K Sera asks if it is obvious that Merfolk (or any intelligent life that is stuck in the water) cannot advance their civilization because of their environment.

 

Show notes:

Europa Clipper

Medium article about this very subject

 

K Sera's after thoughts:

- I have since learned that cement cures just fine underwater, so it may be that there is a way to build cement bricks underwater or somehow pour and set them underwater. Not sure how mixing the materials underwater would work, however. I wish I knew more about this!

- Being able to successfully leave the current, “safe” environment might be a good measure of a species’ evolutionary advancement. It seems like a good measurement for maturity advancement (on a smaller scale), when a child “leaves the nest” and graduates on to adulthood. It’s kind of similar? The next step for us is space. After that? Who knows!

 

Phil's after thoughts:

-I am excited for the Europa mission (should be in two years. from the time of publishing this episode)!

-I do think that a life that is confined only to water (and does not have access to land resources) will never evolve past the stone age.

-But my final question of "What is Humanities barrier to the next stage of civilization, and what would the next stage of civilization even look like?" still has me thinking.