Fragile World
How mankind can survive global natural disasters
Scientists warn against global natural disasters and outline schemes to prevent them.
The world is under threat – from disasters that are not man-made but will nevertheless cost the lives of millions of people: enormous meteorites from outer space may hit the Earth, mega earthquakes devastate whole countries, and killer viruses decimate global populations. The authors demonstrate the vulnerability of the Earth in the face of these threats and outline alternatives which would allow us to analyse the risks by means of targeted and globally co-ordinated research and to keep them in check by preventive measures. An in-depth study about our life as it hangs by the thread of natural forces.
About the authors:
Prof. Andreas Burkert, born 1959, is an astrophysicist and Head of the Department for Theoretical and Numerical Astrophysics at Munich’s Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU).
Dr. Helmut Hetznecker, born 1970, gained a doctorate in theoretical astrophysics at the Heidelberg Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, worked at the LMU Munich, and has been working as a freelance science journalist since 2008.
Philipp Schoeller, a graduate engineer, born 1960, is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Excellence Cluster of the Munich Universities, the ESO (European Southern Observatory), and the Max Planck Society.
Scientists warn against global natural disasters and outline schemes to prevent them.
The world is under threat – from disasters that are not man-made but will nevertheless cost the lives of millions of people: enormous meteorites from outer space may hit the Earth, mega earthquakes devastate whole countries, and killer viruses decimate global populations. The authors demonstrate the vulnerability of the Earth in the face of these threats and outline alternatives which would allow us to analyse the risks by means of targeted and globally co-ordinated research and to keep them in check by preventive measures. An in-depth study about our life as it hangs by the thread of natural forces.
About the authors:
Prof. Andreas Burkert, born 1959, is an astrophysicist and Head of the Department for Theoretical and Numerical Astrophysics at Munich’s Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU).
Dr. Helmut Hetznecker, born 1970, gained a doctorate in theoretical astrophysics at the Heidelberg Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, worked at the LMU Munich, and has been working as a freelance science journalist since 2008.
Philipp Schoeller, a graduate engineer, born 1960, is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Excellence Cluster of the Munich Universities, the ESO (European Southern Observatory), and the Max Planck Society.
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