Erasmus Darwin was the grandpa of the more famous Charles , a scientist in his own right , and an inadvertent supervillain . In an sweat to make good afternoon saunter more pleasant , he came up with a terraforming idea that was bizarre , inspiring , and — look back — nearly apocalyptic .
Erasmus Darwin was a member of a society known as the Lunar Society or theLunarticks . That on its own should have been a sign of the zodiac . This was a club of men who had an interested in the across-the-board potential definition of the sciences . They receive once a month , when the moon was full , and discussed any idea they could come up with . It could imply doctrine , theology , philology , applied science , biology , or any other subject that required written report but was subject to young idea .
The society also drank during its merging , which is possibly why one of its member invented a sail - drive pram that die so tight it was view a danger by the local townsfolk . ( No judgement . I would enjoy a sail - aim carriage . In fact , that might be the most viable selection for travel in San Francisco . )
Darwin exit even further . He came up with a room to “ terraform ” the world . This was at a clock time when , to compound power , “ life in the tropics , ” mean malaria , dengue fever , and a thousand other illness . The heat alone was a challenge — one Darwin resolve to overcome . He knew that the nations of Europe had huge navy blue , and he learn the accounts of Explorer out in the golosh . The world should unite , send all their boats out to the arctic and south-polar , rope some berg , and take them down to the equator . The iceberg lettuce need n’t be utter system of weights . It would be relatively uncomplicated toaffix sails to themand sail them through the ocean like a wind - power - stroller through a township .
To the masses of Darwin ’s prison term , that sounded like a form of madness . To us , it voice like several kinds of madness . We ’re trying to stave off the damage done by clime change , and he was literally trying to equalize the temperature everywhere on Earth , without a thought to the consequences . Needless to say , the plan did n’t go through . So let ’s all take a abbreviated moment to give thanks for orbicular discord , which kept the world from uniting to destroy itself .
Image : NSF / Josh Landis
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