Is a comet coming to destroy Earth? On this episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-host Chuck Nice talk about the science behind Netflix’s comet apocalypse movie Don’t Look Up with director Adam McKay and astronomer Amy Mainzer. Are we all gonna die?
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This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Welcome to start on your place in the universe where science and pop culture collide Norton begin right now. This is the start. Talking yield addressed ice in here personal astrophysicist today, we're gonna talk about protecting earth from
space shock or is good to? Have you always a pleasure to be here
personally, I think today shows should be called destroying earth.
from a or with
What's wrong with that
we say that we in Europe are damned this to get it done. Don't we knew I'd I'd I'd, try to turn
wind. I too there, but I shouldn't
What we have to help us put some of that content on the table is writer producer director, Adam Mackay, Adam welcome too,
talk do low thanks for having may add on account of gets it applause that you know we'd without a plot of asking. You have never applauded anyway. I have applauded the gas Neil, but there's two of just so impressed with with what he has just accomplice.
So what can we can put some his resume out there? So your former head right of assent l,
I am your co founder of upright citizens brigade very cool. I love their work. Girls
Corredor, along with real Pharaoh with Anchor man, knows cool tallow, Dignan nights, step brothers, ok, CO, founder of funny or die right. That's
production company. If I remember correctly, is right now and
wrote and directed the Big short distinctly
member, that movie where it was like? Oh my gosh this.
happened and we then wet, but that's not why we have you want to show right. That's right! That's how I, frankly, all of that is gold plated draw in comparison to what we have won the show.
It is because of my work out empty, which I'm getting satellite mood today. Might I add my weight programme
a cheering rather than only knockers lobby authorities are Adam
an atom has a new balance on class. One leg is no prelates, so you view wrote, directed and produce the Netflix kid.
don't look up. It's a manual, corrects yeah, there's star started certain legally
northern Caprio in June
four Lorenson United States. It does a dozen famous people who ve
start in their own films, you managed to
collapse them together for this script and it's about an asteroid, a comet that headed discovered to be headed towards earth, putting all of life
on earth at risk and that prevails and challenges and troubles of the scientists trying to learn
the public and everyone ignores them or discounts it at so
What do we have? This kind of love were who told you to make this? Why who
what did your Mamma to do exactly
like a lot of ideas, came from stark error,
which is the last five years
in twenty years. Thirty years, forty years, fifty years back to nineteen sixty five of just
our culture and our leaders in our industry and our media, ignoring that were flood
in the atmosphere, the climate,
c o too, and we are in a bad bad path and
You know I had the fortunate unfortunate
experience of colliding with a lot of this information from reading scientific reports.
and reading a great book by David Wallace Wells called uninhabitable earth, which you view
and read it: read it and will wake you up when it comes to the climate,
and I really started, like my wife- can tell you it a certain point
losing sleep, and I kept,
looking at our world and going what am I missing here and
rather than do you know my initial idea was. I do a big, dramatic, this topic
areas movie at that
a friend of mine is a journalist made no offhand joke David's rota where he just said it's like its armageddon, but the
Asteroid is coming and no one cares and
That's it and then I thought
we could laugh, you don't leave. We could
some laughter about the crazy world we live in as well as some big emotions.
Maybe that's something that could go out into the world and it million
the people and maybe jars some feelings lose. So
That was it. It was definitely a crew. You were born. You were born to make this movie, that's what you're too
I'm telling you that lead. I was plucked from this.
Google River outside Philadelphia, haven't you where I am from, and they said this child she'll make a movie for Netflix like like like dirty mouth,
is too old from this house, shall save a lot of cleaning up first, what he says: culture
work on dirty most zone is dirty. You ask glucose from filling. This is why I say that to Adam, would it would put enabled you to mass this level of talent and presuming these are people who
well paid in their own movies, so that this there's some kind of social caused it that they get to
justified doing this without having to get their normal paycheck. Now
No, I mean you know that
The thing is, I gotta give a lot of credit to Netflix. You don't Netflix, read this crazy script and was just like Yup Wool war. With this and
you you're the whole cut of emotional impetus for the project,
the idea that there is hundreds of millions of us out there that are freaking out
even though, if you flip through the tv channels or you look on it
Parts of social media people seem like their freaking out about
other things were there. You know that
care words about the stock market or it's about you know. Politicians, legacies Emily
gear was there's a lot of us out there that can feel what's going on and that played out
the actors, all the actors we went to were like you up, I want to laugh,
This I want to go in one piece of advice about, but Adam you started describing the concerns based on climate change,
but you didn't make a movie about climate change.
it's work, but you have to come into my place into my universe. Until I tell tale
climate change story. We will invention climate change,
Why not coming Myspace to do this, because because your space and your people have been trying to kill us since the inception of you
of Europe. Your whole science is always about as the earth does. Universe is trying to kill, and it s true
I get so at what point did you say? Maybe if I told you about
but no one would pay attention. So
till it about asteroid. So this is a story tellers
right yeah in a way, because I think one of the tricky things with the climate crisis, which
the gentlemen, I'm sure know is that it slow and creeping, even though now it's getting much faster and much more overt
but I think what are the tricky things? As you know, the way were wired is humans. We know out of free gout and run from a bear, or we know how to like deal with Syria,
killer like we all get dad, but the idea that these gases- you know this car
in that were burning is creating greenhouse catch, a can't say that you can see, and you have to go to climate scientists who God bless. Some are really in a bill to like be the pr front for this story. I think it's just
follows in a tricky area, and so I thought by replacing climate, the climate crisis with
comment which is something we all sort of mostly Gatt, like that scary, would put those
light honour master.
The human reaction and
really what the movies about em in the movies really about how we ve? You know buff foul twist
Sid and mutated, the very ways that we
to each other through social media through media drew
career through money and an that's really
ultimately, what the movies about.
Chuck. Did you hear how how politely he referenced? The media
ineptitude of scientists. Do not eat nuts is there, but the way here
basically cajoled the apart.
in their because this movie could have just as easily bring call hey domains.
rapid member. Maybe he's really put those words in your way way way way way defend. My point
where's your paypal large, have been you know, chess, deep, it bs
in and Marketing Ford, Yazzi Arcades and an icy
strict giving you look like the resistance to the vaccine. Will I get out for decades? People are beginning sold. You know, crate.
The drugs like oxy, cotton, their doctors or town- I'm oh yeah, take this and then were surprised. Women
go vaccine comes out of people like I don't know about that. So
it's been a lot of like marketing pr twisting turning about science, which is crazy and it kind of makes p
we'll have to wag the around our science works and
but real science is verses marketing.
pr science, so when a tricky,
spot an end so now
was cool, dizzy people's reactions far for the movie, because you know it went.
worldwide and everyone was gonna like oh yeah, I get that
how can I get it? I got it. I get a beggar, my tweet, I gotta read my tweet, I don't love. You saw my tweet Adam
reader. I did. I don't think I reach, we did it,
I love some some love from Neil,
Twitter love, I said, finally saw the Netflix film. Don't look up a fiction.
tail of a nation distracted by pop culture.
And divided on whether to heed dire warnings of scientists.
everything I know about new cycles. Talk shows social media and politics tells me the film was instead a documentary
that's all just build their fly footed and put it out there in an hour before you go any further, since you said that mail says you just said: that was the fact that it is a documentary. What was the push back? If any,
Adam from work community or any community. That saw this and said what
how are you drunk or that's a bunch of blue? Yes or oh? Look at you, you whatever was there any of the earlier
yeah we got some of that I mean any time you do a comedy. You know certain people are gonna, be with it or not with it. As of
so given, but then there really really means drivers anytime. You offend people, people incredibly,
That's what I thought we were com it. Well, it ain't cavity lessons about it. I'll even is heavily add. Certain quarters of the media were not too happy with the movie Emmi. We go pre hard at the club.
the media? There was one paper, that's pretty famous for climate denial where you know they are
did not care for the movie. So you got some of that.
for the most part, you know once the movie premier on Netflix. Now it was, it was a great unity.
So response. We know without saying it was. It was really heartening actually because I think
as this idea that people don't get it that people who are bored, they want entertainment and as like. No,
who actually know what's going on in their frustrated with the bs, so it was
cool moment to see that to see that people across the political divide, the weird thing about
movie is got some great responses across the red, blue political divide,
I'd, which you too, I didn't know what to expect, but when I saw that it was, it was
actually hopeful, ok, so
this point: we're gonna reveal some of the things that happened at the end of the movie.
so if you spoiler Larry Food, so you can too fast forward to the next segment. If you'd like to right now, so I was particularly intrigue by Merrill Streets character, paying the president of the United States and
there, there's a is she based on some amalgam of personnel.
Out there that he thought would do just right as president
No! No! Just walk back
sorry, I am that definitely a big old tablespoon of the law
president in there that sort of blinding narcissism only
spawning to the moment. No foresight, no question, that's it!
there, but you know, hey. I've talked to me
all about it, and you know
There is also a little bit of Bill Clinton in their there's. Some. You know that
car salesman kind of slick. You know soda
the various bill, Clinton there's also you know half a day.
Able spoon of George W Bush dangerously unqualified so
Fortunately, the announcement on the battleship, the announcement on the ship was part of a
I feel very exactly like where you're, so that's why I didn't so chart. I didn't uniquely identify any one actor with any.
one real other person. There was enough of an amalgam there that I see
all of society of american society folded into practically all those characters from it,
from there. The talk shows the other problem is I'm not as smart as even has increased
many simple characters when
What I saw was what I wanted to see her. I thought I was wondering Adam up to that point. If our people,
just a land, not one
they their own filter and they will then see in this like took woodchucks in what they want to see without really grasping the four storytelling that you
imbued it with. I'm here I was really happy with how people got it. I mean people got. The
idea has jokes in jokes in the movies about super donors being allowed in the white you there. You know clearly media just concerned with
good cheer and keeping the ratings up and
was pretty amazing, tat God to see those reactions and even the ending of the movie, where you know once all the white noise of our kind of for profit Conner.
A jumble of media, goes away how things
real and got about family in favour
people really good,
into it. I was like really happy with that part of this,
even though there was certainly an element that was like didn't dig it
for the most part, though the public at large was was dialing into it.
So you know
ever know, you have these feelings. You make a movie kind
like how the world is now I mean you even look at the White House now, which is
the opposition party and then the
Congress is owned by the opposition party, what what's going on with them their stuck in the mud because of dirty money in their not doing anything. So you know these pre.
Rooms. I think we ve been scammed in some ways with his red blue game and I
I think all about dirty money, big money, and if we could just get that out things,
start moving a lot better or so it was
to see people around the world. A den of I with that and know that was the case. So let me ask you this: is it did? Did you do this on purpose, or was it just a by product of or unnatural outworking of what you just mention it at the end?
was kind of admirable nod to a I in a very humorous way where the technology and the prediction for the predictive analytics of technology,
True? But at the same time, the reliance upon the people who run at Belge after everything up was that per while chump
deep charters lay like a leaf layers into the new soccer without it
I mean, like you, know it's incredible, these algorithms that they use when we were working on its only heated intend any that at all
yeah. I did that our purpose, that's what,
animals with resided like just then I'm sorry,
I was there brilliant where I wrote that boy
either way adds a much better answer. I should have been his and just said: jug you gotta.
Your own, meaning in we're. Just bag
We do. That would have a much cooler if I'd pipe. I would it take it. I had a baby. I got a fine drone, meaning nobody.
right, though I mean God these,
I know these algorithms they offer search engines and for its social media and the way they
paralysing get emotions out of us. We were deaf,
playing around with that, but I liked I'd like videos, character was told what is death,
it's gonna, be, and then it wasn't that death,
Even I owe you write. The President data have her death that was predicted
sir, as much as the algorithms trying corollas again,
we were trying to make a point like you can still stop it. You know right where you need
without that had a message. You know, then you just you just piss in people depressing people. Also,
but let me I've a rare moment. I have two short comedic people in front of me
I love that I'm not! That was hurtful full knows everything well did I say sort of. I didn't mean that
then that I have two committed talents in front of me. I'd like to ask: do you think Comedy
is the best way to change someone's heart do as compared
teaching. I
I have my but I'll, let out all see what you think Chuck I mean here. Is the authority thing
As you know, the reason we chose comedy what this is comedy is great in the sense that it's kind of a truth detector
like if you wanted to go on stage into a stand up routine about how billionaires our tax to much. I
dare you to get a laugh offer that, like on
you will know. That's bogus and people have tried they added Fox.
whose comedy show about fifteen years ago. They tried to do in a just bound and true,
and so I beg comedy, is great and also the comedy you have to have a perspective. You can laugh
add something if you're in the middle of being traumatized by a leg, it's hard to laugh.
a crazed you know
monkey attacking you but like if you can look from a distance at a crazed monkey, you can laugh at it. So,
Think comedy does a lot of things. I think it's a true detector
think it also means you have to have some perspective
have to have a little bit of a view of the world, which I shall personally, I think that's exactly what
We need right now with the world is so overwhelming and
fusing and ridiculous and traumatize in that for us
build, a step back just feels good right away, Chuck. What do you think for I mean I agree with everything it just said, and I also think that, unlike you know, any other didactic message which immediately puts people on the defensive
immediately causes them to withdrawing what ever thought, if they disagree have already in advance, if they disagree, comedy DIS,
arms you because you're laughing first as an impulse, and then you go hey, which is always my favorite humor
and in a whether I'm doing or somebody else is my favorite thing to happen on stage is when I tell a joke and people laugh,
Then they grow. I love that. I love that and my answer to that. Every time
I'm is too late.
That's right! You
you'll reads already find a? U turn black spot because its
You love
haven't you realize in laughing the world is not black and white. We're all
contradictions like
We say with this movie people like all you're, trying to warn people about climate and you're doing all these will. What are you doing? I'm like don't get me wrong
I'm a moron idle
if there is a new add four legged taco bell, Combo Burrito Phil,
with many it's hot goes. I'm like I want to eat that an
egg. I I'm way to invest it in is our flag and general
Lopez Happy together, like a wage who invested in that, so it's like
we're all like this. I mean we're all animals that love like great spells and bright colors.
You know there's a little part of his two that can do somethin like step back and take a look at stop. So
combo is kind of the whole game, which I think is what jocks talking about. So so, what? What do you know about movies been out for several months now? Don't look up on networks? What what do you know about what impact as it has had?
No permanent- and you know some of its anecdotal in some cases, Netflix give you all these crazies statistics, but I mean it's been really.
cool I've just seen them. You know stories where
opposition leader and the french government. The other day referred to microns in
Action over the climate, as he's
Johnny or lean from don't look Goddard. I saw the organiser of C o p. I in Glasgow referred a dome.
god I've seen.
been mention in articles about leaders that are denying science extinction
rebellion in the UK has rallied around the film and has been mentioning it. So that's really
cool and then they show you the stats words like you,
by some estimates. Two hundred and fifty two three hundred million people.
I have seen the movie and and then they show you the social media responses and thereby showing you there.
Forty one positive in awe so get out. There's a lot of stats, there's a lot of anecdotal. By hook up, I like, I felt a shave from if the, if reference for the movie and its characters becomes part of pop culture than I dont know what
more rings. It ever hope a movie to do
An hundred percent rightly up right through their movies. That are we now ireland that we in Austria, or is it let's go to us,
right we know what that means that, for its part of our it's part of our lexicon,
cinematic literacy. So that's it. I think that's an excellent, measured and there's perhaps no better measure
if once over movie than people having the idea that there is now there now a sorry
dear that there is now a phrase for self interest
did leaders and media and conglomerates ignoring science and its don't look up is
and it seems to kind of be catching a minute still a little early. But if that was the results, I
we're doing back flips I mean we just tried to get something out there.
Can I jars some people and it's just a movie. So you know your hopes are fairly modest, but ah monsieur tagline availing are the timeline. It shows the opposite of that right. I end every show with keep looking up and so to try to watch the movie to hear it. Don't look up. It's like each one of those with a dagger to my heart,
You know what Adam you should remain. Show you in terms of their everyday lives,
Are you really closely? We tested it, we printed put it up, not Adam, you didn't leave the viewer any hope at the end accept further the the infinitely rich who went on the ship.
and we don't like any of them anyway. So so so what does it mean to offer? No hope this America? We liked some hope.
Ah, well, you know about here's. The thing had rather to be like happy end additional. I happy endings yeah, it's it's a
general outcome, but we definitely were
conscious of the fact that we have seen thousands of movies for decades that have the gear
continued happy ending, and you know
We're trying to save you. You know we're not audience. Members were part of this election.
do. Something is not
guaranteed happy ending. So it was amazing. They see how much that ending, really hit people just cause. It broke the kind of
retain that were used to, but make no mistake about it on science
is powerful. Science is the Excalibur on the wall. We take it down and use it. We can deal with this at this urgent, urgent climate.
Ices I mean we have renewable energy when you could have already she had ever. What you could ahead was a small fraction of people in your movie who watched start talk, ok,
This is a start and I apologise entities should I had this in their ban together and then they figure out how to convince everybody how to properly deflect the asteroid an earth is saved, see you could become a habit.
I could have been the ending. Maybe we will release that version, the directors of what we did it. We could out a bunch of people laughing, it should stand up and then-
the joy of their laughter
see the world clearly and they get the governments should it could have been either one of the rush hour.
could have had the reality of that same scenario where there are actually
dancing on the end of the world
we're all your life. What I've been sitting church routine,
rather the wider and is not your second right s even so
come on man there. There is some so Adam you! I got this in your stream when I posted my twitter comment about the film. The grit response was
I'd and varied, and many were humours one of one of them said by the end of the film outright,
for the comic.
about in advance, so that when we get at least a little have seriously
If a movie has the power to move people, intellectually, emotionally you what you have done with them
look up is hold up a mirror to us all. But a movie also has the power to offer a solution, and you didn't offer a solution. A solution to get
to cut through the brush and bramble in the Moroccan. Mire of social media and and and police
go idiocy, so you could have, and you didn't so, is that what do you want people to do
Yeah, but I think this
movie was a kick in the past. I mean this movie. Was you.
What we're missing when it comes to the climate crisis is will in action right. Those too
things and that a lot of people don't feel the earth.
and see in their bones and I'm not saying there it fall to adjust
is what it is. So this movie was designed to be a big old kick in the past
and what I hope is, I hope, other people, and certainly our production companies doing it. I want to see other movies
their tv shows. I want to see. You know the news start to cover the media start to cover the different ways we can deal with this, because there are a lot of ways we can. I mean we
the renewable energy. Will you we're not theirs,
some early research going on carbon removal. That's really exciting. Coming out
everyone has their Basel, yeah or but the
of your companies
come in use those solutions? As awaited slow us down? She got a kind of
distinguish between the good faith and bad faith.
Solutions but began is ultimately one movie.
and we could only tells so much of a story and the goal of it was a kick in the pants. A moment
the identification for people that have felt gas lead and
a chance for people to have a little perspective on how bad shit crazy our world is. That was the goal of the movie and yeah you're you're. A hundred percent right NEO, like so Yale enjoys Mason, have a study and.
in that study. One of the things that was most prominent is the fact that one of the biggest problems with climate is that people do not talk about it. So when you talk about the M,
act of movies. Having a shock wave the fallout is people talk about it that
part of the solution, I I you just gave my answer in your question: yeah, that's it is like,
I dont think people realise how much power they have in just the people. They talk to
way. They behave.
feeling an emotion I mean you know
Advertising companies are trying to replicate word of mouth. That's what they're trying to replicate, but ever
study shows like nothing more powerful than people just talking to each other, so that was it.
the goal of this one, let's get a little spark going round. The summers are both of you just said by quoting re bribery and re bribery will take us out of this segment. He said when asked by a fan
labour every the science fiction writers it. Why do you always portray these apocalyptic futures for humanity? Is that the future? You think we're going to have any says? I show you those futures, so you
no to avoid them all. That's very nice, Adam greater. Have you keeping
crazy out there and doing things that no one else would even think of doing and thereby change in the world for the better,
when we come back. We're gonna invite in my friend and colleague
Amy Mazur, whose national
is whose one of the world's experts on planetary protection protecting earth from asteroids- and you can talk about it. A recent mission launched by NASA to test whether we have the
or to deflect asked when
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Our talk with Neil the grass Thyssen we're back you're talkin about cosmic things. There can harm humans on earth coming
the great interview with Adam Mackay writer producer director of don't look up the Netflix
movie, and now we bring in a friend and colleague, Amy Maser Amy. Welcome back to start talk, things is going to be back the less
checking on you. You were at the jet propulsion labs in Pasadena, California, and where are you now well since move
I'm at the University of Arizona in the Department of Planetary Science, very clear I wanna, take a jewel in the crown of that institution.
All these at all it whenever they look up, so they find something good
at the University of Arizona
that's one of the one of the finest departments around so faint great to have you back on start
now. Why do we have you here? We could have had you anyway, just because you have your expertise, thinking about stuff that can harmless, but
You double down on that as being like the Science Astro Advisor to the film, don't look up
and so we're going to do is we solicited questions from our audience and
civilian of them came in, but just before we go to those check. You got check your loaded up with those questions. I am happy I'll
we're going to go before we do that. Let me just ask me: what did
They want you to do for the film. Well, you know, I think the role
science adviser probably is different for every move your tv show, but for this one there was quite a bit to do the reserve, basically advising Adam and the rest of the castle and proven the actual Astrid Commas,
what kind of even more. Basically, there was a kind of a task of advising them on what it means to be a scientist and how to scientists think
and what do we do when we have bad news to tell everybody
based what were learning so central?
I implicated you, I think, probably correctly
They wouldn't have known this. Otherwise, on the on the in the scripting
I was interviewed by MSNBC and they played a scene about don't look up and they played a scene where I forgot which Karen
you're asserts that it might have been Leonardo Dicaprio. He says a common,
The size of Mount Everest is gonna hit earth and I see what you don't get their size just by accident, because that was the size of the comet. They took out the dinosaurs and
a real astronomer had to be in their infusing these these reference frames for them, so that I can credit you pretend
oh yeah, thank you. Yes, yeah we're people might be we're people, we all know how we
tar see exactly do. I owe you a dinosaur
died, and so are you will you that's all www? Yes, yeah?
and so hopefully not this institution-
coach them on the behaviour of scientists as signed.
this new round unjust grip points. Yeah. We really talk about a lot of different aspects of women to be a scientist. Just knew how to scientists think what are the things that sort of frustrated
and how do we know? How do we succeed in sometimes have a we fail when we try to communicate with the public and and with people who are
were in power to make decisions about. What's gonna happen to all of us here?
ok but wait a minute, though you are very good at communicating with the public
How do you train actors to be better communication with the public, because I think you know, if you have you told you all you knew they would have been much much better. How do you tell him what you don't know and haven't be bad at it waits funny, because we need our own eyes, but she talk a lot about this. This part that you know there's a tendency in science to
a lot of Georgia can say that I am in first members. First of all, though, even tried suggests
Very that leave even let the woman we first name basis. All people died a myriad column LEO Leonardo, and I we talk a lot about. We thought it you're not doing a science with dementia
roughly, ok go ahead, which were very cool. I went down. I would learn that miracle gave a mortal. We talked a lot about just you know. What is it? What is it that so confusing? Sometimes, obviously we use a ton of jargon and we do it sometimes without even meaning to I mean you guys. I encountered this all the time write to me. We use words in the scientific context. Same word.
Use it in everyday life and it takes on a totally different, meaning, sometimes a word
uncertainty, for example in science. That has a very specific definition. We use it enough in almost a mathematical context, but
You say in everyday life: well, I'm uncertain as to whether there is a rattlesnake in my back. Your first gave up. That means you dont know right between scientists that that that word is used in a very
different ways. We talk a lot about you. People don't know that we can quantify our ignorance and that's it actually profound place to be,
as you know the uncertainties, that's very scientists. Have you a five hour ignorant,
I will say it feels, and probably these all the time right I mean that's just part of what we do is scientists, as we are trying to quantify how likely it is something's gonna happen, but that will not happen.
That's a battered, sometimes a kind of a hard thing to get across, but I think also to just generally
no more basically can we agree that there are facts that are supported by scientific data. That are true and that's a big theme in the movie.
and we have something that we all agree on. That is true.
You weren't, just a random astrophysicist to advise them. You yes, have expertise in asteroid risks. So
What can you just give us is just some numbers: how many asteroids have us in their path? Just so we can freak everybody brother. We started
when the very good news is ok, full stop. The movie is pure science fiction, okay, we
No the giant knows not so you'd documentary at all
everybody that ok, we're very
there is no comment that we know about that is about to smack into the earth in six months or start. We don't know of any such
so let the seven months yes, but such moraine. Ok, but I repeat: let's go straight to questions just what I would have you know what you're doing is six months in today's wooden, maybe up flit making plans limit up for now live it up for you gimme some question Europa Alex Renault. So who cannot dovetails on doctrine. Thyssen's question says hello out from Mexico here my question for doktor means, or is,
Where are you asked for any new ideas for the movie or are they just ask you too fat
shut the ideas they already had and if so I love their question. If so, what was the craziest idea? That fact,
well, I would say yeah, we. We have a lot of back and forth about the script and it was it was we started working on it more than two years ago now it's been awhile first off hand,
without a to figure out the size of the comet actually well. First of all we had to that. There was a comment and asteroids an asteroid number one number two,
he wanted it to be. A latin bigger up was was a good idea for the script so
I'm gonna downsize it a little bit and tied told him in certain point. If the thing is to beg you know there is no movie right, there's no hope at all.
So we want to try to size it to something that is. Is
is is large enough, that it would have caused a lot of damage in the movie. Obviously that further part, but but not so large, that everybody would just give up and stop. I write off about soon, so that was number one so that getting the size the comet right was that it was kind of one of the first words of business.
Christian, that's all right, but about weird, but was there's something you added other than the size of the comment that the already knew was gonna hit was there's some extra plot.
You said you know you gotta, add this to the storytelling is not real yeah, so there's
This kind of a keep an amazon me. This is always are ok here imposing everybody's in the movie at this point, but one of the things that we talk a lot about that is
is is features pretty heavily in the plot is the concept that somebody's gonna,
come along and instead of just reflecting the comment there
I want to try to mine the comment that I was very impressed that tourism, with a turn of the of the plot line yeah. So basically there sort of a key moment when it looks like everybody, in spite of all their differences, is kind of gun, all their stuff together and we're gonna deflect the common and everything is going courting a plan, and then
the sudden there's a ranch in the works a plot
hurry hurry got back were reminded that indeed, comets and asteroids are very rich and minerals and natural resource.
so that that factual demand
it made. It communicates authentic for someone to say, let's explore
this for economic gain, YAP Jerry Vases comes in and says hey
we gotta? We gotta? I got a trillion dollars of their common address book that if it is well known, but he wasn't gonna blow it up and we really need a ship that overnight we gotta. Let me this is. This is something we talk a lot about the movie, because you know there's been a lot of talk about actual mining. We do about trade, single return missions in factors
about one has already brought a simple back from an asteroid. That's a boost, the two and there's another: that's on its way back to earth right now! That's what I regret, but over these missions are bringing back
the equivalent of about a baseball size with immature, or maybe a coffee cans worth, but that's it we're not talking tons and tons and tons of minerals here talking a baseball. So
We're the sample return Amy so, but look at
the Sultan later, maybe in the next segment? But that means your breathing space stuff back to earth that can always be good, even if it did have economic value. Thinking like space viruses or something ice by force
we'll get it just want tease what could happen later? I shall give me another one hour. I swear
Thus, if we can mind these questions, I see there
You see what I know about this one's about space herpes. So now ouch, you says based virus. So anyway he would go hello, doktor means or Doktor Thyssen and Lord nice please, since darts encounter since darts counterpart,
was cancelled, and thus we are relying on ground based telescopes to observe the effects of dark. Well, Missus still provide us with an updated to determine if kinetic impact
could counter this scenario like the one depicted in dont. Look up or will further tests be necessary,
by the way, I appreciate your work on NEO wise greetings from Germany, the place where
I took off
We now have re Patrick
Just as the question you didn't give us a dissertation how you yourself right now for businesses. Let me ask gave me all about you come on man. Ok, so dark emigrate was dark. Aboard is the double asteroid- redirection desperate?
and it is a mission that is going to a double asteroid. Something
That'S- got a moon going around it and the idea
It is true to bump into the moon. So the idea is to take spacecraft, unjust crashes into the moon and on the moon a little bit
so that you can see the moons orbit change. So the idea is to test the so called kinetic impact or technical.
in other words the energy of motion, can we change the orbit of this?
bastards moon and awaited his detectable now
What is aim than what happened to them? There was a proposal to have another mission that woods there would watch the impact in real time. So basically just watch the impact or happen
watch the impact happened and see whether or not there was a big explosion of the asteroid or or what have you now there's a couple of things. So the image
didn't under happening as proposed, however, and was then an acronym and was then yes in it. I didn't have to look at what we have.
asked Roy aid,
Jeanne. This right now is to do an asteroid. Perpetuate image, misery, yeah, that's manure!
maneuver area. Don't remember
if something to do with murder? I was gonna. Do with murder, rape, murder, Cuba itself does not make it, however. However, they are then a watch it with the ground based all scopes, as the as
I noted in- and there is a cute sacks- that's been provided by the italian space agency. That is gonna, be watching me impact as well. So there's that the other
is the Europeans, have a mission that is gonna go there. Eventually
couple years after the impact- and it will come back to the asteroids moon-
it's gonna do a very careful mapping of the system as a whole
between all of that we can. We can peace it all altogether.
What are these videos I've seen where some part of of dark detaches, while the rest of it collides? Why? I think this is the anti d keep sat with the observer.
the camera on it's: ok, because what they were together and then they separated and one went in for the for the college. I believe it's gotta, it's got a little friend, that's gonna, he's gonna run off and you look at things as it as we don't. You
break when we come back more cosmic queries wishes
a collision end of earth and of
civilization expert.
Remember answer advisor to the Netflix film
tobacco daily labour, really friends and colleagues planetary scientist
anyhow, we find you in social media would really
I'm on Twitter, so I'm at Amy minds or on whether that's where you can find the money
mispronouncing, your last name. Shame adds either way
I envy are feeling retain. Only german, you can say might make me
Yes, okay
the church door. I feel tat, I did say the English for the American pronouncing:
one time in front of my german grandfather and pointed I get in here, for we want some one is talking to fill in check your brain back memories.
I've got another question. Try here every squeeze into this final, sir. This is Dylan. He says greeting doctors and comedians from outcropping New Mexico. I was wondering what size do. Ass royds become dangerous, not just now. Every size, I know that our pounds, through millions of particles from space that they do nothing, in other words we get bombarded overshot. What can we expect when an asteroid that could potentially kill
all life, what's the smallest that it could be what so we do have some good information about this and the questions absolutely correct or the questioner is absent. Gregg we do get pelting with all kinds of little particles, overtime, everyday about a hundred times,
and we mostly see those if we see them at all and shooting stars their tiny
things are like sand. Greens, or maybe the size of a grain of rice were key. Something like that
we know that if an armed gets to be bigger, say about maybe twenty metres across so about sixty feet. Fifty sixty to across at that point it can start to make it through the earth's atmosphere, moral,
in tat now. We know this is a reasonable, lower limit, because we have a really recent event, while recent an astronomer timescales comments, when he thirteen there was an object that that hit over Russia and it exploded
number that it exploded in the upper atmosphere and there was a shower fragments. It broke a bunch of windows.
There wasn't a big hole in the ground right. It was it,
mostly just an air burst explosion, and that's because the object with small enough at the atmosphere was effectively like a brick wall and religious shredded it. But if the objects closer to say fifty meters,
cross. Then what happens if you get what we have here in Arizona which
a mile wide all around more or less so. Very small differences in size, relatively speaking, can make a really big.
so basically come up for those who have never been Arizona. She reference a practically
mild diameter meteor crater sitting there
It near Winslow Arizona isn't that right, and it is right now one of the closest hounds
shut up in a song. Something I've been
in turn with abysmal Arizona, was had sought.
I say it is marked by Mile Zile mile wide crater.
It is not a large Prater
so to take away from that answer, Amy is that occasionally rice and peace
from the sky
rice and you said that, like we heard site it's like we heard, you say that a terrier sweating. It's like earth, rice and visas
I heard her say that she is on the right. I guess I can pay homage to helping us celebrate every day, so Jackie dramatist occurred to me because you said about the shockwave in two thousand thirteen, so that was not a very big object that impacted the atmosphere to create this shockwave so word something the saw. What would it take to actually just blow the atmosphere off, because the first thing that it will hit would be. It would make the
air like an ocean. Our atmosphere would be like an ocean right because it hits it if the website you are you asking. This question was a pitcher on question that you're supposed to be reading for awaiting genesis. Wait that's from best from book, rice,
the price rise as a result of life.
Tighten up checks, question for you re, so, at what size asteroid is unfazed by
through the atmosphere, and then it just hit the ground as though there was no one to which I shall try to say. But I repeat, I dont know what about you know. This is exactly the if it's a little bigger than twenty metres. It's gonna make it to the ground mostly intact, and by the time you get about fifty meters across now it can blow pretty big.
the ground. So now the thing that hit in your crater there's a cardiac it's made of mostly nickel iron is we found some pieces of it that didn't get completely they prize but Church human nickel cadmium? Yet, which is
nickel, so you know is not some new element that
nickel, our initiative,
Commonly found together in the universe, Supernova make them
and so there everywhere together. So it's not a surprise. We finally, together in Chad,
so things in the solar system. So, if I remember correctly them when they hit over Russia was a rocky stony meteorite.
but that's not what fell in Arizona, that's correct,
London hit over Russia was, was a kind of a common type of stony, Astrid some sort of average in its properties, but the one that the impact it in Arizona
two thousand years ago, that was made of mostly nickel and iron, so much higher density material. It wasn't a whole lot, bigger news about fifty meters across instead of twenty metres across, but probably a pretty high density. Compared to the stony object that exploded over Russia, the crew baby can seekers sixty two story.
I've been there several times its grave. They ve got Arizona put down on your list if, if you're a fan of this pot,
And go to Arizona waived,
as you go by Tucson, but then go to go to the creator.
I reckon they recommended is impressive,
There's a subway march, a concession stand up at the top
I'm going to say that I was going to say no
the island was far.
Next the millionaire
I don't know what this is
I'm say I Guanacos, ok, whatever I have waited croesuses high, I from the Philippines. Here what would be the place where humans could possibly survive? Earth destruction which-
still want to live after that is there any place? You can hide from a extinction level impact? Well, let's put it this way. It is thought we we. We know a lot about what happens
because we can look back at the at the child. At the event they wipe out the dinosaurs right and in full.
the meals home institution there at an age does a lot of research on this,
Americans even again and again in his museum and natural history, a lot of work on this. But basically we know from studying the fossil record that pretty much
a form of life that was bigger than about fifty pounds went extinct and that's because the food webs really collapse there wasn't want to eat for a very long time
life did eventually come back and re diversify after that impact event, but it took millions of years for that to happen. So it was not a fast process on our time steals so
would say that you know, maybe it's it's bad. We definitely don't want to stay
and ass. We learn about present day climate change that work causing as human beings by looking back at that abandoned, seeing exactly how things unfolded. In fact, I would.
The obvious conclusions in that event is that doing large, uncontrolled experiments on our atmosphere is a really bad idea, and we should be doing so. What reply was Amy? I think that this is an important point that you're making there, which is many people, thinks it when the asteroid hits
That's what kills you an extension? Little ass? We! No it's because it takes out the food chain right. It takes out the base of the food chain and everything that each that.
goes extinct, everything to eat the animals that eight the food ghosting, and so it's this wave of extinction percolating across the tree of life that can take about how
I want you to take all those animals to die. Do we know we know from the fossil record that it was pretty fast, but on geological
I'm scale, so in other words, that could have been in thousands of years of something like
thousands of years you we lose, we lose most of the species over thousands
here's, not because they they were hit by the asteroid itself, which is
get a small asteroid small
the size of Mount Everest, affecting life everywhere on on earth, and you made such an important point Amy that
the only way that can kill wife around
The other side of Europe is if it affected the climate,
and then we learn what we're doing
or are we
Amy are we and Everest scale collisions
put it this way or we should do everything in our power to make sure that we're not the asteroid or the common.
yeah cannot wait. At least we got the first part of a right ass, ass. Isn't, yes, it avoids hook,
don't be an asteroid. What
exquisite low everyone. My name is pronounced bridge really. Ok, what would it be possible to eventually put a detection system?
at points in space like the moon or Mars, and would it wouldn't even be necessary.
but detection were deep. Oh good, good! No, he says detection, but I, like your question to detect them
and you
it was through our eye. So I mean you know, of course we ve got ground based telescopes. We even have a space telescope right now we have new wise. The new object. Rifled inferences explore new eyes this project. I work on
and were building a new one. That's gonna go in space that will eventually replace near wise. Noise is now,
real, that's common euro subjects to bear,
and it's not gonna go on the moon, but it's gonna go just passed the orbit of the moon so back to much further away. In
support. If we have these telescopes us, we ve got the ruminants over toward that's gonna, be coming online into a pretty soon hotline
so with all of those expanded capabilities, we should be in pretty good shape. We should be able to map out where most of the really big stuff is. At that point,
how could we look at other options? Absolutely, and one of the things will do as we start to get data from the more advanced or basis will look at the population miles and figure out? Ok. What do we do about? The rest of the objects was the best way to search,
we could try building Astor or building observatories on the moon and on Mars, but it's hard to do that, of course,
If we can build a dinner ever start you everything address, not everything you just said is
just so that we know when to kiss our ask by you haven't, said anything about the lecture you just you just sort of our own now have a catalogue of all the things that will kill us and the date and time
so I need more than ever me. Yes, well off, while ok,
I'm hoping full stop. I am hoping that when we make urban catalogue, we find nothing nothing
That would be the best possible answer. O goodbye reader look out there and we see that you know what they all looked lessons
a thousand years- were good. We're. Fine, it's well fine, here
the buttons hours
but you know we could find that, and that would be the best case
we don't want, I wouldn't want to just assume the best case, though we do want to make plans for deflection, and that's that's where the dark mission comes in. That was a test of that kinetic impact.
and you can just kind of the easiest thing you can imagine. Readjustment
the australian spacecraft. There are other technologies, though, that we could look past like some
others Bruce well at this reactor gets the Bruce Willis Technology which I'm always in favour of, but
we can always umbra unless there's probably gonna help, not if you
what to do something else. You can look at something on the gravity, tractor and
talking about a gianduja tractor, I'm talking about a mass in space
Would you build a really big spacecraft, something very big and heavy, and you park it next to the austrian
And then you just sort of what the gravity of the spacecraft call on the asteroid and try to tow without the way course that only works. If you have it
really long time aware so, Tunisia gravitational tractor beam. I love the concept of a super pier.
Chuck. I think we might have to have only one more question sad because we talk about this, that the future of life on earth and we gotta fitted into our time slots
That's that's wrong. I mean honestly, it makes sense to you know, because we are sad,
as is the way we are responding to everything? Is Sarah had European? Here we go. I'm sorry, I didn't mean it down on humankind, I'm sure we'll get it together. Ok, here we go. This is Daniel, color, Caskey Daniel says first Doktor Thyssen or you consulted on the movie title ass, pretty funny
That's good! That's not the answer's! No, but as I watch the movie, I kept I've felt each of them,
Don't look ups as like a dagger into my heart
Ebay. I tell people to look up and using don't look up
movie is way more powerful than I am in messaging the public. So I was like tiny that you know the death of a thousand catch. There has been any says: SEC in Czech, just take a deep breath and then pronounced. My name is actually, as it looks, you'll get it
I what thank you for your very thank you very much for your very then instructed
I hope I thought I should have read diverse, because now I know that in the end and the third doktor minds in the opening scene, where LEO is calculating de trajectory of the asteroid, how is he able to do that? Accurately? Indiscreet steps, rather than using a method to calculate the
factory with calculus or a computer model. Could he really believe I was right, we'll scene in the movie condenses a kind of a bunch of things all together once we are trying to be sort of quick about it? But the upshot is that LEO is not an expert in combat discovery, so he's Goin back to grad, school and he's got a bunch of students with
kind of thought. You know if I were a professor in that situation
I probably would want to try to actually worked out the math if I could to show the students how it's done so another
use it as a teachable moment. Cylinder. The movie he's kind of using it as a teachable moment is looking at a textbook is trying to figure out them
for himself rather than just going right through the computer is actually trying to kind of work it out. If you look
fully you will see that they are using their laptops and he is actually writing stuff down on the board that their that they're getting off the computer so there
actually using the computer, but there's gonna be seen in the beginning, where he's he's got
I figure it out for himself a little bit just to make sure you understand that, and I think that's what I've been scientists will try it again, but I think the question was he showing discreet steps of the location of summit and then one step. The separation between earthen accommodates zero, wouldn't happen as a continuous calculation or earth or,
A mathematical function that guinea, like the guy said, whose name is we didn't pronounce, would use calculus, which then get you the continuous, so
Oh absolutely yet so you do use calculus, although the method that is using its referred to as gases method in this is the sort of a classical method of morbid determination. The idea is you actually iterate, so another
You make an initial gas and then you kind of
fine, the gas based on an estimate of how far off you are, and then you do?
again and again and again and after that, then you can start looking out discreet steps in time. Once you a pretty good idea what the orbit is. The next step is to figure out. Where is the object going at these specific points in time? So that's kind of what's shown their sort of a two step,
process there, no gas, my man, gossamer man, gases, the Google maps of or
Did you know, Gauss invented the method of least squares in statistics to solve the orbit
the first asteroid ever discovered. So this the asteroid series was in space moving,
and then it got lost in the sun's glare web. Where do we don't know where we didn't look? Gaza gap is so here's the preview.
measures. Extrapolate
into the future into the future, using these single best method possible, and to do that he invented the method of the square on asteroid. I'm just saying we got people everywhere, Workin workin us
Well, let us loud see was following events that gas tried harder on what he could have made it so Latro slip in one work. Messenger.
Sugar and Amy Gonna answer quick on this. Pretend you're insane pretend on the evening news and I gotta get me sound by ok. Go daddy, you got it. I haven't, got
this would be an easy one because we almost got to it
Mikhail measures such as what valuable resources exist and asteroids
and how much money could be made by mining them right directly related to the movie
now. I have said I have said Amy that the world's first trillion here will be the pursue, exploits the natural resources on asteroids, so
How am I right- or am I wrong- tell me here
I tell you what it's it's a science fiction question and allow ways, because it's really hard to do stuff in space weakened.
That kind of baseball size or copycat size, bunches of material bringing,
a lot more than that. So far has been duly challenging for us. Maybe we will get there some day, but right now we're still talk and baseball. Size amounts mature somewhere.
Were stolen. There I don't know, maybe we'll get their Sunday we need. We need some starting to happen first, if the other night,
two before the airplane, was invented. If you said, and sixty seven years can be walking on the moon, they would have put it, but they were committed. You fell. I mean.
it can't be more far off and working on them
before the Wright Brothers flew the cattle? It's it's
to say you know I've got some people have tried to predict the future and have been way way wrong. So I mean you know who knows, but I was what you want records we can embarrass, you ve got to figure it out and I think it is probably the gazed at it.
Ten years we're not gonna, be telling backhoe big chunks of Astrid, probably about ten years. Is too soon, but it all after that, who knows
it's very appealing to try to do it, because we all know that there is limited resources on earth. Fraid of all these rare materials right every do use them to make things like cell phones and computer screens and all this stuff. So we definitely want to find more sources of them, but it's just really hard to do stuff in space right now.
are the ring material back hopefully, some day we can figure all this stuff out, so that we can to ask for its back in ways that are safe and in Japan.
Extract the minerals, and especially asteroids, are money estimate that might have taken us out. Then we say so
are we going each revenge on those? As the last one word, question Amy
Are we all gonna die not from an asteroid? Oh
right. Inverted year ago, America, it still heart disease practice itself
each year, Broccoli, yet we will die if we behave the way they did in the movie revised sir,
that they made that clear. We got in
Amy a delight to have you back on start?
Don't do this again? Maybe we'll talk about infestations from space and planetary protection.
so know you got some thinking on that as well check. I was you too, have may always a pleasure all right. This has been startled cosmic queries, everything the Michaelis from space, Neil, the grass Thyssen here Europe.
Some astrophysicist the.
Transcript generated on 2022-02-15.