3 ms·

Part of the Grey Goo memeset is that the goo is an unstoppable apex predator that doesn't just tweak the ecological balance a bit in a conventional ecological r

• saulpw 2y ago
  Not yet, but the the human population has more than doubled since 1970, while the number of other vertebrates has halved. It's like biomass is conserved, and human growth (both in number and in waistlines) is us systematically converting biomass into ourselves. In 100 more years when the only vertebrates that aren't extinct or endangered are humans and our livestock and pets, will that be Grey Goo-like enough for you? Or does it only count if we manage to exterminate the insects and lower-order species too? Because an "unstoppable apex predator" could never become 100% Grey Goo, as it still needs something to eat! https://xkcd.com/1338/ https://xkcd.com/1338/
  • undersuit 2y ago
    >Because an "unstoppable apex predator" could never become 100% Grey Goo, as it still needs something to eat! Grey Goo doesn't consume for energy but for mass; energy needs are plot devices. I'd argue the majority of human food consumption is for energy not mass so we can't approach the 100% mass of a grey goo event.