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Quote by Neil deGrasse Tyson

“When you're a hammer (as the saying goes), all your problems look like nails. If you're a meteorite expert pondering the sudden extinction of boatloads of species, you'll want to say an impact did it. If you're an igneous petrologist, volcanoes did it. If you're into spaceborne bioclouds, an interstellar virus did it. If you're a hypernova expert, gamma rays did it.”

Quote by Neil deGrasse Tyson

Book:Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries

Work

Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries

This book is a compilation of essays that delve into the mysteries of the universe, including black holes, dark matter, and other cosmic phenomena. The author discusses the scientific principles behind these phenomena and their potential impact on our understanding of the cosmos. more

Author

Neil deGrasse Tyson

Neil deGrasse Tyson is an American astrophysicist, science communicator, and television personality. Born on October 5, 1958, he is renowned for his deep understanding of the cosmos and his ability to popularize scientific knowledge. Tyson grew up in New York City and earned a Ph.D. in astronomy from Columbia University. He served as the director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History and has been a member of various scientific committees. more

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“The chunks of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 were so large, and were moving so fast, that each hit Jupiter with at least the equivalent energy of the dinosaur-killing collision between Earth and an asteroid 65 million years ago. Whatever damage Jupiter sustained, one thing is for sure: it's got no dinosaurs left.”

Years Earth Moving Energy Left Millions One Thing Years Ago Killing Damage Extinction Dinosaurs Chunks Collision Jupiter Comets Asteroids

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“The number of people in the world engaged in this search for catastrophic impactors totals one or two dozen. How long into the future are you willing to protect Homo sapiens on Earth? Before you answer that question, take a detour to Arizona's Meteor Crater during your next vacation.”

People World Long Two Earth Next Answers Numbers Willing Protect Engaged Vacation Dozen Extinction Homo Sapiens Arizona Detours Meteors Craters

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“But to carve the Grand Canyon, Earth required millions of years. To excavate Meteor Crater, the universe, using a sixty-thousand-ton asteroid traveling upward of twenty miles per second, required a fraction of a second. No offense to Grand Canyon lovers, but for my money, Meteor Crater is the most amazing natural landmark in the world.”

World Years Earth Universe Natural Millions Lovers Thousand Twenties Miles Sixty Offense Extinction Fractions Most Amazing Canyons Landmarks Asteroids Grand Canyon Meteors Craters

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“Seventy percent of Earth's surface is water and over 99 percent is uninhabited, so you would expect nearly all impactors to hit either the ocean or desolate regions on Earth's surface. So why do movie meteors have such good aim?”

Earth Water Ocean Percent Aim Surface Regions Seventies Extinction Desolate Meteors

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“If Earth ever suffers a runaway greenhouse effect (like what has happened on Venus), then our atmosphere would trap excess amounts of solar energy, the air temperature would rise, and the oceans would swiftly evaporate into the atmosphere as they sustained a rolling boil. This would be bad.”

Ifs Would Be Earth Suffering Energy Happened Air Effects Amount Ocean Atmosphere Excess Rolling Traps Extinction Temperature Venus Greenhouses Runaway Solar Energy

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“Something bad happened on both Mars with its dried-up watercourses and Venus with its runaway greenhouse effect. Could something bad happen on Earth too? Our species currently turns row upon row of environmental knobs, without much regard to long-term consequences.”

Long Happens Earth Turns Term Happened Effects Consequence Regard Species Environmental Long Term Mars Extinction Venus Greenhouses Runaway Knobs

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“Eventually, the Sun will swell to occupy the entire sky as its expansion subsumes the orbit of earth. Earth's surface temperature will rise until it matches the 3,000-degree rarified outer layers of the expanded Sun.... But not to worry. We will surely go extinct for some other reason long before this scenario unfolds.”

Long Reason Earth Worry Sun Sky Degrees Surface Layers Expansion Extinction Temperature Scenarios Orbit

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“Trillions of years into the future, when all stars are gone...all parts of the cosmos will cool to the same temperature as the ever-cooling background. At that time, space travel will no longer provide refuge because even Hell will have frozen over. We may then declare that the universe has died-not with a bang, but with a whimper.”

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Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson

“The persistent failures of controlled, double-blind experiments to support the claims of parapsychology suggest that what's going on is nonsense rather than sixth sense.”

Support Claims Blind Experiments Nonsense Controlled Persistent Pseudoscience Sixth Sense Parapsychology

Book:Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries

Source: Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries

“But to measure cause and effect... you must ensure that a simple correlation, however tempting it may be, is not mistaken for a cause. In the 1990s the stork population of Germany increased and the German at-home birth rate rose as well. Shall we credit storks for airlifting the babies?”

Wells May Home Causes Simple Effects Baby Birth Rose Rate Population Credit Germany Mistaken Cause And Effect Tempting Correlation Pseudoscience Birth Rate Storks Home Birth

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson