Mining asteroids, traveling on laser beams, and developing self-aware robots: science fiction or science fact? World-renowned physicist and futurist Michio Kaku says that these milestones are not only in humanity's future, but are beginning to occur right now. Dr. Kaku joins the Curiosity Podcast for a fascinating inside look at interstellar travel, artificial intelligence, human immortality, and alien contact. 

More reading from Curiosity:

We'll Say Goodbye To Our Planet In 1,000 Years, Says Stephen Hawking

Two Countries Have Made Space Mining Legal. But Is That, Well, Legal?

Astronomers Have Found 7 Earth-Sized Planets Around The Same Star

String Theory Says We Have at Least 10 Dimensions, but That's Not the Weirdest Thing About It

The Kardashev Scale Is A Tool To Measure A Civilization's Advancement

Why the Three Laws of Robotics Wouldn't Work — and What Would Instead

A Ban on Killer Robots is a No-Brainer, Right? Not So Fast...

What's Elon Musk's Plan For Life On Mars?

People Are More Comfortable Around Robots When They're Programmed To Do One Very Human Thing

Learn About Life, The Universe, And Everything From A Theoretical Physicist

Additional links from Dr. Michio Kaku:

Official Website of Dr. Michio Kaku

Dr. Michio Kaku on Twitter @MichioKaku

"The Future of Humanity: Terraforming Mars, Interstellar Travel, Immortality, and Our Destiny Beyond Earth"

"Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel"

"The Future of the Mind: The Scientific Quest to Understand, Enhance, and Empower the Mind"

Other resources discussed:

How Elon Musk Names His Inventions | Inverse

New technology is forcing us to confront the ethics of bringing people back from the dead | Quartz

Eternime wants you to live forever as a digital ghost | CNET

Augmented Eternity and Swappable Identities | MIT

When you have an itch, what is happening under your skin? | HowStuffWorks

Cody Gough on Twitter @ProducerCody

Ashley Hamer on Twitter @SmashleyHamer