The most predictable disaster in the history of the human race
Yep, mother nature's way of dealing with over population!
You know those cute little Koala bears we have?
Stupidest animal ever. They eat like there's no tomorrow. Then when tomorrow comes, there's no gum leaves left on any trees in the area for them to eat. They can strip a forest bare.
QuoteThe most predictable disaster in the history of the human race
http://www.vox.com/2015/5/27/8660249/gates-flu-pandemic?ncid=newsltushpmg00000003 (http://www.vox.com/2015/5/27/8660249/gates-flu-pandemic?ncid=newsltushpmg00000003)
Did you know that the Spanish flu was about as deadly as World Wars I and II? And that the flu kills more people each year than Ebola has during this outbreak? You can only vaccinate against the specific flu strains each year, and most people do not get vaccinated. This leaves the world vulnerable to a huge pandemic death toll if a particular strain is both highly deadly and highly infective. Bill Gates thinks this is the most likely disaster to hit us next. I think he's right.
Re viruses: the (mis)handling of and resources consumed by just a small number of Ebola cases in the developed world did not exactly convince me that we could manage a major outbreak.
In fact, we are in the slowly warming lobster (or is it frog?) pot scenario now with global climate change. It is likely that we have already reached the point of no return. That is "the" disaster and most likely will wipe out most life on earth.
QuoteThe most predictable disaster in the history of the human race
http://www.vox.com/2015/5/27/8660249/gates-flu-pandemic?ncid=newsltushpmg00000003 (http://www.vox.com/2015/5/27/8660249/gates-flu-pandemic?ncid=newsltushpmg00000003)
Did you know that the Spanish flu was about as deadly as World Wars I and II? And that the flu kills more people each year than Ebola has during this outbreak? You can only vaccinate against the specific flu strains each year, and most people do not get vaccinated. This leaves the world vulnerable to a huge pandemic death toll if a particular strain is both highly deadly and highly infective. Bill Gates thinks this is the most likely disaster to hit us next. I think he's right.
It certainly could be a possibility, but given the significant improvements (since spansish flu pandemic in 1918 or earlier versions of pandemics before then) in hygeine and technology for treatment/research it is less likely to be a critical mass event...but some mutated version that could do it. Keep in mind that for a virus to be truly effective it has to be highly contagious, airborne, and have a long survivability (i.e. will live long on a doorknob, etc - most don't survive outside a body for that long and that greatly limits its spreading)Re viruses: the (mis)handling of and resources consumed by just a small number of Ebola cases in the developed world did not exactly convince me that we could manage a major outbreak.
And even with significant mis-handling and infected people traveling it was still a non-event statistically speaking.
The Russians have had this for over 3 decades, so it may just be that a truck load of Vodka could be traded by ISIS and bam, bam.The US have had it even longer and a truck load of Jim Beam would do the trick just as easily.
funny! But I'm sure that the us scientists are paid a lot more than the now ousted Russian guys living on 20 bucks a day. Hell the goverernment was even willing to sell Elon Musk rockets. An interesting thing about the influenza virus is that the hosts become way more social for the first 72 hours after infection when no symptoms are present.The Russians have had this for over 3 decades, so it may just be that a truck load of Vodka could be traded by ISIS and bam, bam.The US have had it even longer and a truck load of Jim Beam would do the trick just as easily.
QuoteThe most predictable disaster in the history of the human race
http://www.vox.com/2015/5/27/8660249/gates-flu-pandemic?ncid=newsltushpmg00000003 (http://www.vox.com/2015/5/27/8660249/gates-flu-pandemic?ncid=newsltushpmg00000003)
Did you know that the Spanish flu was about as deadly as World Wars I and II? And that the flu kills more people each year than Ebola has during this outbreak? You can only vaccinate against the specific flu strains each year, and most people do not get vaccinated. This leaves the world vulnerable to a huge pandemic death toll if a particular strain is both highly deadly and highly infective. Bill Gates thinks this is the most likely disaster to hit us next. I think he's right.