Sooner or later, we will face a catastrophic threat from space. Of all the possible threats, only a gigantic asteroid hit can destroy the entire planet. If we prepare now, we better our odds of survival. The dinosaurs never knew what hit them.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the inevitability of potential catastrophic threats from space and the importance of preparation to mitigate these risks.
In this quote, Michio Kaku warns of the real dangers posed by space threats, particularly the possibility of a massive asteroid strike that could lead to extinction, much like what happened to the dinosaurs. He suggests that while such events may seem distant or unlikely, proactive measures taken now can enhance humanity's chances of survival and resilience against such disasters, highlighting a crucial aspect of scientific foresight and preparedness.
In practice
In a public speech on climate change, one might say, 'As Michio Kaku noted, we must prepare for threats like asteroid impacts if we are to ensure our survival as a species.'
The Europeans and the Americans are not throwing $10 billion down this gigantic tube for nothing. We're exploring the very forefront of physics and cosmology with the Large Hadron Collider because we want to have a window on creation, we want to recreate a tiny piece of Genesis to unlock some of the greatest secrets of the universe.
Cancer is like the common cold; there are so many different types. In the future we'll still have cancer, but we'll detect it very, very early, so that it won't kill anybody. We'll zap it at the molecular level decades before it grows into a tumor.
When you look at the calculation, it's amazing that every time you try to prove or disprove time travel, you've pushed Einstein's theory to the very limits where quantum effects must dominate. That's telling us that you really need a theory of everything to resolve this question. And the only candidate is string theory.
Consciousness-one level is understanding where we are in space. Consciousness two is where we understand our position in society: who's top dog, who's underdog and who's in the middle. And type-three consciousness is simulating the future. And type-three consciousness, only humans have this ability to see far into the future.
Some advice: keep the flame of curiosity and wonderment alive, even when studying for boring exams. That is the well from which we scientists draw our nourishment and energy. And also, learn the math. Math is the language of nature, so we have to learn this language.
After that cancellation [of the Superconducting Super Collider in Texas, after $2 billion had been spent on it], we physicists learned that we have to sing for our supper. ... The Cold War is over. You can't simply say "Russia!" to Congress, and they whip out their checkbook and say, "How much?" We have to tell the people why this atom-smasher is going to benefit their lives.
Sometimes the probabilities are very close to certainties, but they're never really certainties
The world is complex, dynamic, multidimensiona l; _x000D_ the paper is static, flat. How are we to represent _x000D_ the rich visual world of experience and _x000D_ measurement on mere flatland?
When I started working with NASA in 1989 as part of a mission to send spacecraft to Pluto, I knew it would take at least 10-15 years to see results of my efforts.
It's often better to read first-rate science fiction than second-rate science - it's far more stimulating, and perhaps no more likely to be wrong.
I'm convinced that sending people to Mars is so expensive that if you go once and bring the people back and then go again and bring the people back, we're eventually going to run out of money. But what if we send people the first time and they don't come back? What if they stay there?
It will be another million years, at least, before we understand the primes.
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