Podcast appearances and mentions of Kelly Weinersmith

What would living on Mars do to the human body? Guest: Dr. Kelly Weinersmith, Adjunct Faculty in the BioSciences Department at Rice University and Author of “City on Mars” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does ‘woke' actually mean? Guest: Dr. Valerie Fridland, Professor of Linguistics at the University of Nevada and Author of “Like, Literally, Dude” Which federal party has the most viable health care plan? Guest: Lindsay Hadden, Applied Health Services Researcher, Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar, and a Principal Investigator for the Health Systems Research Lab at SFU Can burger sales predict the new Prime Minister? Guest: Chris Geib, Manager at Burger Heaven in New Westminster What would living on Mars do to the human body? Guest: Dr. Kelly Weinersmith, Adjunct Faculty in the BioSciences Department at Rice University and Author of “City on Mars” Should the US ban artificial food dyes? Guest: Dr. Kathleen Melanson, Nutritional Scientist at the University of Rhode Island Why does BC need to reform its Police Act? Guest: Adam Olsen, Member of the Special Committee on Reforming the Police Act and Former Member of the Legislative Assembly for Saanich North Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elon Musk is one of many space nerds and sci-fi dreamers fascinated by living on Mars. But, is this just a terrible idea? And how bad would earth need to get for it to make any sense? Kelly Weinersmith, co-author of A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through? joins Jacob Jarvis to discuss the cons of going to the red planet.  Buy A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through? through our affiliate bookshop and you'll help fund The Bunker by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org's fees help support independent bookshops too. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to https://indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.   https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast  Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Robin Leeburn. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Incoming! NASA's acting head of planetary defence, Kelly Fast, discusses asteroids, YR2 and how to protect our planet. The UK Space Agency's head of Earth Observation and Climate, Beth Greenaway, and chief scientist, Shaun Quegan, discuss the upcoming European Biomass mission to measure how much carbon is being stored in tropical forests. And Kelly Weinersmith - co-author of A City On Mars - explains why living on the red planet will be much harder than anyone thought... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Incoming! NASA's acting head of planetary defence, Kelly Fast, discusses asteroids, YR2 and how to protect our planet. The UK Space Agency's head of Earth Observation and Climate, Beth Greenaway, and chief scientist, Shaun Quegan, discuss the upcoming European Biomass mission to measure how much carbon is being stored in tropical forests. And Kelly Weinersmith - co-author of A City On Mars - explains why living on the red planet will be much harder than anyone thought... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Kelly Weinersmith and her husband Zach set out to write the essential guide to a glorious future of space settlements. After years of research, they aren't so sure it's a good idea.

KVMR Science Correspondent Al Stahler is joined by Biologist Dr. Kelly Weinersmith, co-author of A City on Mars to explore why colonizing the Red Planet might not be at the top of 2025's to-do list.  Nevada County resident Frank McClain shares his thoughts about dominance and conflict felt at home in families and mirrored in international politics. Frank examines the possibility of transitioning from this culture to one of mutual respect. Money Matters host Marc Cuniberti looks into what it takes to run a restaurant before we close with Nevada City poet Molly Fisk's essay titled Ricochet & Coincidence.

Happy Creaturekringletimes! Today we're getting cozy and snuggly with animal tips on how to stay warm. From bee cuddles, to round fluffy birds, we're gettin' toasty with some cuties. Plus, what a frozen sabertooth cat-cicle can tell us about these ancient kitties! I'm joined by Kelly Weinersmith to warm ourselves by the fire of evolutionary biology facts! Footnotes: Piping Hot Bees and Boisterous Buzz-Runners Sabertooth kitten preserved in Siberia Last week's mystery animal sound sourceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A City on Mars: Can we settle space, should we settle space, and have we really thought this through? – That is the title of a book published in late 2023 which then became an instant NY Times bestseller and went on to win a 2024 Hugo Award. My guest this week is Kelly Weinersmith, one of its two authors, together with her husband. The book is a critical, and humorously written, examination of the question of whether humanity should settle space. It touches on everything ranging from legal aspects all the way to having babies in Space. For me as a die-hard proponent of humanity settling in space, this was a fun and insightful conversation to have. I'm sure you'll enjoy it, too! https://www.acityonmars.com/   Follow us: Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/podcast_space LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/raphaelroettgen/ Instagram -  www.instagram.com/raphael_space/ Learn more about space & the space economy: SPACE ECONOMY BOOK: Raphael's fully revised introductory book on the Space economy, "To Infinity" is available in e-book, paperback and audiobook formats - https://a.co/d/6jIQ2LO Check out the edX/EPFL Space Economy MOOC: https://www.edx.org/course/new-space-economy Upcoming newsletter - sign up: https://spacebusiness.substack.com/ 00:00 Episode Introduction 01:41 Podcast Introduction 02:16 Summary and Insights on 'A City on Mars' book 03:15 Challenges of Space Settlement 03:35 Becoming a Space Settlement Enthusiast 05:08 Concerns About Human Reproduction in Space 09:09 Environmental Control and Life Support Systems 13:18 International Law and Space Resources 22:28 The Race with China and Future Prospects 28:30 Military Funding for Space Infrastructure 29:37 Geopolitics and Strategy in Space 30:49 Technological Gaps and Innovations 32:57 Reproduction in Space: Fun and Challenges 41:41 Mental Health and Well-being in Space 45:44 Arts, Religion, and Community in Space 48:15 Future Updates and Books 54:23 Sci-fi

Space-settling enthusiasts have long had an eye on Mars, and now they have the backing of the world's richest man. Elon Musk recently claimed that humans could be on the planet by 2030 and be living there in a self-sustaining city within 20 years. But is it really that simple? Madeleine Finlay heads to Imperial College London where Prof Sanjeev Gupta gives her a tour of the red planet, and meets Kelly Weinersmith who, along with her husband, Zach, recently won the Royal Society Trivedi science book prize for their book A City on Mars. She explains why life on Mars may not be the idyll some would have us believe. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

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Kelly Weinersmith, biologist and popular science writer, discusses her award-winning book (co-authored with Zach Weinersmith), A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?The Hub Dialogues features The Hub's editor-at-large, Sean Speer, in conversation with leading entrepreneurs, policymakers, scholars, and thinkers on the issues and challenges that will shape Canada's future at home and abroad.If you like what you are hearing on Hub Dialogues consider subscribing to The Hub's free weekly email newsletter featuring our insights and analysis on key public policy issues. Sign up here: https://thehub.ca/free-member-sign-up/. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the Thought Leadership Leverage podcast, host Bill Sherman dives into the realities of space settlement with Kelly Weinersmith, biologist and adjunct assistant professor at Rice University, and Zach Weinersmith, comic artist and author. Known for their book "Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That'll Improve and/or Ruin Everything," the Weinersmiths have recently released "A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?"—a book that raises tough questions about the feasibility and ethics of colonizing new worlds. The episode uncovers some hard truths behind the idea of settling space. While space exploration seems exciting and full of promise, the Weinersmiths caution that many of the technological, biological, and social challenges remain unsolved. In their book, they explore whether the dream of building new worlds in space is achievable or could lead to unexpected consequences. Kelly and Zach discuss the evolution of their book's thesis—from an optimistic view of imminent space settlement to a more nuanced, realistic perspective. They reveal how their research journey influenced this shift, sharing the complexities of dealing with sensitive topics and the mixed reactions they received from the space community. While some experts supported their critical approach, others reacted with resistance and disappointment. The episode also touches on the importance of humor in science communication. The Weinersmiths explain how humor helps make complex ideas more accessible and engaging. Their book, filled with witty illustrations and anecdotes, balances deep scientific insights with a lighthearted touch, providing a unique take on the question of space colonization. Bill and his guests explore the broader implications of space settlement, examining potential issues such as the environmental impact, the governance of space colonies, and the psychological effects of living in confined, isolated environments. The conversation also highlights the importance of empirical evidence and the rigorous research methods employed by the Weinersmiths, who sought input from a wide range of experts to build a comprehensive view of space settlement's challenges and opportunities. Tune in to this thought-provoking episode for a deep dive into the reality of space exploration, the impact of metaphor on our understanding of complex concepts, and the role of humor in making science accessible. Whether you're a CEO, leadership coach, entrepreneur, or thought leader, you'll find valuable insights into why space settlement might be more complicated than it seems—and why a critical perspective is essential as we look to the stars. Three Key Takeaways: • The Challenges of Space Settlement Are Complex and Multidisciplinary Kelly and Zach Weinersmith's book, "A City on Mars," explores the myriad challenges of space settlement, from technological to biological, psychological, and legal issues. Their extensive research reveals that many unresolved questions make the idea of colonizing Mars or other celestial bodies far more complex than it might seem. They underscore that successful space settlement requires significant advancements in multiple fields, and many assumptions about its feasibility may not hold up under scrutiny. • Humor as a Tool for Science Communication The Weinersmiths demonstrate the importance of humor in making complex scientific topics accessible and engaging. They explain how humor can be used to break down barriers and keep audiences interested, even when discussing dense subjects like space law or the psychological effects of isolation. By weaving humor into their work, they make the science approachable while still maintaining accuracy and depth. • The Impact of Metaphors on Perception The guests discuss how metaphors can shape our understanding of complex concepts like space exploration. Zach Weinersmith points out that metaphors, like the "wagon train in space" analogy from Star Trek, can both guide and limit our perception of what space settlement entails. This observation underscores the importance of critically examining the stories and metaphors we use to describe emerging technologies and scientific endeavors, as they can influence public opinion and expectations.

Exploring and settling outer space may seem like the ultimate form of entrepreneurship – but is it a realistic ambition? Drawing from her latest book "A City on Mars", Kelly Weinersmith sits down with Jonathan to discuss the hurdles we face in our journey to space, from human physiology to resource governance. So human life on Mars is still far-fetched, but we can learn a lot about our planet and our future from outside Earth's orbit.

Exploring and settling outer space may seem like the ultimate form of entrepreneurship – but is it a realistic ambition? Drawing from her latest book "A City on Mars", Kelly Weinersmith sits down with Jonathan to discuss the hurdles we face in our journey to space, from human physiology to resource governance. So human life on Mars is still far-fetched, but we can learn a lot about our planet and our future from outside Earth's orbit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Paris Marx is joined by Zach Weinersmith to discuss the impracticalities of space colonies some interested parties keep forgetting to mention. Zach Weinersmith co-wrote A City On Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through? with Kelly Weinersmith. He also makes the Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal comic.Tech Won't Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon.The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Eric Wickham. Transcripts are by Brigitte Pawliw-Fry.Also mentioned in this episode:An excerpt of A City on Mars was published by Space.com.Support the show

On this episode of Tech Won't Save Us, Paris Marx is joined by Zach Weinersmith to discuss the impracticalities of space colonies some interested parties keep forgetting to mention.Zach Weinersmith co-wrote A City On Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through? with Kelly Weinersmith. He also makes the Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal comic.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On Tuesday's show: The energy transition is complicated and will require more than one solution to reduce carbon emissions. The Texas Tribune has published the first article in a series examining the role hydrogen might play in moving that transition forward. Also this hour: Space City is heavily involved in the Artemis missions, getting us back to the moon and then on to Mars. For some, it's all about preparing for the day we put colonies on one or the other. But Kelly and Zach Weinersmith, the authors of the book A City on Mars, pump the brakes on that idea a bit. MORE: Kelly Weinersmith speaks at Rice Univ. April 2 Then, we meet the founders of a Houston record label aiming to elevate the voices of Black country artists. Their conversation is an excerpt from this week's edition of I See U with Eddie Robinson. And, we learn where and how to get a good view of the total solar eclipse on April 8.

What would a human settlement on Mars look like? How would humans procreate in space? And what on earth is a 'snuggle tube'? These are all questions Dr Kelly Weinersmith is trying to answer

Off-world settlements are sometimes proposed as an insurance policy for Earthlings. Or as an escape for the super-rich. Is it actually either of those things? How should we be considering humanity's relationship to the cosmos and off-world civilization? And is the Overview Effect worth a damn? On today's episode of the Reversing Climate Change podcast, Nori carbon removal marketplace Cofounder Ross Kenyon is joined by Zach Weinersmith and Dr. Kelly Weinersmith, science educators and authors all. Zach is also the person behind the long-running internet comic SMBC (Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal). They are the authors of the new book, A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through? Zach and Kelly are both sympathetic to space exploration, being avowed geeks of the subject matter. And yet, the further they dug into basically every facet of life off-world, the less likely it seems our species is ready for the challenges. Whether it be the ease of hurling celestial objects back at Earth, the collapsing bone density of space denizens, the uncertainty of reproduction in low-gravity environments and therefore the necessity of experimenting without consent upon children, the cost, the geopolitics, the near-term impossibility of independence from Earth, and an entire book's worth of other concerns, it just doesn't seem like becoming a trans-Earth civilization is the solution or problem that its supporters or critics, respectively, have believed it is. These are all worthy areas of research. Tune in to learn more and why Zach & Kelly are still exuberant space nerds, and how to keep space in mind with regard to climate change. Connect with Nori ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Purchase Nori Carbon Removals⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nori's website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nori on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check out our other podcast, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Carbon Removal Newsroom⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Carbon Removal Memes on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Carbon Removal Memes on Instagram Resources Kelly's website Zach's website Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That'll Improve and/or Ruin Everything A City on Mars Mars One David Grinspoon's Earth in Human Hands David Grinspoon on Reversing Climate Change The Right Stuff Bryan Caplan on Reversing Climate Change talking about his book Open Borders, which Zach illustrated. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/reversingclimatechange/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/reversingclimatechange/support

When Kelly and Zach Weinersmith proposed a book on colonizing Mars, they had no idea that halfway through their research they'd change their position. Their title says it all: A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through? What happens when two people who eschew conflict find themselves in a position of dashing people's dreams about space? In this light-hearted episode we talk about their research process, how they organized crazy amounts of information, their collaborative processes, negotiating critique with each other, how to make hard science more accessible and palatable to the public and how humor helps everything. Dr. Kelly Weinersmith received her PhD in Ecology at the University of California Davis, and is an adjunct faculty member in the BioSciences Department at Rice University. Kelly studies parasites that manipulate the behavior of their hosts, and her research has been featured in The Atlantic, National Geographic, BBC World, Science, and Nature. With her husband, Zach Weinersmith she wrote Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That'll Improve and/or Ruin Everything, was a New York Times Bestseller.and Zach Weinersmith is the cartoonist behind the popular geek webcomic, Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal and he illustrated the New York Times-bestselling Open Borders: The Science and Ethics of Immigration. His work has been featured by The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, Slate, Forbes, Science Friday and many others. Zach and Kelly live in Virginia with their children. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emergingform.substack.com/subscribe

Dr Kelly Weinersmith (behavioural ecologist and space expert) and her husband Zach have just spent four years researching a subject that perplexes many of us – why all the fuss about moving to Mars? Which begs, can we actually build a human settlement on Mars? And, would we want to?They share their findings in their new book A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through? which became an instant New York Times bestseller and Scientific American's #1 Book for 2023.Kelly, an adjunct with Rice University in Texas, joins me to talk through both the broad and the granular implications of what I think amounts to a “destroy and run” attitude to our relationship with Earth. I have a lot of questions, like: What's with the tech bros and their obsession with living on a dusty, toxic planet? Who would “own” space settlements? Who would control the oxygen? Surely we're not going to let Elon run rampant with this? And can you actually have sex in space? If you're after a TL;DR, Kelly concludes: “Space: quite bad”.SHOW NOTESA City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through? is available hereThe Wild episode with Douglas Rushkoff about billionaires and their apocalypse bunkers is hereIf you need to know a bit more about me… head to my "about" pageFor more such conversations subscribe to my Substack newsletter, it's where I interact the most!Get your copy of my book, This One Wild and Precious LifeLet's connect on Instagram and WeAre8 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Authors Kelly Weinersmith & Zach Weinersmith share their insights into the challenge of building settlements on Mars, how extended periods in extra-terrestrial environments would impact our body and mind, and how international space law needs to be updated if we are to become a multi-planetary species. Dr. Kelly Weinersmith received her PhD in Ecology at the University of California Davis, and is an adjunct faculty member in the BioSciences Department at Rice University. Kelly studies parasites that manipulate the behavior of their hosts, and her research has been featured in The Atlantic, National Geographic, BBC World, Science, and Nature. When she isn't studying Nature's creepiest wonders, Kelly is writing books with her husband, Zach Weinersmith (creator of Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal Comics). Their first book, Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That'll Improve and/or Ruin Everything, was a New York Times Bestseller. Zach Weinersmith is the cartoonist behind the popular geek webcomic, Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. He co-wrote the New York Times bestseller Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That'll Improve and/or Ruin Everything and illustrated the New York Times-bestselling Open Borders: The Science and Ethics of Immigration. His work has been featured by The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, Slate, Forbes, Science Friday, Foreign Policy, PBS, Boingboing, the Freakonomics Blog, the RadioLab blog, Entertainment Weekly, Mother Jones, CNN, Discovery Magazine, Nautilus and more. He lives in Virginia with his wife/coauthor and his children/coauthors. ABOUT THE HOST Luke Robert Mason is a British-born futures theorist who is passionate about engaging the public with emerging scientific theories and technological developments. He hosts documentaries for Futurism, and has contributed to BBC Radio, BBC One, The Guardian, Discovery Channel, VICE Motherboard and Wired Magazine. CREDITS Producer & Host: Luke Robert Mason Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at @FUTURESPodcast Follow Luke Robert Mason on Twitter at @LukeRobertMason Subscribe & Support the Podcast at http://futurespodcast.net

On The Other Side of Midnight,  Frank starts the show like he always does on Fridays: With Ask Frank Anything. In the next hour, Frank talks about the special counsel evaluation of President Biden and a path to the election. He also talks with Dr. Kelly Weinersmith, adjunct faculty member at Rice University and a best-selling author, whose latest book is “A City on Mars: Can we settle space, and have we really thought this through?” They talk about the possibility and reality of colonizing Mars. Frank starts the third hour with denunciations for the week. He follows that up with a well timed conversation with Jim McCann, founder of 1-800-FLOWERS talking about Valentine's Day coming up. Frank wraps up the show talking about everything from Tucker Carlson's interview with Vladimir Putin to Wil Wheaton's reaction to Larry David beating up Elmo. He is also joined by Noam Laden for News You Can Use. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Frank talks about the special counsel evaluation of President Biden and a path to the election. He also talks with Dr. Kelly Weinersmith, adjunct faculty member at Rice University and a best-selling author, whose latest book is “A City on Mars: Can we settle space, and have we really thought this through?” They talk about the possibility and reality of colonizing Mars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Kelly Weinersmith, adjunct faculty member at the University of California Davis and a best-selling author, whose latest book is “A City on Mars: Can we settle space, and have we really thought this through?” Topic: Is it possible to colonize Mars? Should we try? Book: https://www.amazon.com/City-Mars-settle-thought-through/dp/1984881728 Website: https://www.acityonmars.com/ Social Media: https://twitter.com/FuSchmu?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor https://www.instagram.com/sciencefarmatanchorwood/?hl=en Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The current drive for a Mars colony revolves around two central axes: one is a fear of existential risk and the other is a search for existentialism. On the former, philosophers and probabilists remain deeply concerned about humanity's Achilles heel: that our entire existence depends on the sustenance of a single blue dot in the Milky Way. Humanity's fate is fundamentally tied to this single rock, which gives little redundancy from an asteroid strike, nuclear winter, or pandemic. At the same time, many entrepreneurs hear a rallying cry when they think about a Mars colony, arguing that a bold and long-term project is precisely what is needed to galvanize humanity to work together, overlook our internecine differences and find transcendence amidst the celestial cosmos. Even if outside our lifetime, a drive toward a space colony could be an existentialism that offers meaning and sustenance to our lives. In this second and final episode, Zack Weinersmith, who along with his wife Kelly Weinersmith are the authorial duo of A City on Mars, join host Danny Crichton and Lux's scientist-in-residence Sam Arbesman to talk more about their negative prognostication for a Mars colony. Taking a more optimistic view, we also talk with Zach about what we should be doing to prep for a colony, including collecting more laboratory data and expanding science's understanding of life under microgravity conditions.

Colonizing Mars has gone from the speculative fiction section of the bookstore right into the halls of Congress. Entrepreneurs led by Elon Musk have made “Occupy Mars” a tagline, and companies the Earth over are exploring the logistics of settling humans across the Moon and Mars. But what's the true viability of a Mars settlement plan? Do we have the technology and legal systems in place to make this one-time fiction a reality? Popular cartoonist and author, Zach Weinersmith, wrote “A City On Mars” alongside his wife Kelly Weinersmith to explore that very question. Starting with an optimistic lens, they eventually conceded in the book that the project is one of extraordinary difficulty and are pessimistic at its chances. “A City On Mars” won a slew of best-of awards in 2023 for its delightfully engaging and humorous breakdown of complex physical and biological topics. In this first part of a two-part series, host Danny Crichton and Lux's scientist in residence Sam Arbesman discuss with Zach the biological and psychological challenges of inter-planetary settlement and why every astronaut lies about their health in outer space. We also explore the challenges of reproduction in space, and what a second generation of settlers might have to endure in the far reaches of our solar system. Music composed by ⁠https://www.georgeko.co/⁠ "Securities" is produced and edited

Bloomberg News Chief Technology Correspondent Mark Gurman discusses Apple shares rising on Thursday, after Bank of America upgraded the iPhone maker to buy from neutral, a sign of confidence in the stock following a weak start to the year. Bloomberg News Space Reporter Loren Grush and Kelly Weinersmith, Professor at Rice University, cover the SpaceX launch of the of its Ax-3 rocket with the first all-European commercial crew to travel to the International Space Station. Bloomberg News Consumer Reporter Deena Shanker and Bloomberg CityLab Editor Laura Bliss share the details of Deena's Businessweek story Haribo Scales Up Gummi Bear Production at New US Factory. And we Drive to the Close with Eric Clark, Portfolio Manager at Rational Dynamic Brands Fund.Hosts: Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec. Producer: Paul Brennan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg News Chief Technology Correspondent Mark Gurman discusses Apple shares rising on Thursday, after Bank of America upgraded the iPhone maker to buy from neutral, a sign of confidence in the stock following a weak start to the year. Bloomberg News Space Reporter Loren Grush and Kelly Weinersmith, Professor at Rice University, cover the SpaceX launch of the of its Ax-3 rocket with the first all-European commercial crew to travel to the International Space Station. Bloomberg News Consumer Reporter Deena Shanker and Bloomberg CityLab Editor Laura Bliss share the details of Deena's Businessweek story Haribo Scales Up Gummi Bear Production at New US Factory. And we Drive to the Close with Eric Clark, Portfolio Manager at Rational Dynamic Brands Fund.Hosts: Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec. Producer: Paul Brennan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kelly and talk about the book that Kelly and her Husband, Zach, wrote titled, A city on Mars, can we settle space, should we settle space and have we really thought this through? They discuss space infrastructure, wars, open borders, oxygen as a utility, hyperconfident Ned Flanders, astronauts are liars, living on asteroids, peepees and poopoos, celestial white flight and so much more! Check out the book here: Amazon.com : a city on mars  

This week's episode features Kelly Weinersmith, part of the wife-and-husband research team who are authors of A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought this Through? In the episode Doug and Kelly discuss what common misconceptions are about traveling to the moon, Mars, and space settlement in general. Most people's visions of space are given to us by Hollywood or sci-fi writers, so we have an unrealistic picture of what actual Mars colonization would even look like, let alone function as a species. Kelly explains how she and her husband Zach went into the project with enthusiasm for settling space, but during the project came away with a much more realistic frame of reference for what it would take to get there. Kelly also explains how much we really don't understand, how little we have researched, and how ambitious getting to space in the next decade would actually be. Explored at the end are the legal norms and international treaties regarding space resources and land, and Kelly reveals her favorite sci-fi series. Additional Resources: Buy A City on Mars on Amazon Audio Production by Podsworth Media - https://podsworth.com 

Visiting Mars one day is the ultimate trip from some tourists, but is that a good idea? Kelly Weinersmith, adjunct faculty member in the BioSciences department at Rice University, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the impracticalities of space colonization and the conflicts it could create back on Earth. Her book, co-written with husband Zach Weinersmith, is “A City on Mars: Can we settle space, should we settle space, and have we really thought this through?”

There is an undeniable romance in the idea of traveling to, and even living in, outer space. In recent years, a pragmatic justification has become increasingly popular: the Earth is vulnerable to threats both natural and human-made, and it seems only prudent to spread life to other locations in case a disaster befalls our home planet. But how realistic is such a grand ambition? The wife-and-husband team of Kelly and Zack Weinersmith have tackled this question from a dizzying number of angles, from aeronautics and biology to law and psychology. The result is their new book, A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through? It provides an exceptionally clear-eyed view of the challenges and opportunities ahead.Blog post with transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2023/11/13/256-kelly-and-zach-weinersmith-on-building-cities-on-the-moon-and-mars/Support Mindscape on Patreon.Kelly Weinersmith received a Ph.D. in ecology from the University of California, Davis. She is currently an adjunct professor in the department of biosciences at Rice University. Zack Weinersmith received a B.S. in English from Pfizer College. He is the creator of the popular webcomic Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, as well as the author and co-author of several books, including Bea Wolf, a retelling of Beowulf as a children's story, with illustrations by Boulet. Kelly and Zach are also co-authors of Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That'll Improve and/or Ruin Everything.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We welcomed both Kelly and Zach Weinersmith to the program to discuss their new book, "A City On Mars." Their book has sparked controversy, especially in the space community and those interested in humanspaceflight and settlement. Kelly started as our guest and Zach joined us for the last part of the program. Listen to the authors and listeners respond to their positions. Read the full summary for this program at www.thespaceshow.com for this date, Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023.

By Walt HickeyWelcome to the Numlock Sunday edition.This week, I spoke to Zach Weinersmith, who with his wife Kelly Weinersmith wrote the brand new book A City On Mars: Can we settle space, should we settle space, and have we really thought this through?, which is out this week. I loved this book. I've been looking forward to it for years since they announced it, and I loved their previous book, Soonish. It's an in-depth look at what exactly it's going to take to get a permanent human settlement on another world. Zach and Kelly investigate not just the physics problem of getting people and material there, but also the long-term social, legal and biological issues inherent in this kind of venture. It's an amazing read, and it's available wherever books are sold. Beyond A City on Mars, Zach can be found at his iconic webcomic, Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, and you should check out his other books, which include Soonish and Bea Wolf, his children's book adaptation of Beowulf.Remember, you can subscribe to the Numlock Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. This interview has been condensed and edited. Zach, thank you so much for coming on.I'm excited to talk about space nerd stuff.Boy, are you. You have written a book called A City on Mars. You ask all sorts of really exciting questions throughout the book. It is not just a book about the physics of getting to Mars, which I think a lot of people fixate on. It is a book about sociology. It is a book about how communities work. It is a book about all sorts of different exciting things. Your research process was incredibly thorough. I guess just before we dive in, what was it like to write this thing? What was it like to report it out and dive into the science?Oh man, it was kind of awful. And you know what it was? I think when you do pop science, there's this fantasy you have of, "What if I got a topic and I was out ahead of other people and it was really controversial and awesome." And you'd think that would be romantic and be like a montage. But we were so anxious, because we felt like we were really going against a lot of strongly held views by smart people. And when you do that, you feel like you really have to know what you're talking about so that you can stand your own when they are going to come at you.And so the result of that, and our just general dorkwad-ery, was that there was just a ton of primary and technical source reading, which is awesome. Actually, it's like what I do in my free time, as a boring person. But when at some point I was reading a hundred-something pages a day of hard stuff and like you roll out of bed and you're like, "What? I have to read 50 pages of seabed international law to understand that!" It was brutal. I mean absolutely wonderful kitchen table conversations during this time, but it was tough.Yeah, a lot of it is very compelling because again, you've had some of the finest minds that our society's produced consider what it would take to get us into space and stay there. And that I imagine has got to be a lot of fun. But then you also, you really consider all sides of this, man. You've got sociology, but you just mentioned you have the law.There's a lot of legal precedent when it comes to these interesting spaces that are not owned land but nevertheless are important. Do you want to walk people through the structure of the book and what angles you take and how you dive in?So we ended up artificially separating it into six sections, which hopefully I can actually remember, because we fussed a lot with the structure; this is a book that, as you say, goes from lots of angles. There were lots of options for how to structure it and we actually originally had it as we'll go through orders of magnitude from one person to 10 people, then 100 people. And it just turns out, I learned that sociologists don't believe there are actual meaningful, emergent obvious things different between a hundred and a thousand people where you can be like, "Okay, here's what happens now."We ended up instead saying, "We're going to start off with what it does to your body." So that's like sex and reproduction, that's physiology, what space does to your body, and then also psychiatry stuff which was nontrivial. Then we move on to the place you might actually put that body. Ideal spaces are probably the moon or Mars, and especially Mars is probably best, which we could get into.Then we move to how you might keep that body in that place from dying. That is to say, habitat construction. How do you build a facility in one of these places? Where might you go and what are the future goals there and the problems you need to solve. But mostly having to do with energy and shielding and also making food and oxygen and consumables.And then at that point, we dive into the law and sociology. So then we go to a brief rundown on the "cynical history," we call it, of outer space. And the basic point of that is to position you to understand that human spacefaring is almost always purely political. It's about making declarations as a superpower and showing up other countries.That prepares you to think about how the space law as we have it is. So we go into how the law actually works, which a lot of geeks think doesn't matter, they don't think international law exists, but it does. We know it constrains the behavior of countries and people. From there we get into some sociological questions. We'll talk about this a little more later; the sociology was at one point quite extensive, and the editor was like, "You just can't do this to readers. This is just too much," so we cut it down to looking at company towns as a potential model, and a couple other things.Then we close out with some questions having to do with the future, in the sense of what numbers are we talking about to avoid too much inbreeding, to have economic autarchy — that is to say, being able to survive the death of Earth.Then finally what would happen in the case of space war and how to think about the idea of space war. Yeah, so we're really trying for every angle. I could tell you, we did still leave out stuff. There was stuff we had to cut, but we tried to be as thorough as possible.I'm so glad that you brought up the "cynical history of space," because I thought that that was just such a very thorough look. Space is one of the most romanticized things. I think that's one reason that again, this topic is so compelling, is that we just have so many stories that we tell each other about space and its role and there's a fundamental yearning to it. There's a fundamental ambition to it. You could tell a lot of stories set in space, and we have.Whereas the cynical history of space was really just bringing things down to as brass tacks as possible. It was turning this romance into the physics and politics that it truly is, and I really appreciated it. Do you want to dive in a little bit on that, a brief cynical history of space?Yeah, I'd love to. So it's funny. There's a power law, I can say this for your audience. There's a power law for what space stuff is about. So it's like 90 percent of all space books are about Apollo 11, in particular, where we landed on the moon. And then 90 percent of what's left is either Apollo 8, where we first went around the moon, or Apollo 13, where everything went wrong and there was a movie about it. And then down from that, it's everything else.There's a subgenre in all this that is the political history. There are only a couple books about this, and they're mostly more scholarly because I guess regular people just don't want to read about the sort of geopolitical theory about why countries do this sort of thing. What's funny is that in those fields, and people who study the law and history, if you said, "Hey, Kennedy went to space as a purely political act," it would be like saying, "I know how to tie my shoes." It's just the most obvious thing in the world.But if you say that to a space geek, it's like you're poking something beautiful. But we have the evidence! I mean you never know what's in a person's heart, but we know, there's evidence that after Sputnik Kennedy thought space was stupid. We really only did that big speech to Congress, which sometimes gets conflated with the one at Rice. He only did his big speech to Congress basically saying, "Give me a huge pile of money," after Bay of Pigs.And then very shortly after, Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space and he was of course, a Soviet. So Kennedy looked like garbage and he knew it, and he was a smart PR operator. So we have private transcripts of stuff he said basically saying, "There's no reason to do this." He uses the phrase, "I'm not that into space." He just says it very explicitly, "We need to show them that we won." And that's it.And his own science advisor, I don't think we put this in the book, but my recollection is, Jerome Wiesner, his science advisor, refused to go along with the idea that this was about science. He was not cool with it. So there's just very robust evidence that this was politics all the way down on both the American and the Soviet side. That unfortunately the great mass of the public around the world overestimates the importance of rocketry to the dominance of nations and their technological capacity. Whereas, I think you could easily argue that the U.S. was ahead the whole time in everything that mattered, but people are just beguiled by rocket technology.Again, part of this is some stuff that I've read, but it seems like a lot of people's mentality about space is derived from Disneyland and a lot of sci-fi aesthetic stuff.Yeah, it's that. I have an older brother as a poli-sci professor and he said when he gets students and he says, "Who's the best president ever?" They still to this day often say, "Kennedy." And when you ask them why, they cite a speech or something, which is not afforded to any other president! Any other president, it's like, what did they do? But with Kennedy for some reason — probably because he was assassinated while young and handsome, and there's this sort of legend about it — people are like, "Well..." Here's the history of space: Kennedy said, "We go to space because we're amazing and we need new frontiers." And so we went and that's it. And you want to come in and say it was about politics, how dare you.Readers might recognize you from your book Soonish. A City on Mars you wrote with your wife, Kelly, as you did with Soonish. One carryover from Soonish that I really dig in this book is that you kept the Nota Benes, which are chances to dive in on perhaps things that are a little offbeat, but fun elements. I really love all of them.The one that I really enjoyed the most that felt very relevant to the next step of this conversation is Antarctica and violence around it. We have a place that is very inhospitable to human life that we send people to occasionally, where sometimes people do crimes, and it is called Antarctica. And that is the best indication of what might be the situation in space.So there's a little bit of a nuance to this. Sometimes when people work in space psychiatry, space psychology, they'll say one of the things that's important is, "Did you know one time a guy got stabbed in Antarctica for spoiling novels?" And then there's another famous story where, as the story goes, there were two Russians at Vostok station having a chess match and one killed the other or attacked him with an axe or something. So they banned chess.And so both of those stories, actually, they're not really true. They got passed around the internet all day and all night. I think the one about the chess thing is just not true. Or at least, we couldn't find evidence. We talked to a guy who had been at Vostok station for a long time, he's a Russian guy. And he was like, "I'd never heard of this or about the chess ban." And it also just utterly smacks of Russian stereotyping.A hundred percent, yeah.Right. There's no dancing bear or whatever, but it's pretty close. The story about the spoiling novels, the novel thing was just a weird detail it was fixated on. It was more like the guy was just hazing him and bullying him for a long time and finally went too far and the other guy stabbed him. And it's sort of a bit more of a conventional stabbing story.Our perspective, and there's reasonably robust data on this, is actually that in Antarctica where it is dark and cramped and awful and somewhat space-like, you actually don't get a higher rate of psychiatric problems. Maybe even there's some evidence it's lower. That's probably to do with the fact that people are screened before they come and they're probably somewhat self-selected.But that doesn't mean you get to just be like, "Don't worry about it." Right? Because it has been the case in Antarctica that we've had to handle murders. There have actually been murders. There's one that's well-documented where a guy accidentally shot another guy during an altercation having to do with raisin wine. Which, I hadn't by the way heard about raisin wine, but it's I guess a sort of low-quality homemade wine.It'll bring a new meaning to the phrase “moonshine” if we pull that off in space.This is a whole funny thing that we would joke about, and we talk about making food in space. We found a quote by Andy Weir of The Martian who wrote the foreword to a book called Alcohol in Space, which is actually a quite wonderful book, what you would think. And he says, "Mark Watney, the star of The Martian, would not have made vodka because why would you waste all those potatoes?"But we actually, if you look into the history of biosphere, the place where people stayed for two years in confinement to see if you could do this? They were starving, and they still made alcohol. I love that story. It's like they're literally losing 10 percent body mass, but they still made the worst quality wine out of bananas or raisins. Humans are a problem.Is that the case for a lot of this? Humans are the problem with space travel?I think the way I would say it is, humans are the problem, but in that they're humans. Because people tend to think like, "Oh, you'll go mad in space." Or whatever. And there's just no evidence of that extreme thing. It is just that they're going to be humans. So on Earth, when you're a human, you expect all sorts of basic services. Some humans, from time to time, have acute psychiatric problems or whatever, and they need to be taken care of. And this is just usually not imagined when people talk about sending a thousand people to Mars.Let's talk about where to, right? You have an entire chapter where you talk about Mars, you talk about the moon, you talk about a rotating space station, which is not the worst option. Then you talk about some other options, too. Why don't you walk us through, give us a little tour of the buffet here and where you come down as the angle?The deal is, the solar system is really, really big. Space is really, really big. But the places you might maybe sort of survive on are eeny, weeny weeny.Mercury is basically a nonstarter. It's way too hot and it's actually fairly hard to get to because you have to drop toward the sun and then carefully get into orbit.Then you've got Venus, which is incredibly hot, high pressure, and has sulfuric acid clouds. There are weirdly a couple people who still think it would be good. Their argument is, and this is true, it's a very thick atmosphere, so you should almost think of it as something like a fluid. There's a place in the atmosphere that does have Earth-like temperature and pressure and carbon dioxide. When you're in this mode of like, "Well, does it literally have the elements of existence and maybe sounds compelling?" I think it's crazy, but it does have its people.Then you have Mars, which is the place. Basically, it has Earth-like elemental composition. It has an atmosphere, although it's quite thin. But it's an atmosphere with carbon dioxide, and carbon and oxygen are both nice things to have.Then beyond that, of course, there's Earth and there's Earth's moon. The moon is great, but it's very low in water, it's carbon-poor, and humans are made of carbon as there are things we like to eat. So the moon is good as a place to launch from, but not for building a permanent settlement unless you're really going to ameliorate it.Then beyond that, you've got the asteroid belt. A lot of people think it'd be great to live in asteroids, but actually asteroids are typically rubble piles. They're dusty rocks that are kind of drawn together. They're actually quite distant from each other. It's not like in Star Wars where you're dodging big potatoes, and you actually usually can't see one from another. They're quite sparse and beyond that—Wow.It's extremely sparse. Then going further out, you just have the gas giants where there's not even a surface to land on, and the icy planets. And then there are a couple moons, there have been here and there proposals for landing on Titan, but you're talking about extraordinary distance and all sorts of other problems.So really, it's the moon or Mars, which have a combined surface area smaller than Earth, and they're both just awful. The reason we say the moon is cool is because it's always the same distance, and the distance is not too far. It's about two days by rocket, but there's almost no water on it, contrary to what you might've heard in articles in Bloomberg about this trans-lunar economy we're supposedly going to build. The surface is made of this really nasty stuff called regolith that probably damages equipment, and may cause health problems.The main appeal of Mars is basically that it has Earth-like days, it has access to water, and it has some atmosphere. So all the stuff is there to not die, which is really not true anywhere else.So it's the best option that we've got. But it doesn't sound like it's necessarily a great option.No, and it's also, unless some exotic technology comes along, it's six months in, about a year stay, six months back. There's a long period where you're there and you cannot go home because Earth has raced ahead of you around the sun.Oh wow. There are a lot of fascinating problems that present themselves. And again, one thing that I love about your and Kelly's work is that you really just talk to a lot of really smart people. You do a lot of the in-depth research.One thing I have to ask you about is that you actually published an article in space policy: To Each According to Their Space-Need: Communes in Outer Space. I just love that this is the depth to which you did it, where you did get a scientific paper out of this one, too.We did! Yeah. And I should say that that scientific paper had many more jokes and illustrations in it when it was in the book. It was originally a chapter.We worked with two other guys. One was Ran Abramitzky, who's a big deal sociologist, who is the kibbutz and commune studies guy, and then John Lehr, who's the absolute expert on how to write communes. We did this paper together. The reason it got cut from an earlier version of this book is, we were like, "Let's look at tons of sociological models." All that's left from that is company towns. The basic feeling from our editor, which I think was correct, was, "Each one of these models is starting your audience over in a completely new topic. It's just too much to ask for a pop science audience."But communes are really interesting. People often want to talk about stuff in space society, but usually you can't do science on it. So you can't be like, how should we form society? That's hard. But if you start with, well, what if it is a company town, then you can say stuff, because we know stuff about that structure.One structure — and a lot of this is due to Ran Abramitzky — we know a lot about is communes. He did this book called The Mystery of the Kibbutz, and the mystery is how did you actually get humans to behave communally for about a hundred years? He actually does a standard, delightful neoclassical economic analysis of how they manage human incentive structures to get people to behave in a basically communal way.What's absolutely fascinating is when you look throughout history going back hundreds of years throughout communes, they converge on the exact same sets of problems and the exact same sets of solutions. Hutterites, who are this very— certainly by my standards — very sort of patriarchal, old world Anabaptist religion, they will shun you and shame you if you fail to do certain communal things.But if you go to the surviving hippie communes? Amazingly, they do the exact same stuff. They do it in a hippie way, but they still do it. And so it's just astonishing. So if you say, "Oh, space is going to be like a commune," you can really do some cool stuff. I mean, I don't know if it will be, but you can at least say we can do some deep analysis and we can read primary literature. It's just really cool.It is cool because again, finding experiments is hard because everything that would involve an experiment here is either drastically immoral or extremely expensive. It is cool that for company towns, there's a huge economic record of that. You have an amazing chapter in the book about that. And I dig this article because it's just cool how much terrestrially really we do have to work with here.It's amazing. One of my absolute favorite things. For a numbers audience like yours, this is really cool. A lot of people are into space stuff. Would it be better to have a religious community, because they're going to need to be sort of cohesive? It's set in a hand-wavy way, but you can actually compare secular versus religious kibbutzim. You actually find that the religious ones have a measurable – like quantifiable with shekels, like with money – difference in retention ability.You can actually kind put a number on religion as a retention, at least in this context. I don't know, maybe Anabaptists are better than Jews at retaining people, or maybe worse. But it's amazing and it's not trivial, but it's also not huge. It's not like an order of magnitude, but it is a real difference. People are more willing to stay. This is less true for Jews, but in Anabaptism, like if you leave the commune, you go to hell in Hutterite Anabaptism. So that's probably quite motivating. But yeah, just amazing that you can put a number on something like that.I mean that's the thing, man; if you leave the commune on Mars, you do go to Mars.That's right. You die. You do die very quickly. Yeah, but that's interesting because that adds to the analysis, because a classic commune problem is when people can get opportunity elsewhere, they do. But if you die, if you go outside, that's probably different.I would be in total violation of all journalistic principles if I did not ask you about the possibility of space war. What did you find on this matter?We try really hard not to be too speculative. The way we did it is, we talked about short-term, medium, long-term, right? Short-term, people talk about space war. It probably won't happen, basically because there's no reason to do it. Without getting too in-depth, there is some cool analysis about space weapons you can look up. Space weapons sound awesome and they are awesome. I will say, guiltily, there are some zany designs from the Reagan era for these pumped X-ray lasers that were going to blast the Soviets. Crazy s**t.I'm a simple guy. If you call it a "Rod from God," you have my attention.Totally. But the basic problem: All of us already have nuclear weapons. Insanely, if Russia decided they wanted to nuke Washington, I don't know, we do have defenses and stuff. But do they get the advantage from setting the nuke in the space before firing it? I think the answer is probably no. It does get there faster, but it's also totally exposed while it's up there. It's probably in low Earth orbit. It's constantly pissing off everyone on Earth while it's up there. And at the end of the day it saves you some number of minutes. It might be as much as 20 or 30 minutes. I'd have to look at it. But we're talking about just a slightly accelerated doomsday situation. There's only a really narrow set of circumstances for you to actually want this stuff, and it's really expensive and hard to maintain.So short-term, probably not going to happen.For space settlements, a space settlement would probably never want to make war on another space settlement or on Earth because it would be so easy to destroy. I mean, you're talking about survival bubbles in the doom void. One EMP and it's toast; one big hole and you all die. It's just, you're so vulnerable and also so dependent on Earth, it's unlikely. So in a Heinlein scenario where the moon is like, "We're going to mess you up,” it's like, "No." All Earth would have to do is hover some nukes over your base and blast the electric system and you're gone.So the more interesting question we got into, I thought, was we talk about this as a long-term issue.On Earth, there are different theories on this, but there's this question of, why don't we use gas weapons typically? Why don't we use bio weapons typically? And there are sort of cultural theories, but maybe we just decided not to. It depends on how cynical you want to be about humans, whether you believe that or not.But part of why we don't use these weapons is that they're unpredictable. So there are like these horrific cases from World War I where people try gas weapons, and the wind blows, then it just goes right back at them. Of course, with bio stuff, it's even more obvious how that could go wrong. It's also true, by the way, that part of why we don't test nukes anymore is because we started finding radioactive byproducts in babies' teeth, which is pretty motivating for most humans.But if you're down two separate gravity wells? If it's Mars versus Earth? You can drop this stuff and there is no risk of blowback.So the only reason we bring that up is basically because a lot of space geeks say, "We need to colonize Mars to reduce existential risk." But we don't know that the equation adds up to a reduced risk! There are many ways it could add up to increased risk.When we're not sharing the same atmosphere all of a sudden things go back on the table.Right. Yeah, exactly.The book is called A City on Mars: Can we settle space, should we settle space, and have we really thought this through? It is great. I really loved your book Soonish and when you announced it, I was really, really intrigued that this was your follow-up to Soonish. Because Soonish is all about technologies that are just on the horizon. And when you announced this, I was like, "Well, clearly there was something left over in the reporter's notebook going into that."Exactly.And so I guess I'll just ask, what was it like moving on to this next topic and how soon-ish would you say this stuff is?Oh, man. Well, I would say I have set back my timeline a little, having researched it.I mean, part of why we got into this in the first place is we did think it was coming relatively soon, and was awesome. And it was surprising the extent to which advocates were not dealing with the details. So the project ended up becoming like, we're going to actually get into the primary literature about all these questions.My view is, I doubt we have a settlement, meaning people are having children and families on Mars; certainly not in my lifetime. What I would add is that it's almost certainly undesirable for it to happen that quickly because not enough of the science is in. It would be morally quite dubious to try to have children in these places with the lack of science we have.But to be slightly uplifting, I have two directions on it. One uplifting direction would be, well, you never know. Maybe AI's going to take all our jobs in two weeks and we'll just tell it to take us to Mars and we'll be fine. I don't know. I mean there's some world in which 30 years from now there are fusion drives and advanced robotics and everything I'm saying sounds quaint. And then maybe it does happen.The other thing to say, though, is a lot of the stuff we need to do to make this possible and safe is stuff that would be nice to do anyway. So without getting into it, it would be nice to have a legal framework on Earth where war wasn't a serious possibility, or a thing that's currently happening in many places at once. Because in space, there's lots of stuff going fast. And if you get a world where there are millions and millions of tons of spacecraft going at high speeds, that's a dangerous world with our current geopolitics. So we need to solve that if it can be solved.Yeah. I loved how much of the book wasn't just the physics. It was really exciting to see that it's not just can we or how would we, it's should we and what will happen?Yeah, the law to me, I mean we really tried to add some sugar to it because everybody does not want to read international law. We have all these great stories. There's this story about the times like Nazis showed up in Antarctica to heil a penguin. They actually heiled a penguin. I love this story.Oh no.Yeah, yeah, yeah. The penguin apparently was not impressed, but—Rock on, penguin.It's a funny story, but it matters so much. I think a lot of people are reluctant to get into it. But for me, gosh, it's amazing. Most of the planet Earth is regulated under commons established in the middle of the 20th century. The whole world changed in a 30-year period under these new international law frameworks. And it's like nobody cares or knows. I want a T-shirt that says, "THE RULES-BASED INTERNATIONAL ORDER IS NOT PERFECT BUT IT'S PRETTY GOOD." And you really come to appreciate it. I hope people get that reading our book.Amazing. Zach, you write Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, one of my favorite things. You've been at it for so long, and it's such an admirable project. You've written the book Soonish, which if people have not already gotten, they should get. The new book is A City on Mars by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith. I could not love it any more. Where can folks find the book?They can find it at fine bookstores everywhere. Or if you go to acityonmars.com, there are a bunch of purchasing options listed.All right, thanks for coming on.Yeah, thanks for having me. It was fun.If you have anything you'd like to see in this Sunday special, shoot me an email. Comment below! Thanks for reading, and thanks so much for supporting Numlock.Thank you so much for becoming a paid subscriber! Send links to me on Twitter at @WaltHickey or email me with numbers, tips or feedback at walt@numlock.news.  Get full access to Numlock News at www.numlock.com/subscribe

Wouldn't it be nice if we could just escape to space? Just go live on Mars and leave all our Earthly problem behind. Despite the enthusiasm for space settlement, a lot of very big questions need to be answered before we can consider leaving this planet behind. And a lot of these questions, according to authors Dr. Kelly Weinersmith and Zach Weinersmith, aren't really turning up good answers. The Weinersmiths are the best-selling husband and wife writing team that have a new book out, A CITY ON MARS: Can we settle space, should we settle space, and have we really thought this through? This week, Zach joins the show to discuss the book, why climate change won't be solved by living in space, the biggest problems with living on Mars, the Moon, or a gigantic space station, and what we should do next.  Zach Weinersmith is an author and illustrator. He makes the webcomic Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. His work has been featured in The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, Slate, Forbes, Science Friday, Foreign Policy, PBS, and elsewhere. He is one half of the wife-and-husband research team whose debut collaboration, the book titled Soonish was a New York Times bestseller.  Read A CITY ON MARS: Can we settle space, should we settle space, and have we really thought this through? As always, follow us @climatepod on Twitter and email us at theclimatepod@gmail.com. Our music is "Gotta Get Up" by The Passion Hifi, check out his music at thepassionhifi.com. Rate, review and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and more! Subscribe to our YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group. 

Kelly Weinersmith, Professor at Rice University, discusses her book A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?Hosts: Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec. Producer: Paul Brennan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kelly Weinersmith, Professor at Rice University, discusses her book A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?Hosts: Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec. Producer: Paul Brennan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Attention Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos: What on earth are you thinking?! Settling in space is fraught with monumental challenges. Here, serious and funny spaceheads Kelly and Zach Weinersmith discuss some of them — the effects of partial gravity on sex and having babies, food and energy production, laws that govern space society, and more.

*Original Airdate April 18th, 2022* Kelly Weinersmith is an adjunct Assistant Professor at Rice University. Kelly and Lorenzo talk about growing up in Perrysburg, Ohio, parasitic fungus, college classes, George, teaching with no instruction, giving presentations, Crypt Keeper Wasp, zombie fish, naming a wasp, collaborating with others, space, a new book and so much more! https://www.amazon.com/Soonish-Emerging-Technologies-Improve-Everything/dp/0399563822/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=soonish&qid=1650201858&sr=8-1

Kelly Weinersmith is an adjunct Assistant Professor at Rice University. Kelly and Lorenzo talk about growing up in Perrysburg, Ohio, parasitic fungus, college classes, George, teaching with no instruction, giving presentations, Crypt Keeper Wasp, zombie fish, naming a wasp, collaborating with others, space, a new book and so much more! https://www.amazon.com/Soonish-Emerging-Technologies-Improve-Everything/dp/0399563822/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=soonish&qid=1650201858&sr=8-1    

Daniel and guest host Kelly Weinersmith count the number of moons orbiting the Earth! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Explore the future through the lens of science and fiction. We chat with scientist Kelly Weinersmith about the nonfiction book Soonish. Then, we talk to Sarah Pinsker, author of the science fiction novel, We Are Satellites.

Daniel and guest host Kelly Weinersmith talk about getting solar power FROM SPACE! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Daniel and guest host Kelly Weinersmith explore the dramatic story of Jupiter's wandering orbits Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Daniel and guest host Kelly Weinersmith break down the science and science-fiction of invisibility. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Falamos sobre o livro Logo, logo: Dez novas tecnologias que vão melhorar e/ou arruinar tudo, dos autores Dra. Kelly Weinersmith e o cartunista Zach Weinersmith! Julia trouxe para o podcast as ideias e experiências que estão sendo feitas focadas para a exploração espacial e novas fontes de energia! Pesquisa Terráquea: Ajude a Missão Exoplaneta a conhecer seu público e melhorar seus conteúdos! É bem fácil, apenas responda o formulário que leva alguns minutinhos: https://forms.gle/mUgBMJtnGXjqUrfBA Agradecimentos especiais aos nossos apoiadores: Julia Inés, Masashi Inoue, Carlos Eduardo de Miranda, Ilvanio Alves, João Nizer, Natália Palivanas, Marcos Oliveira, Vitor Rossi, Elionai Moura, Vinício Telecio e Mariella Patti! Todos os links e referências, acesse: https://www.missaoexoplaneta.com.br/de10.html Considere apoiar o projeto em apoia.se/missaoexoplaneta e ainda receba recompensas! Muito obrigada por nos ouvir! ❤

Spaceflight news— Spacewalk to repair AMS (spacenews.com) (youtube.com) — AMS overview (nasa.gov) — Footage from the EVA — The cover is detached from the restraint clip (youtu.be) — Jettisoning the cover (youtu.be) — Chris Cassidy shows off a zip tie cutter/capture device (youtu.be)Short & Sweet— Hayabusa2 departs Ryugu (japantimes.co.jp)— SpaceX completes Crew Dragon Static Fire tests (spacenews.com)— Launcher gets funding from the Air Force. (spacenews.com)Questions, comments, corrections— Win a book! — Zach and Kelly Weinersmith wrote Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That'll Improve and/or Ruin Everything. — We have signed copies to give away! In honor of the alternate first words featured on the new TV show For All Mankind, tweet at us with what your first words on Mars would be. — Random winners selected from Twitter and email.— Episode 2 is missing! — Do you have a copy of episode-2.mp3 lying around? Squarespace ate our copy!This week in SF history— November 19, 1956 Birth of Eileen Collins (wikipedia.org)— Next week in 1964: The cold, dead 1%

Kelly discusses the impact of her book since its been launched, what technologies have come to use and what are some of the consequences and benefits of the ten topics covered in the book.

We talk to parasitologist and co-author of Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That’ll Improve and/or Ruin Everything, Kelly Weinersmith.

What will the world of tomorrow be like? Kelly and Zach Weinersmith give us a snapshot of the transformative technologies that are coming soon(ish), from space elevators to origami robots, and explain how they will change our world in astonishing ways — maybe for the better, maybe for the worse. Kelly Weinersmith is a Huxley Fellow at Rice University in the BioSciences Department. She studies how host behaviour influences risk of infection with parasites and cohosts Science... Sort Of, one of the top 20 natural science podcasts. Zach Weinersmith is the cartoonist behind the popular geek webcomic Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal.

Space Elevators, Asteroid Mining, Buckets of programmable matter, à la carte physical features and printable houses. We are joined by authors of 'Soonish', Dr Kelly and Zach Weinersmith. Dr Kelly Weinersmith works in the BioSciences department at Rice University, and is the co-host of; Science . . . Sort Of, a top-rated science podcast. Her research has been featured in the Atlantic, National Geographic and BBC World. Zach Weinersmith is the creator of the popular webcomic, Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. His work has also been featured in a variety of publications, including the Economist, the Wall Street Journal, Slate and Forbes. In this action-packed show, we talk about: Space elevators Asteroid mining Fusion Power Programmable matter Ethical questions Buckets of stuff Inexpensive Construction Robots v humans 3D Printed houses Synthetic Biology Genetics DNA manipulation Crisper cast 9 Made to order looks for your kids J Craig Venter Brain Interfaces Improving memory and cognitive ability Find out more about Kelly and Zach here: http://www.weinersmith.com/ https://smbc-comics.com/soonish/

This episode of the podcast features two guests, Zach and Kelly Weinersmith. Zach is the author of SMBC Comics, a popular webcomic that sometimes deals with advanced concepts in science, philosophy, economics, and other fields. Kelly is a professor in the Biosciences department of Rice University. Together they co-authored Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That'll Improve and/or Ruin Everything. To quote the book's description, In this smart and funny book, celebrated cartoonist Zach Weinersmith and noted researcher Dr. Kelly Weinersmith give us a snapshot of what's coming next--from robot swarms to nuclear fusion powered-toasters. By weaving their own research, interviews with the scientists who are making these advances happen, and Zach's trademark comics, the Weinersmiths investigate why these technologies are needed, how they would work, and what is standing in their way. In this fun and lively conversation, we discuss some of the technologies discussed in the book: space elevators, asteroid mining, augmented reality, and programmable matter. We also discuss the tragic life of Gerald Bull, Canadian space cannon enthusiast.

Ecologist Kelly Weinersmith and cartoonist Zach Weinersmith--creator of Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal--talk with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about their new book, Soonish--a look at cutting-edge and not-quite cutting edge technologies. The Weinersmiths speculate about everything from asteroid mining to robotic house construction to the nasal cycle and how the human body and medicine might be transformed in the future. They discuss the likelihood of some really crazy stuff coming along and changing our lives as well as the possible downsides of innovation.

Kelly Weinersmith is an adjunct assistant professor in the BioSciences department at Rice University, where she studies parasites that manipulate host behavior. She is also co-author of the New York Time's Bestseller "Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That'll Improve And/Or Ruin Everything".  Connect with Kelly on Twitter Linkedin   Youtube  Kelly’s book Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That'll Improve And/Or Ruin Everything". She co-authored with Zach Weinersmith,  Check Out Kelly’s two Podcasts Science Sort Of Podcast and The Weekly Weinersmith  Show Notes The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein Rods from God Zombie Ants Toxoplasmosis Kelly co-discovered a parasitoid that manipulates the behavior of its host CRISPR    

In Part Two of this file, the celebrated cartoonist, writer, and co-author of the instant New York Times bestselling non-fiction book Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That’ll Improve and/or Ruin Everything, Zach Weinersmith, took a break to rap with me about writing a research-intensive book with his wife, the difference between nerds and geeks, and how he draws inspiration for his many creative projects. Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By Discover why more than 80,000 companies in 135 countries choose WP Engine for managed WordPress hosting. Start getting more from your site today! Zach is best known for his popular web-comic Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal (SMBC), a “geek comic” with a vast following. His comics have been featured in The Economist, Glamour, BoingBoing, The Washington Post, Freakonomics, and many more. His wife is noted research scientist, Kelly Weinersmith (who was also guest on this show), a top 20 podcast host, and co-author of their bestselling book Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That’ll Improve and/or Ruin Everything, a book recently named a Wall Street Journal Best Science Book of the Year. The book is described as, … a hilariously illustrated investigation into future technologies — from how to fling a ship into deep space on the cheap to 3D organ printing,” and seemed like a natural progression for the couple and the comedic rapport they display on their own podcast,”The Weekly Weinersmith.” The Cofounder of Reddit said of the book, “Soonish will make you laugh and — without you even realizing it — give you insight into the most ambitious technological feats of our time,” and NPR said, “The Weinersmiths … lay out, clearly and with a wry sense of humor, exactly what it might take to get us there.” Zach also recently published a tongue-in-cheek sequel to Soonish titled Science: Abridged Beyond the Point of Usefulness, a pocket-sized book that “… neatly summarizes every major field of science … for your favorite science nerd.” If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews. If you missed the first half you can find it right here. In Part Two of this file Zach Weinersmith and I discuss: How to think about writer’s block differently The author’s love/need for writing in the cloud How Zach picks his creative projects and why he can’t unwind at night Why the secret to creativity boils down to input and editing The virtues of writing prose in comparison to writing for the screen Where J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis found their inspiration for fantasy How to answer the question, “Should I be a writer?” Listen to The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience below ... Download MP3 Subscribe by RSS Subscribe in iTunes The Show Notes If you’re ready to see for yourself why over 201,344 website owners trust StudioPress — the industry standard for premium WordPress themes and plugins — just go to StudioPress.com Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That’ll Improve and/or Ruin Everything – Kelly and Zach Weinersmith Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal – Zach’s web comic Science: Abridged Beyond the Point of Usefulness – Zach Weinersmith Zach Weinersmith on Goodreads “Custom-Printed Cocktails On The Moon? ‘Soonish’ Shows Us How – NPR review How Noted Scientist & Bestselling Author of Soonish Dr. Kelly Weinersmith Writes Zach Weinersmith on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter

Episode 2.05 of Soonish, the podcast, is all about Soonish, the book! Host Wade Roush interviews Kelly and Zach Weinersmith, the husband-and-wife team behind the new book Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That’ll Improve and/or Ruin Everything. Kelly Weinersmith is a parasitologist at Rice University and co-host of the podcast Science…Sort of, and Zach Weinersmith is the creator of the wildly popular Web comic Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. Their book is a funny, fast-paced, loving-but-skeptical look at coming engineering advances that could transform domains like space travel, robotics, and medicine. The episode also features a story about Space Shuttle Atlantis, performed live by Wade at a December 9 storytelling showcase event in Boston. Music in this episode is by Graham Ramsay and Tim Beek. For more information visit http://www.soonishpodcast.org.

Celebrated cartoonist, writer, and co-author of the instant New York Times bestselling non-fiction book Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That’ll Improve and/or Ruin Everything, Zach Weinersmith, took a break to rap with me about writing a research-intensive book with his wife, the difference between nerds and geeks, and how he draws inspiration for his many creative projects. Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By Discover why more than 80,000 companies in 135 countries choose WP Engine for managed WordPress hosting. Start getting more from your site today! Zach is best known for his popular web-comic Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal (SMBC), a “geek comic” with a vast following. His comics have been featured in The Economist, Glamour, BoingBoing, The Washington Post, Freakonomics, and many more. His wife is noted research scientist, Kelly Weinersmith (who was also guest on this show), a top 20 podcast host, and co-author of their bestselling book Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That’ll Improve and/or Ruin Everything, a book recently named a Wall Street Journal Best Science Book of the Year. The book is described as, … a hilariously illustrated investigation into future technologies — from how to fling a ship into deep space on the cheap to 3D organ printing,” and seemed like a natural progression for the couple and the comedic rapport they display on their own podcast,”The Weekly Weinersmith.” The Cofounder of Reddit said of the book, “Soonish will make you laugh and — without you even realizing it — give you insight into the most ambitious technological feats of our time,” and NPR said, “The Weinersmiths … lay out, clearly and with a wry sense of humor, exactly what it might take to get us there.” Zach also recently published a tongue-in-cheek sequel to Soonish titled Science: Abridged Beyond the Point of Usefulness, a pocket-sized book that “… neatly summarizes every major field of science … for your favorite science nerd.” If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews. In Part One of this file Zach Weinersmith and I discuss: How to intertwine science and comedy in your writing to great effect The author’s love of aphorisms and The Devil’s Dictionary Why converted basement offices have their downsides How the audience he built around his popular web-comic helped make for a bestselling book The complications and joys of being highly creative with kids How to write and draw a comic every day Listen to The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience below ... Download MP3 Subscribe by RSS Subscribe in iTunes The Show Notes If you’re ready to see for yourself why over 201,344 website owners trust StudioPress — the industry standard for premium WordPress themes and plugins — just go to StudioPress.com Copyblogger s Certified Content Marketer training is a powerful program that helps writers attract better clients — and more of them. New students will be able to sign up for a limited time soon. Add your name to join the waitlist and to get all of the details when they re available. Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That’ll Improve and/or Ruin Everything – Kelly and Zach Weinersmith Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal – Zach’s web comic Science: Abridged Beyond the Point of Usefulness – Zach Weinersmith Zach Weinersmith on Goodreads “Custom-Printed Cocktails On The Moon? ‘Soonish’ Shows Us How – NPR review How Noted Scientist & Bestselling Author of Soonish Dr. Kelly Weinersmith Writes Zach Weinersmith on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter

We have a special guest on the show today: I’m excited, are you excited? It’s Zach Weinersmith. Zach is the creator of the webcomic Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, which I’m sure many of you love and enjoy. He created the Bad Ad-Hoc Hypotheses festival where people give ludicrous solutions to genuine scientific problems. And with his amazing wife Kelly Weinersmith, hosted a podcast, the Weekly Weinersmith, and wrote a book – Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies that Will Improve and/or Ruin Everything. This book deals with the future of space travel, programmable matter, nuclear fusion, all kinds of emerging technologies, written about in a hilarious and informative way – and it deals with the impacts they’ll have on society. We had a wide-ranging discussion, from talking about the near-term future of space travel, space elevators, how to tell if technology predictions are accurate or not, how technology will impact society, the inevitability of technological progress, whether we can mine asteroids, and all manner of wonderful things.  You can find out more about Zach and Kelly's work at @ZachWeiner and @FuSchmu respectively. You can listen to more of my show at www.physicspodcast.com where you can talk to us about your questions, concerns, and ask listener questions to be featured on a future episode! Please, tell one of your friends to listen to the show, ensuring the exponential growth in listener base that will one day consume us all.

Zach and Kelly Weinersmith on how to predict our future technologies and their new book "Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That'll Improve and/or Ruin Everything"

The noted research scientist, top 20 podcast host, and co-author of the instant New York Times bestselling book Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That’ll Improve and/or Ruin Everything, Dr. Kelly Weinersmith, took a timeout from her book tour to talk with me about the importance of good writing in the sciences, what it’s like to write a book with your husband, and finding time to be a writer and a mom. Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By Discover why more than 80,000 companies in 135 countries choose WP Engine for managed WordPress hosting. Start getting more from your site today! Kelly is an adjunct faculty member in the Biosciences department at Rice University, as well as the co-host of two podcasts for the Brachiolope Media Network. She co-hosts a top 20 natural sciences podcast, “Science … sort of,” as well as “The Weekly Weinersmith,” a podcast she produces with her husband, celebrated cartoonist Zach Weinersmith (creator of the web comic Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal) where the two discuss papers and interview scientists. The natural progression for the couple was their New York Times bestseller Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That’ll Improve and/or Ruin Everything, described as a “… snapshot of what’s coming next — from robot swarms to nuclear fusion powered-toasters.” The Cofounder of Reddit said of the book, “Soonish will make you laugh and — without you even realizing it — give you insight into the most ambitious technological feats of our time,” and NPR said, “The Weinersmiths … lay out, clearly and with a wry sense of humor, exactly what it might take to get us there.” Kelly was a speaker at Smithsonian magazine s The Future Is Here Festival in 2015, and her work has been featured in The Atlantic, National Geographic, BBC World, Science, and Nature. If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews. In this file Kelly Weinersmith and I discuss: What it’s like to take a one-year-old on a nerdy book tour Her circuitous path to New York Times bestselling author How the author schedules research, writing, and interviews into her busy life The organizational tools that helped her stay on track How her natural comedic rapport with her husband bled into her writing Why sci-fi writers should read Soonish How to condition yourself to take criticism online Listen to The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience below ... Download MP3 Subscribe by RSS Subscribe in iTunes The Show Notes If you’re ready to see for yourself why over 201,344 website owners trust StudioPress — the industry standard for premium WordPress themes and plugins — just go to StudioPress.com Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That’ll Improve and/or Ruin Everything – Kelly and Zach Weinersmith Weinersmith.com – Kelly’s website “Science … sort” podcast – Produced by Brachiolope Media Network “The Weekly Weinersmith” podcast Soonish AR app Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal – Zach’s web comic How Andy Weir (Bestselling Author of The Martian ) Writes: Part One Kelly Weinersmith on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter

This episode we take on a future full of bioprinted replacement organs. You asked for more hopeful futures, this is about as hopeful as they get!     We start by hearing a bit about what the current organ donation market is like from Christine Gentry, who donated a kidney to a stranger. Then we talk to Dr. Anthony Atala,  the Director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine and of the world’s leading regenerative medicine specialists. Dr. Atala has implanted organs grown from the cells of patients themselves in clinical trials. Then Kelly and Zach Weinersmith join us to talk about what they learned while writing a chapter about bioprinting for their new book Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That'll Improve and/or Ruin Everything. And finally, we get an impassioned indictment of 3D printing file formats from Meghan McCarthy, Project Lead for the NIH 3D Print Exchange.    Further reading:    Organ Donation Statistics  Neural and cognitive characteristics of extraordinary altruists  Boston woman's donation creates 3rd-longest kidney transplant chain, saving 28 people  The Doctor and the Salamander  How An Economist Helped Patients Find The Right Kidney Donors  TED Talk: Printing a Human Kidney  Rebuilding the Breast  Soonish: Zach and Kelly Weinersmith on 10 technologies that will change everything  Online Course Bioprinting: 3D Printing Body Parts  Scientists 3-D Print Mouse Ovaries That Actually Make Babies    If you’re interested in becoming a living organ donor and want to know what it’s like, you can get in touch with Christine Gentry. Her email is christine.gentry at gmail.com, and she’s all about helping people understand donation.     Flash Forward is produced by me, Rose Eveleth. The intro music is by Asura and the outtro music is by Hussalonia. Our intro future voices were skillfully provided by Alyssa Mondelli, BW and Josh Kirby. The music from the intro was by Unheard Music Concepts, PC III and Soft and Furious. The episode art is by Matt Lubchansky.     If you want to suggest a future we should take on, send us a note on Twitter, Facebook or by email at info@flashforwardpod.com. We love hearing your ideas! And if you think you’ve spotted one of the little references I’ve hidden in the episode, email us there too. If you’re right, I’ll send you something cool.     And if you want to support the show, there are a few ways you can do that too! Head to www.flashforwardpod.com/support for more about how to give. But if that’s not in the cards for you, you can head to iTunes and leave us a nice review or just tell your friends about us. Those things really do help.     That’s all for this future, come back next time and we’ll travel to a new one. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cara chats with Dr. Kelly Weinersmith, co-author of "Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That'll Improve and/or Ruin Everything." They talk about her work as a biologist and ecologist, focusing on parasitic agents that manipulate host behavior. Then the conversation shifts to her new book (co-written with her husband, Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal comic creator Zach Weinersmith). You should read it. It's really good. Follow Kelly: @FuSchmu.

Cara chats with Dr. Kelly Weinersmith, co-author of "Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That'll Improve and/or Ruin Everything." They talk about her work as a biologist and ecologist, focusing on parasitic agents that manipulate host behavior. Then the conversation shifts to her new book (co-written with her husband, Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal comic creator Zach Weinersmith). You should read it. It's really good. Follow Kelly: @FuSchmu.

Zach and Kelly Weinersmith just published a book called Soonish, a humorous-but-factual look at 10 upcoming technologies. Since a few are in space, we thought we'd talk to Zach about the book!

Mutant Proteins and Protein Evolution (starts 4:42) CU School of Medicine professor David Pollock explains why he has devised a new way to identify and predict both the evolution of proteins and disease causing protein mutations.    Pollock's highly technical model uses an analogy about a physical model called the Stokes Shift to help explain the biochemical properties of how proteins change, for better or worse.  Pollock's study has just been published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution.  Its title is “Sequence entropy of folding and the absolute rate of amino acid substitutions.”  Additionally, he has written a "behind the paper" explanation for a more general audience to explain the concepts being explored in his ground-breaking research. Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That’ll Improve and/or Ruin Everything (starts 15:00) Dr. Kelly Weinersmith is an adjunct assistant professor in the BioSciences Department at Rice University. She specializes in the study of parasites.  But her curiosity has taken her well beyond parasites to ask all-encompassing questions, such as, what will the future will look like – the future of space research, medicine, robots, and, well, humans.  These topics are all part of Weinersmith's new funny-serious book.  It’s called Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That’ll Improve and/or Ruin Everything. Weinersmith co-authored the book with her husband, Zach.  They'll be at book signings this week Denver and Boulder. Hosts: Shelley Schlender, Susan Moran Producer, Engineer: Shelley Additional Contributions: Beth Bennett Executive Producer: Beth Bennett

We talk to cartoonist and author Zach Weinersmith about his latest book, Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That'll Improve and/or Ruin Everything, co-written with his wife, parasitologist Kelly Weinersmith.

This episode features Zach Weinersmith, creator of the philosophical webcomic Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, and the co-author (with his wife Kelly Weinersmith) of the new book Soonish: 10 Emerging Technologies That'll Improve and/or Ruin Everything. Julia and Zach talk about which new technology is the most likely to happen, which would be most transformative, and which would pose the most risk to the world. Also, has our society become too risk-averse? And what are the main bottlenecks to technological development?

00:00:00 - Kelly Weinersmith is here and she's got a book coming out co-written with some dude named Zach Weinersmith, whoever that is. The book is called Soonish, it's coming out soon, but you can pre-order it now. Pre-ordering is super important for their rankings on the sales charts, plus you get super cool rewards so get on it!  00:21:48 - One thing we hope doesn't change anytime soon is our enjoyment of delicious beverages. Ben has some "Boss Coffee" which Kelly and Ryan thought was a joke, but it's apparently not. Next up, Ryan gets bitter thanks to his wife. Seriously, she bought him some Woodford Reserve Spiced Cherry Bitters added to some fine St. Lucian rum. Kelly unwittingly makes a London Fog with some Harney & Sons Earl Grey Supreme tea. 00:33:37 - Wolves are known for many things: pack mentality, becoming dogs, and howling. Tourists really like the howling part, including faking it to get the wolves to howl back. But how does that make the wolves feel? For the first time, a team in Canada has checked to make sure that induced human howling isn't messing with the way wolves use the space. The good news? It's not, the wolves clearly don't care, which is good, but also good that someone thought to double-check.  00:45:18 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like wolves: they do move in herds. Now that we're on Patreon, if you support us at the Avogadro's Army level or higher, we will make up a fake thesis title for you. Our first recipient of this reward goes to Becky Wertz and her thesis is titled: Stochastic methods for testing differences in adhesion between lingually wetted stamps versus sticker stamps. Thanks, Becky! Next up, Bob M. has some words about Lagrange as discussed in some of our AGU coverage. And finally, Kelly reads a glowing 5-star iTunes review from Susie Haupt, aka Ryan's mom.  We're now on Patreon! Please consider supporting us financially there and get cool rewards for doing so. Music for this week's show: The Future Soon - Jonathan Coulton London Calling - The Clash Dela (I Know Why The Dog Howls At The Moon) - Johnny Clegg & Savuka

Gordon starts with a tree we love to hate, Tree of Heaven. Joann has warm front clouds on her mind. Gary talks about the subnivium—the habitat beneath snow. Kelly Weinersmith returns to talk about parasites and bacterial regulation.

00:00:00 - Erin Barker and Ben Lillie of The Story Collider live show and podcast join Patrick and Ryan to discuss the magic of science disseminated via story. We also talk about their successful Kickstart of Science Studio, featuring a little podcast you may know and enjoy. Be sure to check out their podcast, especially the episode featuring our very own Kelly Weinersmith! (and some guy she brought along to help.) 00:27:05 - Drinks often lead to stories, so let's have some. Patrick embraces Spring with an Old Dominion Cherry Blossom Lager. Charlie cuts through the nonsense with a Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye. And Ryan keep is "local" with some Buffalo Bill Cody Rye Ale! 00:.33:10 - Speaking of stories, how about a new one featuring some old characters, which is exactly what we have in this week's Trailer Trash Talk with Star Trek Into Darkness. 00:44:58 - Charlie also has a story to tell, it's all about big batteries and their applications. Apparently your best bet to charge your phone is a big tub of water. It makes more sense when Charlie explains it. 01:05:51 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like batteries, they never last as long as you think. Patrick gets a stern correction from Bec B. concerning his bungling of Australian geography, but she softens the blow with some cold hard cash. Thanks, Bec! Charlie has an update from Antarctic pilot Blair H. who exposed his Science... sort of  T-shirt to the open air near the South Pole (here's the photo for proof). HARDCORE. And Ryan wraps things up by unwrapping some sweet science cards from Jonathan Horn at Blue Dot Prints. Jon sent enough that we'll be including packs to winners of the Flyer Contest, so get on it and be sure to thank Jon for your good fortune!   Thanks for listening and be sure to check out the Brachiolope Media Network for more great science podcasts!   Music for this week's show provided by: Might Tell You Tonight - Scissor Sisters Ruthless - Something Corporate The Dark of the Matinée - Franz Ferdinand Battery - Aesop Rock

Daisy Fleabane is Joann’s topic. Gordon’s discussion of the Fly Agaric mushroom leads to an interview about parasitology with Kelly Weinersmith.

00:00:00 - Jai Ranganthan joins Paleopals Charlie, Jacob, and Ryan to update everyone on the #SciFund Challenge. First and foremost, congrats to our own Kelly Weinersmith on being the very first project to get fully funded! Yay! But the Paleopals go one further and actually highlight a few projects that caught their eye. Jacob was intrigued by the dolphin with the backwards fin, mostly because he lives near a beach and this was the closest to an engineer project he could find. Charlie really liked the idea of domesticating bacteria to create petroleum products and other goodies suit our needs. If yeast can make beer, why can't bacteria make oil? Ryan wants to use social networks and cell phones to help children in Tanzania get the vaccinations they need. It's ambitious, it's complicated, and it just might be crazy enough to work! And finally, we have to give a shout out to the project that wants to investigate methods for artificially aging red wine. A very Science... sort of, kind of project. After a bit of discussion the Paleopals decide on donating to a particular project LIVE ON AIR! We won't spoil the results, be we will provide a poll on the website for you to vote for your favorite. And be sure to head over to RocketHub to donate to a project your own self! 00:34:34 - Charlie tries his best to introduce the drinks segment. Jacob offends us all with his Smirinoff Ice (Raspberry and Lime flavor). Charlie's curiosity overrides the date leading him to try Sierra Nevada's holiday IPA. And Ryan needs an extra kick so he has a Hitachino Espresso Stout. 00:38:42 - Trailer Trash Talk is out to solve a mystery. Namely, the mystery of whether or not the movie Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows will be any good. And their only clue is the trailer. 00:48:01 - Mind Myths abound in our culture and the BBC has posted a few of their favorites ripe for debunking. The Paleopals break down the myths and discuss just why these ideas about our brains have been so pervasive. 01:05:34 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like #SciFund projects. You never know if it's going to work until the last minute. Jacob congratulates TheFrenzyofTongs on finishing a 5k. Even better that he did so while listening to the show and posted about it our Facebook wall!  Thanks for listening! Not that you don't have enough links already, but we don't a have a blog at Paleocave.com.   Music for this week's show: Challengers - The New Pornographers Iced Lightning - RJD2 Watching the Detectives - Elvis Costello Where is my mind? - Pixies

We explain black hole detection to Kelly Weinersmith.

00:00:00 – Fungus and ants have a complex relationship, sometimes the ants are farming the fungus, other times the fungi are infecting the ants in the brain and reprogramming their behavior for their own nefarious needs. Tit for tat, right? The Paleopals bring on Kelly Weinersmith to talk cordyceps and other parasitic "pests" in our great weird world.   00:30:43 – After the horrors of infestation we all could use a good drink. Jacob tries to impress, Patrick has a present from the wife and Ryan talks about his own infected beer much to Patrick's envy.   00:38:39 - You know things are bad when LA is your only hope, but that's the situation in this week's Trailer Trash Talk where the guys are chatting Battle: Los Angeles For those who are curious Brian Dunning did an episode of Skeptoid about the Battle of Los Angeles which is well worth your time once you're done with all the back episodes of Science... sort of. Ryan, on the other hand, compares this movie to some comic he read called Irredeemable, where the Superman-esque character decides to take us out, and we all lose.   00:53:47 – The guys think because they're scientists they can figure out how a movie will do at the box office, their HSX league seems to show that not to be the case. However, there are a group of people who claim they can do just that given only scripts. Skepticism abounds.   01:18:53 – PaleoPOWs are a lot like the weather; hard to predict in advance. Jacob reads an iTunes review from Dr. RickLoftus (maybe one word?) which seems to be a prescription for enjoyment. Patrick brings us a missive from Guy D. who has created some really cool broken art of a Brachiolope vs. a Ninja on his Facebook page, if you want to see it you can try being friends with The Guy but there's always the Brachiolope Gallery or on his website Inside the Atheist Studio. Thanks, Guy! And finally Ryan reads a poem from Chris which you can either listen to or read yourself on the Paleocave blog!     Music for this week's show: That Bug Bit Me - The Mighty Mighty Bosstones Los Angeles is Burning - Bad Religion Movies - Alien Ant Farm

00:00:00 – The Paleopals introduce themselves as the familiar Patrick, Charlie and Ryan but rounding out the quintet today are Zach and Kelly Weinersmith (it's ok to laugh) of Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal and Weirnersmith.com. Drinks are varied and Zach throws a true curveball the likes of which the podcast has never seen. Tune in to find out!   00:05:39 – We chat with the comedic-science super couple Zach and Kelly Weinersmith (it's ok to laugh) about their various internet incarnations. Jokes are told, science is explained, and Patrick freaks out thinking he's got a parasite even though he probably doesn't. (Key word: Probably)   00:42:28 – Trailer Trash Talk this week skirts the edge of the appropriate as the Paleopals discuss, Four Lions, the new comedy about British terrorists. Fortunately for all involved there are barely any accents attempted.   00:57:03 – Stories and statistics have more in common than one might initially be comfortable with according to John Allen Paulos in his new piece for the New York Times online. Are scientists better at literature or are the culturally literate better at science? Can it be both? Probably not. The Paleopals discuss the why's and wherefores of stories and statistics, including a brief evolutionary snippet of just how the two might have diverged oh so long ago.   01:15:35 – PaleoPOW this week is initiated by Patrick with some extra-comedic feedback from former guest of the show Brian Malow! Charlie marvels at a pumpkin-shaped Brachiolope from paleoposse member B. Nelson. Or is it a Brachiolope-shaped pumpkin? Some questions are just begging to be answered. Ryan has some self-congratulatory feedback from a recent post of his on iFanboy commented on by a new breed of listener the iFanbasus paleopalis AMuldowney.     Thanks for listening, get more regularly updated content at our blog http://paleocave.sciencesortof.com/     Music this week: Pink Elephants on Parade – The Disney Chorus Life of Saturdays – Dexter Freebish Lions Roar – The Hush Sound My Life Story - MXPX