Will mankind ever develop the technology to destroy the Earth ?
When I say destroy, I mean to the point where Earth is torn asunder; reduced to large boulders floating around only connected to one another by their respective gravity.
Even a concentrated blast by all the nuclear weapon at one time would barely make a dent in Earth. Granted, it may destroy most life, but Earth would still be around.
Even a concentrated blast by all the nuclear weapon at one time would barely make a dent in Earth. Granted, it may destroy most life, but Earth would still be around.
Comments
If homo sapiens doesn't figure out a way to harness large amounts of power, the next variation of man will, and I would have to consider that this species falls under the bar of "mankind." Personally, I like to wonder about the potential for beneficial evolution when anti-evolution regimes rule the world, as is the case with modern liberal leadership.
http://63.114.151.211/release/2001/anim24n.mov
http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/outreach/origin/
IRT Topic, IIRC there is no limit on how many stages that can be added to a hydrogen bomb. So in theory, you could build a bomb large enough to do some serious damage to the Earth.
Egad. I hope not. That's where I keep all my stuff!
Topic could be a downer, thanks for keeping it light.
Not that I can...
I don't doubt that humans will keep learning new things that increase our ability to destroy. Eventually, we will get to the point of being able to destroy whole planets.
UNLESS
we kill ourselves off first. Global warming gone to the extreme; nuclear war followed by nuclear winter or whatnot; engenered bugs that can't be stopped...
I suspect that as we get closer to plannet busters (I don't think we are close yet) we will have developed many more ways to kill ourselves off in the meantime...
Topic could be a downer, thanks for keeping it light.
Not that I can...
I don't doubt that humans will keep learning new things that increase our ability to destroy. Eventually, we will get to the point of being able to destroy whole planets.
UNLESS
we kill ourselves off first. Global warming gone to the extreme; nuclear war followed by nuclear winter or whatnot; engenered bugs that can't be stopped...
I suspect that as we get closer to plannet busters (I don't think we are close yet) we will have developed many more ways to kill ourselves off in the meantime...
Don't worry, the Universe won't miss us... especially if we develop Planet Killing Tech...
On that note, I figure we already have. We have enough Nukes anyways. All you'd really have to do is drop them into strategic locations in mass numbers, Subduction Zones and Volcanoes, then sit back and watch the fireworks. If you really want to make an impact, revive the Yellowstone Supervolcano with those to deal with the USA first. Nuke the Magnetic North, the North, and the South poles, and yeah I'm going on a rant about how destroy this while somehow keeping a straight face so I'll shut up now.
Sebastian
Don't worry, the Universe won't miss us... especially if we develop Planet Killing Tech...
On that note, I figure we already have. We have enough Nukes anyways. All you'd really have to do is drop them into strategic locations in mass numbers, Subduction Zones and Volcanoes, then sit back and watch the fireworks. If you really want to make an impact, revive the Yellowstone Supervolcano with those to deal with the USA first. Nuke the Magnetic North, the North, and the South poles, and yeah I'm going on a rant about how destroy this while somehow keeping a straight face so I'll shut up now.
Sebastian
Yet would even yellowstone and the poles completely DESTROY the earth? Sure that woudl destroy the face of the earth but not really earth itself.
Yes, probably in the form of directed asteroid attacks, like how our moon formed 4 billion years ago by chance.
http://63.114.151.211/release/2001/anim24n.mov
http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/outreach/origin/
We know that isn't enough to meet "torn asunder" criteria, because it already happened to the earth and (although the crust was liquidated) the planet only broke into two pieces (earth and moon - at least it eventually formed two pieces).
The asteroid belt used to be considered a broken up planet, but no longer:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asteroid_belt
I think that you would need an internal explosion to get the broken up effect - an antimatter asteroid impacting at half the speed of light or something?
If someone is willing to do the math(s), all one needs to do is integrate an expression for taking shells of matter from the surface of the earth to infinity until the earth is of zero radius. This will give the total energy required to blast the earth apart.
Anyone? I can't do it right now since I am busy in lab....
~2 × 10^32 J
Largest nuclear (hydrogen) bomb ever was 2 × 10^17 J...
That would be 10^15 giant ass fusion bombs...
If it were resting antimatter we would need 10^15 kg...
Maybe the Earth-destroying technology is the common internal combustion engine and fossil fuel burning power stations? Is it possible, that within the next (perhaps 300??) years, the Earth might be a Venu- like sphere surrounded by perpetual thick cloud layers, formed by the forced evaporation of the Earth's oceans and lakes, where the surface temperature was way too hot for (most) life to sustain itself?
Whether "rendering the Earth uninhabitable" is the same as "destroying it" is a somewhat moot comparison; "physically destroying the Earth", as in, for example, a direct hit by an asteroid 200 miles across at some 50,000 mph, would also end (most) life.
/votes for gobbled up by a microscopic black hole (the Hyperion solution)
Yet would even yellowstone and the poles completely DESTROY the earth? Sure that woudl destroy the face of the earth but not really earth itself.
Hmmm.... I'm wondering that myself.... but there's always plan b.
Shove every nuke we have into that crack that leads to the Mantle that some scientists are exploring about right now. try to pack them into the Mantle if possible.... then simultaneously set off all of those nukes and every nuclear power plant on Earth. Just to be on the safe side (HA!) make sure to pack the power plants with all the gun powder manufactured so far, and pack all the other explosives into that same crack to the mantle.
If the Earth doesn't crack in 2 in 30 minutes or less your Pizza is free.
Sebastian
How much more carbon dioxide will it take for the Earth's atmosphere to suddenly switch from a relatively stable state, to a closed-feedback-loop scenario of runaway global heating?
We have already had all of our carbon in the air, and it peaks out at 12 degrees warmer than now.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:6...ate_Change.png
To get the atmosphere of Venus, we would have to remove Earth's oceans, and pump enough CO2 in to get 90 times as much pressure at sea level. Maybe more, actually, because we are further from the sun, although we would have the advantage of less sulfur which reflects light out of the Venitian atmosphere. And Venus is not "run away", it is stable at 460 degrees C.
When i hear scientists are trying to create black holes in laboratories I get very nervous...
When that happens.... well it's the end of the world as we know it.
Probably won't have time to order a Pizza either.
Sebastian
I may have to go to the hospital!
I can't breathe!
gotta hit Submit Reply before I die!
"The whole scheme from Copernicanism to Big Bangism is a factless lie."
Aries1B