6 ms·

If. Polio is a real problem now. Asteroids are a theoretical problem.

• toomuchtodo 13y ago
  Can we not work on all the problems in parallel?
• _greim_ 13y ago
  Not actually. An impact is inevitable, given enough time.
  • nerfhammer 13y ago
    given the time scale of the duration in which a major impact event is likely humanity's technology will have advanced radically beyond which we could possibly imagine
    • baddox 13y ago
      Yes, and the way that will happen is that money will be invested into space technology companies like SpaceX.
      • nerfhammer 13y ago
        or it will just happen anyway over the course of thousands of years
        • dragonwriter 13y ago
          No, actually, if everyone chooses "invest in other things" over "invest in technology", then it won't happen. If it will happen, it will be because of technology investment, not as magic that occurs independently of them.
          • nerfhammer 13y ago
            It's impossible to imagine how humanity would stop investing in technology or would only invest in technology that would not be related to space travel
• hvass 13y ago
  What do you mean a theoretical problem? It can happen - just because you can't imagine it happening or that it might happen years, decades or centuries from now, does not make it any less real.
  • Einstalbert 13y ago
    I tend to agree. From my point of view, polio doesn't exist in this part of the world. It's as phantasmal as an asteroid.
• kiba 13y ago
  Deadly asteroid is not a theoretical problem. Just a matter of when.
  • correctifier 13y ago
    No matter what there will still be more than 7 billion people left on earth.
  • ForHackernews 13y ago
    Surely developing the technology to deflect a killer asteroid is orders of magnitude cheaper than the technology to colonize Mars.
    • deleted 13y ago
      [deleted]
• matt_heimer 13y ago
  If we go to Mars then for that population wouldn't lots of viruses be a theoretical problem?