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 NOTES
If you need to know a bit more about me… head to my "about" page
For 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 Life
Let’s connect on Instagram and WeAre8
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
THIS WILD ELECTION: EP 6, What if Anthony Albanese becomes PM? with Karen Middleton
THIS WILD ELECTION: EP 5, Who *actually* is Scott Morrison? Sean Kelly explains
THIS WILD ELECTION: EP 4, Things have got dodgy, we need an ICAC with teeth, with Mike Seccombe
THIS WILD ELECTION: EP3, So what are these independents about, with Grattan Institute CEO Danielle Wood
THIS WILD ELECTION: EP 2, You’re not imagining it, things have got pretty bad... with Jan Fran and Zara Seidler
THIS WILD ELECTION: Ep 1, I’m doing an election mini-series for everyone who gives a sh*t about where Australia is heading!
SARA NESS: How to “win" difficult conversations
PETE DAVIS: A scientific (and spiritual) case to quit flaking... and commit already!
JASON HICKEL: Degrowth economics! It’s wild, it could save us…
PETER SINGER: How much should you be giving to charity to be a 'good person'?
JOHANN HARI: THIS is why you're finding the world too much
AMY REMEIKIS: Decodes the sexual violence clusterf*** in Parliament House
BRIAN KLASS: Why so many leaders in 2022 are dodgy, awful humans
SISTER HELEN PREJEAN: The radical (!) nun who wrote ‘Dead Man Walking’
BONUS EPISODE 3: Tips and guided meditation for anxiety
BONUS EPISODE 2: How to do a morning routine plus a guided meditation
BONUS EPISODE 1: Tips and guided meditation for travel
Wild with Sarah Wilson, season 3 announcement
EMILY ATKIN: The best case ever for climate rage!
DAN BUETTNER: The Blue Zones guy shows us the trick to adding 10 years to our lives
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Modern West
Hamish & Andy
The Howie Games
Motley Fool Money
Just the Gist
The Briefing