Imagine a world where a catastrophic event—be it a viral pandemic, nuclear war, or asteroid impact—has led to the collapse of civilization. Most of humanity has perished, but a small fraction survives. Even if 99% of the population were lost, millions would remain, akin to the population during the Bronze Age. These survivors have the potential to restart civilization, but only if they possess the necessary knowledge and skills.
As a member of a post-apocalyptic community, the pressing question is, “What do we do next?” The key is understanding the scientific knowledge and technological innovations needed to rebuild society. According to Professor Lewis D, author of “The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch,” the first step is to move away from urban areas. Cities, without their technological infrastructure, become hazardous due to the lack of water, gas, and electricity, and the risk of fires and explosions. Relocating to rural areas offers access to fresh water, firewood, and arable land for growing food.
In our modern world, famine is not a common concern due to advancements in food preservation like canning and refrigeration. However, in a post-apocalyptic scenario, securing food becomes a top priority. While rural living provides some resources, scavenging in cities for concentrated supplies is necessary. Prioritize consuming perishable items first, then dried goods, and finally canned food, which can last for decades. Remarkably, a single supermarket could sustain one person for 55 years, or 63 years if pet food is included.
Survival often requires ingenuity. Everyday items can be repurposed for survival needs. For instance, lip balm or hairspray can serve as fire accelerants, and a tampon’s cotton fibers make excellent kindling. Glasses can focus sunlight to ignite a fire, or a battery and wire can create sparks. Water, a critical resource, will soon stop flowing from taps. Filtering river water with simple materials like stockings or a bucket layered with coal and sand is essential. To purify water, solar disinfection (SODIS) can be used by placing water in a clear plastic bottle and exposing it to sunlight, allowing UV rays to kill harmful bacteria.
As society begins to recover, scavenging will no longer suffice, and creating items from scratch becomes necessary. Consider the complexity behind everyday objects like a pencil, which involves a network of resources and knowledge. The eraser is made from rubber, graphite might be sourced from Brazil, and the wooden casing requires tools for tree harvesting. Similarly, the global communications network, which enables text messaging, relies on a sophisticated system of radio waves, fiber optics, and technology.
To rebuild civilization, distilling the vast expanse of human knowledge into essential information is crucial. The scientific method plays a vital role in this process. Science is not merely a collection of facts but a systematic approach to understanding the world. Conducting experiments requires tools like microscopes and test tubes, which in turn need materials like glass. Interestingly, glass can be made from three basic ingredients: silica (from sand), soda ash (from seaweed), and lime (from seashells or limestone), all of which can be found on a beach.
While an actual apocalypse is unlikely, contemplating the process of starting from scratch can be enlightening. Understanding how things work and their origins enriches our lives. Science, which built our modern world, will be indispensable in rebooting civilization once again.
Imagine you are part of a small community of survivors. Develop a comprehensive survival strategy that includes relocation, food sourcing, and resource management. Present your plan to the class, highlighting the scientific principles and innovations you would prioritize to ensure the community’s survival and eventual growth.
Participate in a scavenging simulation game where you must gather resources from a virtual urban environment. Identify and prioritize items based on their perishability and utility. Discuss with your peers the challenges faced and the strategies employed to maximize resource collection and management.
Engage in a hands-on workshop where you create survival tools using everyday items. Experiment with making fire starters, water filters, and other essential tools. Share your creations with the class and explain the scientific concepts behind each hack.
Work in teams to design a blueprint for rebuilding a specific aspect of civilization, such as agriculture, communication, or transportation. Research the historical development of your chosen field and propose innovative solutions that could be implemented in a post-apocalyptic world.
Conduct experiments to explore the basic scientific principles necessary for rebuilding civilization. Create glass from raw materials, purify water using solar disinfection, or demonstrate the scientific method through simple experiments. Present your findings and discuss their implications for a post-apocalyptic society.
Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript:
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[Music] Let’s imagine there’s been some kind of global catastrophe—a doomsday event or an apocalypse. It could be a viral pandemic, a nuclear war, or an asteroid strike. Whatever the cause, civilization has collapsed, and the vast majority of humanity has perished. However, some people survive. Even if 99% of the world’s population were wiped out, millions would still remain—similar to the population during the Bronze Age. They could reboot civilization, but only if they knew what to do.
Imagine you are part of a community of post-apocalyptic survivors, and you’re now thinking, “What next?” What do we most need to know? What scientific knowledge and technological inventions could help us start rebuilding civilization from scratch?
I’m Professor Lewis D, a scientist and author of a book called “The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch.” During my research, I’ve examined various real-world case studies, such as the great blackout in New York City, shipwrecked sailors, and prisoners of war—examples of human ingenuity trying to recover and keep things running. This has become particularly relevant in light of the current global pandemic, which will not be the last of its kind. Many people are now considering the invisible infrastructure that supports our everyday lives.
After a collapse of civilization, you’ll want to move out of urban areas. While cities are convenient in our modern world, they become uninhabitable without the technological support that sustains them. Without water, gas, or electricity, cities can become dangerous, with fires breaking out and potential explosions from remaining gas or chemicals. My advice is to relocate to rural areas where you can support yourself—where you can access fresh water, firewood, and land for growing crops.
In today’s developed world, we no longer fear famine or starvation. Our scientific advancements have allowed us to preserve food through methods like canning and refrigeration. One of the top priorities in a post-apocalyptic scenario will be finding food. While living in rural areas, you may still need to scavenge in cities for resources, as they contain concentrated supplies. You would want to consume perishable items first, followed by dried goods, and finally canned food, which can last for decades.
To illustrate, I visited an average supermarket and counted all the edible items. I calculated that a single supermarket could sustain one person for 55 years, or 63 years if they were willing to eat pet food as well.
Now, let’s discuss some post-apocalyptic life hacks. Everyday items can be repurposed to help you survive. For instance, you can use accelerants like lip balm or hairspray to start a fire. Even a tampon can be useful, as it contains fine cotton fibers that make excellent kindling. If you have glasses, you can focus sunlight to start a fire, or use a battery and wire to create sparks.
Water will stop flowing from taps soon after a collapse. You might need to filter murky water from a river using simple materials like stockings or a bucket with layers of coal and sand. To purify the water, you can use a technique called solar disinfection (SODIS). By placing suspect water in a clear plastic bottle and leaving it in the sun, the UV rays can kill harmful bacteria, making the water safe to drink.
Eventually, as society begins to recover, scavenging will no longer be viable, and you’ll need to learn how to create things from scratch. Consider all the everyday items we take for granted. For example, even something as simple as a pencil relies on a vast network of knowledge and resources. The eraser is made from rubber, the graphite may come from Brazil, and the wooden casing requires tools to harvest trees.
The global communications network is another critical infrastructure we often overlook. Sending a text message involves a complex process of radio waves, fiber optics, and various technologies that work seamlessly together.
What we need to do is distill the vast amount of human knowledge into the essential information required to rebuild civilization. The scientific method is crucial for this process. Science is not just a collection of facts; it’s a systematic way of understanding the world. To conduct experiments, you need tools like microscopes and test tubes, which require materials like glass.
Interestingly, glass can be made from three simple ingredients: silica (found in sand), soda ash (from seaweed), and lime (from seashells or limestone). You can create glass from raw materials found on a beach.
While an actual apocalypse is unlikely, this thought experiment of starting from scratch can be enlightening. Understanding how things work and where they come from enriches our lives. Science built our modern world, and it will be essential for rebooting civilization once again.
[Music]
Survival – The ability to continue living or existing, especially under challenging conditions. – In the harsh environment of the Arctic, the survival of species depends on their ability to adapt to extreme cold and limited resources.
Resource – A source of supply or support that can be readily drawn upon when needed. – Efficient resource management is crucial for sustainable development and environmental conservation.
Management – The process of dealing with or controlling things or people, often in a business or scientific context. – Effective management of laboratory equipment ensures accurate and reliable results in scientific experiments.
Knowledge – Information, understanding, or skill that one gets from experience or education. – The advancement of scientific knowledge has led to significant breakthroughs in medicine and technology.
Technology – The application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry. – The development of renewable energy technology is essential for reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.
Science – The systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment. – Science has provided us with a deeper understanding of the universe and our place within it.
Experiments – Scientific procedures undertaken to test a hypothesis, demonstrate a known fact, or discover new information. – The experiments conducted in the laboratory confirmed the theoretical predictions of the chemical reaction.
Rebuilding – The process of constructing again something that has been damaged or destroyed. – After the earthquake, the city focused on rebuilding its infrastructure with improved safety standards.
Ingenuity – The quality of being clever, original, and inventive, often in the context of problem-solving. – The scientist’s ingenuity led to the development of a novel approach to cancer treatment.
Critical – Involving careful judgment or evaluation, often essential for making informed decisions. – Critical analysis of the data revealed significant flaws in the initial research methodology.
