1084 00:49:06,360 --> 00:49:08,879 Speaker 2: planet and growing them there, that could work. 1085 00:49:08,960 --> 00:49:11,320 Speaker 1: Right, It's possible that it could work. I mean, I 1086 00:49:11,320 --> 00:49:13,480 Speaker 1: think there's a lot of things we don't understand very well. 1087 00:49:13,520 --> 00:49:16,960 Speaker 1: So for example, when babies are born through a mother's body, 1088 00:49:17,000 --> 00:49:19,520 Speaker 1: they get slathered in bacteria that are important for the 1089 00:49:19,520 --> 00:49:22,080 Speaker 1: way their bodies work. They get food to the bacteria 1090 00:49:22,120 --> 00:49:24,600 Speaker 1: in their guts from breast milk. I think we don't 1091 00:49:24,640 --> 00:49:27,680 Speaker 1: really understand what would happen to humans if they were 1092 00:49:27,960 --> 00:49:31,319 Speaker 1: raised by robots and only encountered other babies of a 1093 00:49:31,320 --> 00:49:33,759 Speaker 1: similar age or other people of a similar age. But 1094 00:49:33,880 --> 00:49:35,719 Speaker 1: somebody should write a sci fi novel about that. 1095 00:49:35,800 --> 00:49:37,680 Speaker 2: Or we should just do it and see what happens. 1096 00:49:38,840 --> 00:49:43,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, that sounds totally ethical, totally all right. 1097 00:49:43,160 --> 00:49:45,200 Speaker 2: So it sounds like there's a lot of challenges to 1098 00:49:45,360 --> 00:49:47,759 Speaker 2: getting humans from here to Alpha Centauri. Even if you 1099 00:49:47,880 --> 00:49:50,080 Speaker 2: solved all the physics problems we raised in the last episode, 1100 00:49:50,120 --> 00:49:52,239 Speaker 2: there are a lot of biological problems, a lot of 1101 00:49:52,280 --> 00:49:55,720 Speaker 2: cultural problems, a lot of technological problems to solve getting 1102 00:49:55,719 --> 00:49:57,040 Speaker 2: the humans there safely. 1103 00:49:57,400 --> 00:49:59,719 Speaker 1: Yes, and we didn't touch on a lot of the society, 1104 00:49:59,719 --> 00:50:01,919 Speaker 1: the all the ethical problems. There's a lot more stuff 1105 00:50:01,960 --> 00:50:05,120 Speaker 1: we could talk about. And also I recommend ed Regis's 1106 00:50:05,120 --> 00:50:07,880 Speaker 1: book Starbound, which is all about interstellar travel and some 1107 00:50:07,960 --> 00:50:10,200 Speaker 1: of the challenges that you encounter along the way. That 1108 00:50:10,239 --> 00:50:11,080 Speaker 1: was an interesting read. 1109 00:50:11,280 --> 00:50:13,120 Speaker 2: So if somebody wants to sell you a ticket to 1110 00:50:13,120 --> 00:50:17,000 Speaker 2: Alpha Centauri, we're going to officially recommend maybe. 1111 00:50:16,880 --> 00:50:20,600 Speaker 1: Maybe yeah, I would not buy that ticket, but I'm 1112 00:50:20,640 --> 00:50:22,239 Speaker 1: sure other people would, and I'm sure it would be 1113 00:50:22,239 --> 00:50:23,280 Speaker 1: an amazing experience. 1114 00:50:23,360 --> 00:50:25,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, and I hope you enjoy Fast and Furious Number 1115 00:50:25,680 --> 00:50:27,600 Speaker 2: seven hundred and forty two on your trip. 1116 00:50:28,040 --> 00:50:39,280 Speaker 1: Enjoy. Daniel and Kelly's Extraordinary Universe is produced by iHeartRadio. 1117 00:50:39,480 --> 00:50:42,040 Speaker 1: We would love to hear from you, We really would. 1118 00:50:42,200 --> 00:50:44,920 Speaker 2: We want to know what questions you have about this 1119 00:50:45,120 --> 00:50:46,800 Speaker 2: Extraordinary Universe. 1120 00:50:46,920 --> 00:50:49,879 Speaker 1: We want to know your thoughts on recent shows, suggestions 1121 00:50:49,880 --> 00:50:52,919 Speaker 1: for future shows. If you contact us, we will get 1122 00:50:52,920 --> 00:50:53,360 Speaker 1: back to you. 1123 00:50:53,560 --> 00:50:57,080 Speaker 2: We really mean it. We answer every message. 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