Clearest image ever taken of Mars' North Pole. Yes that's water ice.



x.com
https://x.com/MAstronomers/status/1870302169116655757?s=19

Iwona Janicka's lecture explored two main claims against the backdrop of asking how to reimagine humanity's place on Earth in the face of climate change and how to enact collective political change for a life-affirming future. First, she argued that grand narratives are essential for envisioning ecological futures despite their bad reputation. Second, Janicka proposed that these narratives serve as a cosmological rebooting necessary for shaping a better collective future, fundamentally redrawing our ontological understanding and enabling the creation of more habitable worlds for humans and non-humans alike.

The lecture emphasized ecofeminist philosophy, demonstrating how it allows rethinking of human positioning on the planet and conceptualizes a grander scale of cohabitation with non-humans. Hence, Janicka argued for more diverse, ecofeminist grand narratives to reimagine our collective destiny.

The recording of the lecture will be published soon.

­

Center for Environmental and Technology Ethics - Prague | Centrum pro environmentální a technologickou etiku - Praha — Iwona Janicka’s inaugural lecture: Ecological Grand Narratives | Report
https://cetep.eu/news/iwona-janicka-inaugural-lecture-ecological-grand-narratives/

The Power of Systems: How Policy Sciences Opened Up the Cold War World
Cornell University Press, Cornell Studies in Classical Philology, 2017
Eglė Rindzevičiūtė
description
In The Power of Systems, Egle Rindzeviciute introduces readers to one of the best-kept secrets of the Cold War: the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis, an international think tank established by the U.S. and Soviet governments to advance scientific collaboration. From 1972 until the late 1980s IIASA in Austria was one of the very few permanent platforms where policy scientists from both sides of the Cold War divide could work together to articulate and solve world problems. This think tank was a rare zone of freedom, communication, and negotiation, where leading Soviet scientists could try out their innovative ideas, benefit from access to Western literature, and develop social networks, thus paving the way for some of the key science and policy breakthroughs of the twentieth century.Ambitious diplomatic, scientific, and organizational strategies were employed to make this arena for cooperation work for global change. Under the umbrella of the systems approach, East-West scientists co-produced computer simulations of the long-term world future and the anthropogenic impact on the environment, using global modeling to explore the possible effects of climate change and nuclear winter. Their concern with global issues also became a vehicle for transformation inside the Soviet Union. The book shows how computer modeling, cybernetics, and the systems approach challenged Soviet governance by undermining the linear notions of control on which Soviet governance was based and creating new objects and techniques of government.

The Power of Systems: How Policy Sciences Opened Up the Cold War World - Anna’s Archive
https://annas-archive.org/md5/76431f24f4ba18abaa27850274dffa2e

Lukas Likavcan

>> New preprint out <<

The Grass of the Universe: Rethinking Technosphere, Planetary History, and Sustainability with Fermi Paradox

This paper introduces Fermi paradox as a speculative tool to probe possible trajectories of planetary history. Elaborating on the "Sustainability Solution" proposed by Jacob Haqq-Misra and Seth Baum, it advocates that (1) technosphere is a transitory layer that shall fold back into biosphere; (2) planetary history must be understood in a generic perspective that abstracts from terrestrial particularities; and (3) sustainability is not sufficient vector of viable human inhabitation of the Earth, suggesting instead habitability and genesity as better candidates.

[2411.08057] The Grass of the Universe: Rethinking Technosphere, Planetary History, and Sustainability with Fermi Paradox
https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.08057

tohle si opravdu prectete

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/378076432_Extraterrestrial_Life_in_the_Thermosphere_Plasmas_UAP_Pre-Life_Fourth_State_of_Matter_--_httpswwwresearchgatenetpublication377077692

videa 17 m
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/383410701_VIdeo_Extraterrestrial_Fourth_Domain_of_Life_UFO_UAP_Plasma_Official_NASA_Films

videa z STS 75, 80, 119, ... bez analyticke vrstvy manevrovani kosmoplazmoušů

Alien Life in Space: Biological UFOs, Extraterrestrial Extremophiles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yb67zM1Sh-Q&t=30

Exterminations
https://www.amazon.com/Exterminations-Ugo-Bardi/dp/B0DK18GP68/

Human history is full of mass exterminations. We are witnessing more than one right now. Blaming exterminators is not enough: if we don't want to be the next victims, we must understand why exterminations take place, how they develop, what can make them stop. This is what this book is about. Starting from the statistical studies by the author about the past patterns of wars, it takes a wide sweep at the phenomenon that goes from our remote ancestors to the current situation

Better Economics for the Earth: A Lesson from Quantum and Information Theories Kindle Edition
by Quan-Hoang Vuong (Author), Minh-Hoang Nguyen (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
To become more useful and efficient in sustaining the Earth's health, economics must undergo a paradigm shift in its thinking. From a humanistic perspective, humans should be the center of everything. However, from the standpoint of physics and the universe, this is not the case. As a species, having a planet among the millions in the universe where humans can survive and thrive is already a great fortune. Through this book, we also try to answer one of our long-standing questions: why has economics learned so little from physics, the oldest and most rigorous academic discipline that studies nature?

Learning from the quantum and information theories, we also provide a new definition of value, which is expected to help economists relax assumptions and loosen established economic principles in order to change and evolve. The new definition is also expected to enable social scientists to address newly arising phenomena or events that are not accounted for by existing value systems, such as environmental crises, artificial intelligence (AI), and interdisciplinary information, more proactively and productively.


https://philpapers.org/archive/VUOBEF.pdf

We present the ExoGaia model – a model of simple ‘planets’ host to evolving microbial biospheres. Microbes interact with their host planet via consumption and excretion of atmospheric chemicals. Model planets orbit a ‘star’ that provides incoming radiation, and atmospheric chemicals have either an albedo or a heat-trapping property. Planetary temperatures can therefore be altered by microbes via their metabolisms. We seed multiple model planets with life while their atmospheres are still forming and find that the microbial biospheres are, under suitable conditions, generally able to prevent the host planets from reaching inhospitable temperatures, as would happen on a lifeless planet. We find that the underlying geochemistry plays a strong role in determining long-term habitability prospects of a planet. We find five distinct classes of model planets, including clear examples of ‘Gaian bottlenecks’ – a phenomenon whereby life either rapidly goes extinct leaving an inhospitable planet or survives indefinitely maintaining planetary habitability. These results suggest that life might play a crucial role in determining the long-term habitability of planets.

Gaian bottlenecks and planetary habitability maintained by evolving model biospheres: the ExoGaia model | Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society | Oxford Academic
https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/477/1/727/4935177

Planetary Summit

Date: November 23, 2024
Location: Palazzo Diedo, Venice Italy
Friday, November 22nd

PALE FLUO DOT
Marking the ceremonial opening of the Planetary Summit, PALE FLUO DOT is an immersive audio-visual experience. The performance by Amnesia Scanner and installation by Jenna Sutela is presented by LAS Art Foundation in collaboration with Future Humans of the Berggruen Institute.

Saturday, November 23rd

Establishing the Category of the Planetary
Ontological Discussions, Epistemological Debates, and Considerations of the Extra-Human & Extra-Planetary

WELCOME & OPENING PLENARY

Why the Planetary?
Opening remarks from Nicolas Berggruen, Berggruen Institute Co-Founder
Plenary presentation by Nils Gilman, Berggruen Institute Chief Operating Officer & co-author of Children of a Modest Star: Planetary Thinking for an Age of Crises

SESSION ONE

Establishing the Category of the Planetary
An ontological discussion exploring what is a planet, what does the word Planetary mean?

Featured Speakers:
• Jonathan Blake, Associate Director, Planetary at the Berggruen Institute; co-author of Children of a Modest Star: Planetary Thinking for an Age of Crises
• Risa Wechsler, Director, Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Professor of Physics, Particle Physics, Astrophysics, Stanford University
• Christine J Winter (Ngāti Kahungunu ki te Wairoa), Senior Lecturer, Tōrakapū, Politics, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka, University of Otago
• Ngaire Woods, Founding Dean, Blavatnik School of Government, Professor, Global Economic Governance, Oxford University

LIGHTNING TALK

Adam Frank
Inaugural Berggruen Prize Essay Competition Winner
Professor of astrophysics, science commentator, and author

SESSION TWO

Extra-Human & Extra-Planetary
A series of paired discussions between scientists and philosophers exploring possible inter-species politics and an allocentric reconsideration of (earthly) planetary life.

Featured Speakers:
• Bing Song, Senior Vice President, Berggruen Institute and Director, Berggruen Institute China Center
• Claire Webb, Associate Director, Future Humans at the Berggruen Institute
• Michael Wong, Sagan Fellow, NASA Hubble Fellowship Program
• Juichi Yamagiwa, Director-General, Research Institute for Humanity and Nature

LIGHTNING TALK

Stewart Patrick
Director of the Global Order and Institutions Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; Expert in the history and practice of multilateralism

SESSION THREE

Planetary Sapience
An epistemological discussion to define new categories of knowing and the manner by which the Planetary is revealed through technology and human thought.

Featured Speakers:
• Benjamin Bratton, Director, Antikythera at the Berggruen Institute, Professor, UC San Diego
• Lukáš Likavčan, Researcher, Antikythera at the Berggruen Institute, Affiliate Researcher, Centre for AI & Culture, NYU Shanghai
• Thomas Moynihan, Researcher, Antikythera at the Berggruen Institute, Research Affiliate, Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, Cambridge University

Sunday, November 24th

What is Planetary Realism?
Mapping the Limitations of Nation States & Global Governance, Opening up Possibilities & Exploring the Application of New Mechanisms

OPENING PLENARY

Plenary presentation by Nathan Gardels, Berggruen Institute Co-Founder & Editor-in-Chief of Noema Magazine

SESSION FOUR

The Limits of Current Planetary Governance
If not nation-states and global governance, then what? What are the required specs for Planetary governance? What might we achieve if we were successful?

Featured Speakers:
• Frank Biermann, Professor, Global Sustainability Governance at the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University
• Pascal Lamy, Vice-President, Paris Peace Forum, Coordinator, Jacques Delors Think Tanks
• Niccolo Milanese, Fellow, Berggruen Institute Europe, Founding Director, European Alternatives
• Minh-Thu Pham, A political and policy entrepreneur, nonprofit leader, and activist
• Stephanie Sherman, Associate Director, Antikythera at the Berggruen Institute, Course Director, MA Narrative Environments, Central Saint Martins

LIGHTNING TALK

Kalypso Nicolaidis
Chair of Global Affairs at the EUI School of Transnational Governance, EUI Democracy Forum Convener

SESSION FIVE

New Ideas for Planetary Governance
A mini marathon of lightning talks opening up possibilities for new mechanisms of governance.

Featured Speakers:
• Rosi Braidotti, Philosopher, Distinguished Professor Emerita at Utrecht; Honorary Professor at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
• Rana Dasgupta, Novelist & Essayist, Author of After Nations (2025)
• Zhao Tingyang, Professor, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Senior Fellow, Peking University Berggruen Research Institute
• Lorenzo Marsili, Director, Berggruen Institute Europe

LIGHTNING TALK

Robert Hertzberg
Former Speaker of the California State Assembly and Majority Leader of the California State Senate, Clean Energy Entrepreneur, Sub-national relationship Expert

SESSION SIX

Planetary Pragmatism
A series of mini dialogues exploring the protocols & institutions through which we can apply Planetary mechanisms.

Featured Speakers:
• Holly Jean Buck, Assistant Professor, Department of Environment and Sustainability, University at Buffalo
• Aaron Maniam, Fellow of Practice and Director, Digital Transformation Education, Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University
• Geoff Mulgan, Professor of Collective Intelligence, Public Policy and Social Innovation at University College London
• Dawn Nakagawa, President, Berggruen Institute
• Venkatesh Rao, Writer & Consultant, Founder, Ribbonfarm Consulting
• Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO, New America Think Tank, Former Director, Policy Planning, U.S. State Department

Berggruen Institute
https://berggruen.org/news/planetary-summit-agenda

AI Has Likely Spread Through Cosmos, Says Former NASA Chief Historian
https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucedorminey/2024/11/05/ai-has-likely-spread-through-cosmos-says-former-nasa-chief-historian/

One possibility is that we live in a physical universe in which life is a fluke; a biological universe in which life is common; or a post-biological universe in which biological life has mostly or partly transitioned to AI, says Dick. In my view, the universe is most likely at least partly post-biological, he says.

In a post-biological world, carbon-based intelligences like our own would have been replaced by advanced AI civilizations, perhaps even creating ‘Matrix’-styled artificial realities.

But is it a foregone conclusion that our own species will be replaced by earth-based AI?

Post-biologicals are not a fait accompli on earth or anywhere else, says Dick. But I think a post-biological universe is likely because of the potential age of extraterrestrials, he says.

The age of the universe spans at least a 13.7-billion-year timeframe. And because the first sunlike stars appear to have been present some 12 billion years ago, truly long-lived intelligent species could be several billion years old. Thus, post-biological AI is likely to be far beyond anything we might imagine.

So, a successful search for cosmic AI might require a search strategy that is quite different from the type of search needed when looking for biological aliens. In fact, that could be one reason that we’ve yet to detect extraterrestrial intelligence.

And if intelligent aliens have evolved in any sort of linear, stepwise progression, it’s arguable that such AI would be both immortal and capable of exponential learning and improvement.

In a 2003 paper published in the International Journal of Astrobiology, Dick pointed out that unlike humans, an advanced AI intelligence would be cumulative. Thus, the sum-total of knowledge in the parent machine would be passed on to the next generation.