Time running out for Earth, humans should shift to another planet in 100 years to avoid mass extinction, Stephen Hawking's warning

Are we heading towards doomsday? With some countries coming up with plans to send humans to Moon and Mars, make human colonies out there, there is someone who has suggested mass exodus. It’s none other than the renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking, who has said that in next 100 years human beings should leave the planet.

Hawking has suggested that humans will require settling on another planet in the next 100 years in order to survive and the reasons for this are climate change, the deadly asteroid strikes and overpopulation. Looks like a doomsday warning!

A documentary, Expedition New Earth – part of the BBC’s new science season Tomorrow’s World will feature Hawking and his former student Christophe Galfard, who will be seen travelling across the world to figure out how humans could survive in the outer space. 

According to Hawking’s claims, for Earth the time is running out and humans will be left with no option than leaving the planet in order to survive. The show will try to discover greatest invention of Britain as it will seek opinion of the public on the innovation which has influenced their lives in a big way, ‘The Telegraph’ reported.

What factors may lead us to doomsday?

Hawking had warned last month that we all may be destroyed by nuclear or biological war due to the aggressive instincts of humans in addition to the rapid technological advancement. He also said that only a ‘world government’ may prevent this impending doom.

Hawking had said that humans may lack the skills as a species to stay alive. He had also claimed that the evolution of artificial intelligence could destroy humanity by overtaking humans in the evolutionary race.

Human settlement in space:

While human settlement in space seems like a dream, it is yet an achievable goal and scientists are already brainstorming the idea. They are carrying out studies, aiming at establishing a city on Mars or human colonies on the red planet.

What makes scientists think like that is the fact that the surface of Mars has water which makes it a habitable planet in the solar system after Earth.

Though Venus is twin sister of Earth in many ways, but similarities of Mars to Earth are more appealing in terms of human colonisation. In terms of temperature and atmospheric pressure,  the conditions on the surface of Mars are similar to that of Earth.

The Martian day is very similar to that of Earth. A solar day on Mars has 24 hours, 39 minutes and 35 seconds.

The axial tilt of Mars is 25.19 degrees, which is relatively similar to that of Earth which stands at 23.44 degrees. It means that Mars witnesses seasons much like the Earth. However, the Martian year is about 1.88 Earth years, which is 687 days to Earth's 365 days.Milestones reached:

1. Water on Mars:

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, ESA's Mars Express and NASA's Phoenix Lander have recently confirmed the presence of water ice on Mars after making through observations of the red planet.

In 2015, scientists claimed that liquid water runs down canyons and crater walls during summer months on Mars. A new study recently found a small path of land flooded by water, leaving dunes. 

For its Mars 2020 mission, NASA has chosen three potential drilling sites. The US space agency’s first choice is the Jezero crater. It once had ancient Martian freshwater lake, which could have been hospitable environment for microbial life.

2. NASA's inflatable greenhouse:

NASA scientists have made an inflatable greenhouse that could be one day used by astronauts to grow fresh food and produce oxygen on Mars or Moon.

3. Bricks made using Martian soil:

Recently, scientists created solid bricks out of Martian soil, paving the way for finding a method to build colonies on the red planet.

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