Our final hour : a scientist's warning : how terror, error, and environmental disaster threaten humankind's future in this century - on earth and beyond

Bolstered by unassailable science and delivered in eloquent style, Our Final Hour 's provocative argument that humanity has a mere 50/50 chance of surviving the next century has struck a chord with readers, reviewers, and opinion-makers everywhere. Rees's vision of our immediate future is both a work of stunning scientific originality and a humanistic clarion call on behalf of the future of life. A scientist known for unraveling the complexities of the universe over millions of years, Sir Martin Rees now warns that humankind is potentially the maker of its own demise -- and that of the cosmos. Though the twenty-first century could be the critical era in which life on Earth spreads beyond our solar system, it is just as likely that we have endangered the future of the entire universe. With clarity and precision, Rees maps out the ways technology could destroy our species and thereby foreclose the potential of a living universe whose evolution has just begun. Rees boldly forecasts the startling risks that stem from our accelerating rate of technological advances. We could be wiped out by lethal'engineered'airborne viruses, or by rogue nano-machines that replicate catastrophically. Experiments that crash together atomic nuclei could start a chain reaction that erodes all atoms of Earth, or could even tear the fabric of space itself. Through malign intent or by mistake, a single event could trigger global disaster. Though we can never completely safeguard our future, increased regulation and inspection can help us to prevent catastrophe. Rees's vision of the infinite future that we have put at risk -- a cosmos more vast and diverse than any of us has ever imagined -- is both a work of stunning scientific originality and a humanistic clarion call on behalf of the future of life.

from World-renowned Astrophysicist Sir Martin Rees, A Timely, Brisk, And Alarming Look At The Way Today's Technology Could Spell The End Of Tomorrow.

nola Theiss - Kliatt

reading Like A List Of Inevitable Disasters, This Book Outlines All The Possible Ways The World Might End—with A Bang Or A Whimper. Every Possible Disaster—from Lack Of Water To Genetically Engineered Plants That Destroy Natural Plants, To Nuclear Destruction, To Chemical Warfare, To Asteroids Hitting The Earth—is Discussed And Its Likelihood Evaluated. Rees, A Noted Scientist, Believes That Humanity Is More At Risk Now Than It Has Ever Been And While He Sees Some Hope, He Gives Grave Warnings About What We Must Do To Protect Ourselves And Our World. A Complete Index And List Of Notes Follow His Observations, Giving Credence To His Beliefs. Kliatt Codes: Sa—recommended For Senior High School Students, Advanced Students, And Adults. 2003, Perseus, Basic Books, 228p. Notes. Index., Ages 15 To Adult.

OUR FINAL HOUR [Title Page] ......Page 1 Cover ......Page 2 International Acclaim for Martin Rees's OUR FINAL HOUR......Page 3 OTHER BOOKS BY MARTI N REES......Page 4 ISBN ......Page 5 PREFACE......Page 6 PROLOGUE......Page 7 2. TECHNOLOGY SHOCK......Page 15 A Human or Posthuman Future?......Page 25 3. THE DOOMSDAY CLOCK......Page 33 4. POST-2000 THREATS Terror and Error......Page 49 5. PERPETRATORS AND PALLIATIVES......Page 69 6. SLOWING SCIENCE DOWN?......Page 79 Asteroid Impacts......Page 95 A Low Risk, but Not Negligible......Page 98 Reducing the Risk?......Page 100 8. HUMAN THREATS TO EARTH......Page 104 9. EXTREME RISKS......Page 116 Our "Final" Experiment?......Page 120 11.THE END OF SCIENCE?......Page 141 12. DOES OUR FATE HAVE COSMIC SIGNIFICANCE?......Page 156 13. BEYOND EARTH......Page 168 NOTES......Page 185 Rees makes the case that hyper-technology and continuing harm to the ecological environment may lead to situations where, either intentionally or accidently, a single mistake can trigger a catastrophic mega-event. He describes natural hazards such as biological disease risks, man-made hazards such as orbiting human debris returning to earth, and social hazards such as terrorism which could have a global impact over a very brief time Publisher's description: Bolstered by unassailable science and delivered in eloquent style, Our Final Hour's provocative argument that humanity has a mere 50/50 chance of surviving the next century has struck a chord with readers, reviewers, and opinion-makers everywhere. Rees's vision of our immediate future is both a work of stunning scientific originality and a humanistic clarion call on behalf of the future of life