So, I've been thinking about how to properly respond to this...and there's really no way to do that because we will never be able to take our ecosystems from Earth to other planets.
What Musk proposes here is (as @Myrmecos pointed out) simply impossible.
What Musk proposes here is (as @Myrmecos pointed out) simply impossible.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1383280704042127363
Let's say, for funsies, that we're able to build some kind of ark.
Well, that ark will only hold the critters humans know about. Maybe the occasional weirdo hanging out on someone else, but heavy bias.
Well, that ark will only hold the critters humans know about. Maybe the occasional weirdo hanging out on someone else, but heavy bias.
On any practical level, we cannot create an ecosystem.
Yes, ecospheres are a thing. However, it's an ecosystem which supports a handful of species.
No real food webs.
Yes, ecospheres are a thing. However, it's an ecosystem which supports a handful of species.
No real food webs.
If we extend this to popular culture, there's a reason Star Trek has really only been able to predict advances in consumer products.
Technology is easy to predict through extrapolation.
We can't do that with biology.
scientificamerican.com/article/how-go…
Technology is easy to predict through extrapolation.
We can't do that with biology.
scientificamerican.com/article/how-go…
If you want to see how well Star Trek does with agriculture, @SarahTaber_bww has a FANTASTIC thread on this topic which is worth a read on its own.
The TL;DR is that the ag sitch is...kinda horrifying.
The TL;DR is that the ag sitch is...kinda horrifying.
https://twitter.com/SarahTaber_bww/status/1200166974292140033
This isn't really because it's a prediction for the future, but rather it's because nobody's really ever been able to invent a system for food growth which doesn't depend on externalities for basic nutrient cycling.
It's just not something anyone can imagine.
It's just not something anyone can imagine.
We can apply this to exoplanet ecosystems.
Getting the ability to simply grow food on another planet could take hundreds, if not thousands, of years.
On Earth, 1 inch of topsoil takes ~100 years to form.
You need at least 6 inches of soil to grow corn.
600 years, best case.
Getting the ability to simply grow food on another planet could take hundreds, if not thousands, of years.
On Earth, 1 inch of topsoil takes ~100 years to form.
You need at least 6 inches of soil to grow corn.
600 years, best case.
So, now extend that outwards.
It would probably take a millennium to get enough soil to grow a monoculture. One plant species.
We don't actually KNOW what the majority of animals on this planet need for food. We also don't know the exact symbionts the majority of plants need.
It would probably take a millennium to get enough soil to grow a monoculture. One plant species.
We don't actually KNOW what the majority of animals on this planet need for food. We also don't know the exact symbionts the majority of plants need.
In order to make life interplanetary, we actually need to know some basic things...like how to rear whatever we want to transport through the entire journey.
With over a million named insect species, and ~5M to be discovered, we have rearing protocols for...maybe a few thousand?
With over a million named insect species, and ~5M to be discovered, we have rearing protocols for...maybe a few thousand?
What Musk is suggesting here is impossible on any practical level.
Even if it weren't impossible, species are vanishing far more quickly than we'd be able to build an ark.
Even if it weren't impossible, species are vanishing far more quickly than we'd be able to build an ark.
When it comes to biology, Musk has zero credibility...and whatever he says, whether it's about cloning dinosaurs or transporting ecosystems, needs to be ignored.
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