Humans Approaching Intelligence Level Required for Interplanetary Life, Scientists Say

We haven't even made it to first base yet.

Are We There Yet?

Humans might be smart enough to accomplish interplanetary life within the next 200 years, scientists said this week.

A team of eight researchers published a new study in the preprint journal Arxiv and said humanity could become a Kardashev Type I Civilization by the year 2371.

The Kardashev model was made in 1964, according to the study, to assess how close a civilization is to conquering space and interplanetary travel. It's largely based on the kinds of energy each civilization can use and store, and the researchers said humans have to learn how to harness renewable energy before we even hit the first milestone.

Below Average

A Type I civilization is a "planetary civilization" that has harnessed all of the major energy forms on its home planet. Humans, not having conquered nuclear and renewable energy sources yet, don't qualify.

Type II civilizations are  "stellar civilizations" and  must be able to obtain and store all the energy its parent star releases. Type III is called a "galactic civilization" and can access and control much of the energy the entire galaxy generates.

Two Birds

The study suggests humans will eventually need to escape Earth to survive a future cataclysmic event of some kind. If their warnings about Earth's limited resource abilities and the need to develop into an interplanetary species are true, it's just another reason to fight climate change and invest in new energy sources before it's too late.

To leave our planet for good, we'll need to harness renewable and nuclear energy. We equally need those investments to prevent bleaching coral reefs, mass extinction events and other climate disasters.

In this case we could actually save two birds with one stone.

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