Martin Rees on Cosmology and Existential Risk

Martin Rees on Cosmology and Existential Risk

Closer To Truth Chats

Cosmologist Martin Rees discusses the latest advances in cosmology like the breathtaking images and data from the James Webb Space Telescope—galaxies formed soon after the Big Bang that are larger, earlier, more structured, and more numerous than expected—humanity’s existential risks, including pandemics, biotechnology, climate change, nuclear war, and AI, and “long-tail” risks such as asteroid impact.

Martin Rees is the UK Astronomer Royal, former president of the Royal Society, and Emeritus Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics at Cambridge. He has made seminal contributions to Big Bang cosmology, galaxy formation, black holes, and quasars.