Evacuating Earth

2018, Science  -   13 Comments
6.62
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Ratings: 6.62/10 from 39 users.

A massive asteroid hurdles towards Earth. The total destruction of our planet is assured. Is there any hope of escape? The ins and outs of this hypothetical doomsday scenario are explored in Evacuating Earth, an entertaining speculative documentary from futurist and science enthusiast Isaac Arthur.

The nightmare of global annihilation is not without precedent. It last occurred 66 million years ago when a catastrophic asteroid strike led to the destruction of 80% of all life on Earth, and likely led to the extinction of the dinosaurs.

If such a scenario were to occur again - whether it be from a direct asteroid blast, supernova or alien invasion - would we have enough time to implement a means of evacuation? Riffing off a number of variables, Arthur outlines a wealth of possibilities from underground bunkers to systematized lottery systems to an ambitious scheme resembling the story of Noah's Ark.

Maybe we'd be given enough time to erect a shield that could hover above our orbit, and deflect an oncoming asteroid before it strikes. Or perhaps those in power would choose to avoid sharing the news of impending doom altogether; after all, this announcement may likely set off a cancer of panic that would bring about uncontrollable chaos around the world.

Arthur postulates on the nature of our survival with great authority, humor and aplomb. For example, if we were limited in the number of people we could shuttle off to another planet, what criteria would we employ to determine who survives and who stays behind to endure a fiery death? If the evacuation of large groups of people proves too cumbersome and futile, perhaps we could ensure the preservation of our species by storing strands of human DNA on the Moon. Of course, the planet we know and love is populated by more than just our fellow Homo sapiens; we must also consider a means of survival for each member of the animal kingdom and our countless forms of vegetation.

Enhanced by a series of impressive animations and Arthur's own ebullient narration, Evacuating Earth is a surprising, fun and fascinating examination of a truly terrifying concept.

Directed by: Isaac Arthur

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13 Comments / User Reviews

  1. Devil Travels

    Isaac Arthur's video series is quite inspirational. His suppositions are usually grounded in real science.

  2. Bill Farley

    I'm not going to watch because I know those rich and powerful people will be way ahead of me. Screw 'em.

  3. Jailem

    One could only hope all those banksters and others who think they should rule over the rest of us, would believe this asteroid thing and leave tomorrow. Then if an asteroid did hit, it would land on a huge pile of those hold outs who need govt and large corporations to hide behind. If it could split into several tiny rocks taking out the U.N., Fed Reserve, ECB, CFR, and other similar rot, that would cushion the impacts a good bit, killing at least a couple of birds with one stone. Those scheduled for impact, start holding your breath now.

    1. Spaghetti monster

      Good thinking. You may as well deprive yourself of entertainment because of your jealousy.

  4. charles g maki

    I think the billionaires will go first with us ordinary people so servants :)

  5. pinball

    Super girl could prevent. No, Bruce Willis and the other guy who played Willis' future son in law in that Armageddon flick. Why be serious about what if's? What if the sun burped towards that asteroid before it got close and blew it towards the moon which just happened to stall its gravitational circuit due to that sun burping, just enough for the asteroid to knock parts of Mars into Saturn making that into a doughnut shaped planet?

    Which is as likely as the earth starting to spin in the first place @scubahalo.

  6. joe nobull

    for those that dont know this vid is from isaac arthur a great 'futurist' that the american government consults with from time to time among many others that respect his common sense theories,i understand this is above most peoples normal interest,but he has a whole series on utube that is very enjoyable for deep sci/fi fans...and yes he does have a speech impediment but i am used to it now after watching many of his shows

  7. scubahalo

    The whole concept is truly laughable. Right up there with "Do we really need the Moon?" and "What if the Earth stopped spinning?". Both equally ridiculous. And both so-called "documentaries" I'm sad to say.

  8. rod waller

    I knew a guy with this speech impediment.Nicest guy I have known. you on the other hand martin I would never want to know as you are amazingly callous and petty.
    video was interesting by the way.

  9. James Rimmer

    Interesting multi solutions to various projections of ultimate catastrophe. The accent is rather odd. .

  10. Tim kellerman

    The scenario was exploitative, and Martin, I doubt you would be spacebound.

  11. Martin Hedington

    What an incredibly false and annoying accent the narrator has, I gave it up within two minutes, which is a pity as the subject looked quite interesting. Fail.

    1. jack

      The narrator has a speech defect, which is why he recommends using the closed captions