Science Show - 2010-01-02

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DATE : Sat, 02 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +1000
Entered in Database : 2009-12-26 00:00:00
length : 25442112
Link to the Show / Show Notes

The future is in our hands 50 years ago the population of the world was less than 3 billion. Now it´s more than double that number. The projection is 9 billion by 2050. Climate change provides a challenge in providing food for the entire world´s people. The current rate of extinctions is 1,000 times faster than what has occurred in the past. Biodiversity is being destroyed. Martin Rees says we´re in denial about some risks. Top of the list is climate change. Science, says Rees is the global culture. Rees says the present century may be a defining moment as we are the first species to hold the future of the planet in its hands. The evolution of cooperative behaviour A major problem for Darwin was understanding the evolution of cooperative behaviour. Robert May discusses the evolution of cooperation, in relation to climate change and other problems. Is it better to cooperate, or to cheat! And then do we punish those who cheat? Robert May looks at various games which illustrate the problems of cooperation. He equates the rise of religious fundamentalism with a resistance for the need to change. The sloth David Attenborough describes one of his favourite animals, the sloth.

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