It turns out that astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson is right. The Earth is bad for human life. Just look at the huge asteroid that hit western Siberia today, creating a shock wave that injured more than 1,000 people.
“The blast,” according to an article in the New York Times, “was caused by a 10-ton meteor, of a type known as a bolide, which created a powerful shock wave when it hit the Earth’s atmosphere. …Scientists believe the bolide exploded and evaporated at a height of about 20 to 30 miles above the Earth’s surface, but that small fragments — meteorites — may have reached the ground.”
Tyson, in one of FORA.tv’s most-popular videos, talks about what happens if 99942 Apophis, a near-Earth asteroid, hits Earth in April 2029.
Neil deGrasse Tyson: Attack of the Killer Asteroid from Commonwealth Club on FORA.tv
And it’s not just asteroids that make Earth a dangerous place:
Neil deGrasse Tyson: Earth Is Bad for Life from City Arts & Lectures on FORA.tv
