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> The starfish is recognised as one of three major threats to the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef, along with coral bleaching and cyclone damage. Of c
by nfrankel 8y ago
> The starfish is recognised as one of three major threats to the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef, along with coral bleaching and cyclone damage.
Of course, it's easier to kill something than to tackle global warming...
- CannisterFlux 8y agoThe theory of the starfish population growth is that increased nutrients in the sea from increased land run off is the cause, since it allows more of the baby starfish to survive. So agriculture is probably to blame this time rather than global warming, but the sentiment is the same. Fix the symptoms as it's easier than tackling the cause.
- pohl 8y agoSkynet will eventually recognize humans as a threat to the Great Barrier Reef.
- devoply 8y agoIf we build robots that can destroy, those robots will ultimately not be under the control of governments, but instead corporations. Eventually those corporations will wrestle control out of the hands of governments through hard power. There won't be much that can stop them.
- pawelmurias 8y agoNice try starfish
- devoply 8y agoFirst they came for the starfish, but I didn't say anything because I was not a starfish.
- chewz 8y agoI hope that those robot will eventually evolve enough to determine that it is homo sapiens that is at the root of the problem.
- jameskegel 8y agoWhat a worthless and juvenile statement.
- gonzo41 8y agoNot really, considering we have a PM in Australia who held up a lump of coal in parliament as a solution to power prices.
- r3bl 8y agoSame guy that said that math laws don't apply to Australia?
- dang 8y agoThe site guidelines ask you not to call names and not to reply to egregious comments, but rather flag them. If you'd review https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and follow the rules when posting here, we'd appreciate it.
- krylon 8y agoAlternatively, the robots might decide that it is easier to just destroy the reef than to take out the starfish individually. With the reef gone, the starfish starve, problem solved. There is more than one way for technology to backfire horribly.
- radmuzom 8y agoSomething along these lines happens in the Mass Effect video game series. If you like playing games, you should definitely check it out.
- Broken_Hippo 8y agoYes, but: Tackling global warming (or agricultural runoff) takes a bit of time and sometimes seems impossible since some folks seriously resist these things. In the meantime, these killing robots still have their place in helping the reef survive. If you have the means to tackle on of the three major threats now, by all means, please do.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]