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Space Exploration Earth from Space History People

Astronaut Honors Holocaust Remembrance Day from space with “Moon Landscape” drawing by Holocaust victim Petr Ginz

NASA Astronaut Andrew Jay “Drew” Feustel, who is currently living and working aboard the International Space Station, published a photo on his Twitter account with a replica of the “Moon Landscape” drawing by Holocaust victim Petr Ginz to honor Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah). The replica of the painting was first flown in space by Ilan Ramon (June 20, 1954 – February 1, 2003), the first Israeli astronaut for NASA. Ramon has died in the re-entry accident of STS-107, the fatal mission of the Space Shuttle Columbia. Ilan Ramon’s mother and grandmother were Auschwitz survivors, and his grandfather and other family members perished in Nazi death camps.

Feustel took with him to space a copy of a special drawing entitled “Moon Landscape”, which was created by a Jewish Czech boy named Petr Ginz (1 February 1928 – 28 September 1944) while incarcerated in Terezin, Czechoslovakia, during World War II. The drawing depicts how Earth would look from the surface of the moon. Petr was fascinated by science fiction and inspired by his favorite author, the French novelist, poet, and playwright Jules Verne (8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905), to draw and write stories about a far-off world he would never visit. At the age of 16, Petr lost his life at Auschwitz.

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People

Here’s why saving more lives does not lead to overpopulation

The Earth is getting more crowded every single day. As of December 2017, the world population was estimated at 7.6 billion. It took 200,000 years for our human population to reach 1 billion, and only 200 years to reach 7+ billion. The United Nations estimates it will further increase to 11.2 billion in the year 2100. Another fact is, that now people live longer and healthier lives, and the infant mortality rate (IMR) is declining rapidly.

In the early 1800s, newborns were expected to live only a dismal 30 years. But, thanks to advances in farming, medicine, and sanitation, a newborn today can expect to live more than 70 years. Is that trend dangerous? Does saving more lives lead to overpopulation? In the video below, Bill Gates answers that question.

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People History

People today are living longer, healthier, and happier lives than ever before

In a video published by Bill Gates on his Youtube channel, originally titled “Humanity is fighting back against the Grim Reaper”, Steven Pinker, the Canadian-American cognitive psychologist, linguist, popular science author, and Johnstone Family Professor in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University explains why people today are living longer, healthier, and happier lives than ever before. Pinker is one of Gates’ favorite authors.

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Life on Earth Animals People Places

What would happen if humans became extinct?

In the last few thousand years, humans have had a powerful impact on Earth. Within a geological blink of an eye, we exploded out of Africa to colonize virtually every inhabitable space on the planet. We dammed the rivers, domesticated animals, deforested many areas, changed the chemistry of the atmosphere and the seas… the list goes on. But, what would happen if humans became extinct in the future?

One may think “humans are so intelligent, so it’s very unlikely that the entire human race will be gone”. But, in fact, there is a strong chance that it will happen, and probably not in the long run!

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People

If 100 People Lived on Earth Today

If the population of the world was only 100 people, instead of 8+ billion, while the statistics remain the same, what would today’s society look like? A video published by GOOD Magazine (produced and written by Gabriel Reilich, animation by Jake Infusino) answers that question.

Categories
People Climate Global Warming

Human Population Through Time [Video]

The Earth is getting more crowded every single day. As of 2023, the world population was estimated at 8 billion. Our planet is already overpopulated, and despite the growth of the population slowing down, the situation will be worse: the United Nations estimates it will further increase to 11.2 billion in the year 2100.

Here is a video published by the American Museum of Natural History showing the World’s population through time.

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Places People

Top 10 City Facts

Since the Neolithic revolution, humanity is building cities. Here are the top ten amazing facts about cities all around the world.