http://www.newscientist.com/channel/being-human/mg19926663.900-the-end-of-the-world...
The end of the world is not nigh
23 July 2008
From New Scientist Print Edition. Subscribe and get 4 free issues.
Michael Brooks

YOU could be forgiven for thinking that our existence on Earth becomes more precarious by the decade. So breathe a sigh of relief -
we may never have been safer.

Last weekend, experts gathered at the Future of Humanity Institute at the University of Oxford to discuss the risk of global
"mega-catastrophes". The idea was to leave aside slow-burn disasters such as climate change and global famine and focus on events
that could wipe out hundreds of millions of people, threaten humanity's continued existence on Earth, or at least produce a total
collapse of civilisation. The meeting drew contributions from physicists, sociologists, microbiologists and philosophers. Their
conclusion: leaving aside scenarios that have yet to be imagined, we are at least handling the major concerns well.

First up for consideration was an act of bioterrorism, such as the synthesis and release of a dangerous virus. According to Ali
Nouri of the Science and Global Security programme at Princeton University, such an act is becoming ever more unlikely. That's
because the centralisation and automation of the biotech industry are making it harder for anyone to create a dangerous pathogen or
compound without triggering alarms within the industry, he says. For example, in the US if someone applies to synthesise Ebola
without a licence, they are reported to the authorities.

On Jul 24, 1:41 am, Sir Frederick fuzzysys.com> wrote:

On Wed, 23 Jul 2008 22:50:05 -0700 (PDT), turtoni fastmail.net> wrote:

Sorry! I just paste them the way I copy them.
As it is I must pay good money to have full access
to the magazine, print and online.
--
Frederick Martin McNeill
Poway, California, United States of America
mmcneill@fuzzysys.com
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"I never cease being dumbfounded by the unbelievable things people believe."
- Leo Rosten
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On Jul 24, 2:21 am, Sir Frederick fuzzysys.com> wrote:

On Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:27:46 -0700 (PDT), turtoni fastmail.net> wrote:

On Jul 24, 2:36 am, Sir Frederick fuzzysys.com> wrote:

On Jul 24, 4:48 pm, turtoni fastmail.net> wrote:

aka trying to be humorous.

i just throw that in to disturb tooly.

I and others have been pointing out that your POV's are extremely
subjective and therefore often pretty much meaningless to the reader..

"Humility is the defining characteristic of an unpretentious and
modest person, someone who does not think that he or she is better or
more important than others. Synonym: humble