[extropy-chat] ex-tropical

[Robert J. Bradbury]

On Sun, 29 Feb 2004, Adrian Tymes wrote:

> But planetary depopulation
> primarily from famine?  Earth is more likely to be
> depopulated by mass emigration to off-Earth living
> facilities than by famine.

I've lost the start of this thread in my mind -- but
the Earth is probably more likely to be depopulated
by a rogue virus or bacteria.  Nature is always
coming up with new stuff (witness SARS) and there
are some really nasty things one can do with a
biotech lab at this point.  When some government
agency runs across a CD instructing terrorists
on how to build a biotech lab (just like it now
looks as if all car bombs may be clones of the
same methods -- probably based in part on Al Queda) --
*then* you should really start to get worried.

Fortunately I think we are at least a step ahead
(for example recently finding possible solutions
to the anthrax risk).

Robert