Neil deGrasse Tyson on why the West is declining

Summary

The transcript discusses the global landscape of scientific research, highlighting the United States' stagnation and the rise of Japan and China. It laments Africa's minimal presence in science despite its vast resources. The narrative criticizes the U.S.'s complacency in space exploration, contrasting its past achievements with the current reality of limited federal funding for NASA. The speaker emphasizes the importance of space investment for innovation and the future, using the cosmic perspective to remind us of our place in the universe and the interconnectedness of all life on Earth.

Takeaways

• 🌍 The script discusses the global distribution of scientific activity, highlighting the relative contributions of different countries and regions.
• 📉 The United States is depicted as a leading country in science, but the narrative suggests a need for vigilance regarding its status.
• 🔍 The focus is on the change in scientific activity from 2000 to 2010, which indicates trends and the future landscape of science worldwide.
• 📚 Europe and Japan are shown to have significant scientific output, while Africa's contribution is diminishing, which is described as a tragedy.
• 🚀 The script touches on the history of space exploration, emphasizing that the United States is not the pioneer it often perceives itself to be.
• 💸 NASA's budget is revealed to be a tiny fraction of the federal budget, dispelling the common misconception that it receives a large portion of funding.
• 🌌 The importance of space exploration is underscored, with the speaker expressing concern about the United States falling behind in this domain.
• 🌠 The script includes a powerful quote from John F. Kennedy, highlighting the competitive nature of the space race and its ties to national pride and strategy.
• 🌎 A cosmic perspective is offered, reminding us of our smallness in the universe and the interconnectedness of all life on Earth.
• 🌿 The updated tree of life is mentioned, illustrating the diversity of species and our place within the animal kingdom.
• 🌐 The script concludes with a call to recognize our role as participants in the unfolding story of Earth, rather than dominant figures.

Q & A

What is the main point of the discussion about the map of scientific activity?

The main point is to highlight the changing landscape of scientific activity across the world, showing how some regions like China and Europe are expanding, while others like Africa are shrinking, indicating a shift in the global distribution of scientific research and innovation.

Which country is mentioned as having a significant presence in the scientific activity map?

Japan is mentioned as having a significant presence, with a large purple region on the map, indicating a strong contribution to scientific research.

What is the concern expressed about Africa's representation on the scientific activity map?

The concern is that Africa's representation is shrinking compared to its actual size in the world, which is seen as a modern-day tragedy given the continent's natural resources and potential for scientific growth.

How does the speaker feel about the United States' current position in space exploration?

The speaker expresses concern and disappointment, noting that the United States is not as much of a leader in space exploration as it once was, and that other countries like Russia have been pioneers in various aspects of space technology.

What is the actual percentage of the federal budget that NASA receives?

NASA receives 0.005% of the federal budget, which is half of 1%, a very small fraction of the overall budget.

What was the purpose of John F. Kennedy's quote about space exploration?

Kennedy's quote emphasized the competitive nature of the space race with the Soviet Union, highlighting that the United States needed to focus on reaching the moon not just for exploration, but as a strategic move in the context of the Cold War.

What is the significance of the image of Saturn eclipsing the sun, as described in the script?

The image of Saturn eclipsing the sun is significant because it provides a stunning visual representation of the scale and beauty of the solar system, and it also serves as a reminder of the vastness of space and the smallness of Earth in comparison.

How does the updated tree of life illustrate our place in the universe?

The updated tree of life shows the interconnectedness of all living species, with humans (Homo sapiens) being just a small part of the vast diversity of life on Earth. It emphasizes that we are not dominant rulers but participants in the unfolding story of life on our planet.

What is the pale blue dot mentioned in the script, and what does it represent?

The pale blue dot refers to Earth as seen from a great distance, specifically from a spacecraft. It represents the fragility and insignificance of our planet in the vastness of space, and it serves as a reminder of the importance of unity and cooperation among all humans.

Why does the speaker argue that investing in science and technology is important for the future?

The speaker argues that investing in science and technology is crucial because it drives innovation and progress, which are essential for addressing global challenges and ensuring that nations do not fade into obscurity as the world evolves.

Outlines

00:00

🌍 Global Scientific Activity and Trends

This paragraph discusses the distribution of scientific activity across the world, highlighting how some countries like the United States and Japan are leading in science, while Africa is lagging behind despite its rich natural resources. It emphasizes the importance of innovation and investment in science and technology, and how the United States' complacency in this area could lead to a decline in its global scientific influence. The paragraph also touches on the historical achievements of the United States in space exploration and the need for a renewed focus on these efforts.

05:01

🚀 NASA's Budget and Space Exploration

The second paragraph focuses on the misconceptions about NASA's budget, revealing that it receives only a tiny fraction of the federal budget. It addresses the common argument of reallocating space exploration funds to address earthly problems, using a quote from John F. Kennedy to illustrate the strategic importance of space exploration during the Cold War. The speaker also provides a cosmic perspective by discussing the insignificance of Earth in the vastness of the universe, as depicted in an image of Saturn eclipsing the Sun, and reflects on humanity's place in the grand scheme of life.

10:03

🌳 The Connectedness of Life

This paragraph delves into the concept of the tree of life, showing a circular representation that illustrates the interconnectedness of all living species. It points out that humans, Homo sapiens, are just a small part of this vast network of life. The speaker zooms in on the 'Animals' branch to locate humans, emphasizing that we are not dominant rulers of Earth but rather participants in the unfolding story of life alongside all other life forms. The paragraph conveys a message of humility and interconnectedness in the face of the natural world.

Keywords

💡Science

Science refers to the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experimentation. In the video, it is used to discuss the global scientific output and the relative contributions of different countries, highlighting the importance of scientific research and innovation in shaping the future.

💡Global Scientific Output

This term refers to the collective scientific research and publications produced by countries around the world. The video uses this concept to illustrate the changing landscape of scientific activity, emphasizing the need for countries to invest in science and technology to remain competitive and innovative.

💡Innovation

Innovation is the process of creating new ideas, methods, or products. It is a key driver of economic growth and societal advancement. The video underscores the value of innovative investments in science and technology, suggesting that countries that fail to innovate risk falling behind in the global scientific community.

💡Aerospace Industry

The aerospace industry involves the design, manufacturing, and operation of vehicles that travel through the Earth's atmosphere and beyond. The video mentions Brazil's contributions to this industry, indicating the importance of space exploration and technology development in the global scientific arena.

💡NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is the United States government agency responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research. The video discusses NASA's limited budget relative to the federal budget, highlighting the challenges of funding space exploration and the importance of maintaining a strong space program.

💡Space Exploration

Space exploration refers to the ongoing discovery and study of celestial objects, space travel, and the development of related technologies. The video reflects on the historical achievements of space exploration and the need for continued investment to maintain leadership in this field.

💡Cosmic Perspective

The cosmic perspective is a viewpoint that emphasizes the vastness of the universe and the relative insignificance of human concerns when compared to the scale of the cosmos. The video uses this concept to provide a broader perspective on human existence and the importance of understanding our place in the universe.

💡Pale Blue Dot

The term 'pale blue dot' refers to Earth as seen from a great distance, famously captured in a photograph taken by the Voyager 1 spacecraft. The video uses this image to illustrate the fragility and unity of our planet, encouraging a sense of shared responsibility for its preservation.

💡Tree of Life

The tree of life is a metaphorical representation of the evolutionary relationships among various biological species. The video presents an updated tree of life to show the interconnectedness of all life forms on Earth, emphasizing the concept of biodiversity and our role as part of a larger ecosystem.

💡Homo Sapiens

Homo sapiens is the Latin name for the human species, meaning 'wise man'. The video places humans within the context of the tree of life, highlighting our relatively recent appearance in the evolutionary timeline and our interconnectedness with other life forms.

Highlights

The United States is leading in science, but other countries' contributions are changing.

Japan is making significant strides in science, as seen on the map.

Africa's scientific output is shrinking, which is a modern-day tragedy given its natural resources.

Europe's scientific output is growing, with Eastern Europe in blue and Western Europe in pink.

Brazil's aerospace industry is notable on the map.

The focus should be on the change in scientific output from 2000 to 2010, not just the current output.

China's scientific output has grown significantly during the given period.

Africa's scientific output has become even smaller, indicating a concerning trend.

The United States' perception of being space pioneers is challenged by historical facts.

Yuri Gagarin was the fourth mammal to achieve orbit, after dogs, guinea pigs, and mice.

The rocket formula, crucial for space travel, was developed by the Russians.

NASA's budget is only 0.005% of the federal budget, contrary to common misconceptions.

Investing in space is not just about exploration but also about technological and scientific advancement.

John F. Kennedy's quotes reveal the competitive nature of the space race with the Soviet Union.

The cosmic perspective can be humbling, as illustrated by the image of Earth as a speck from Saturn.

Carl Sagan's 'pale blue dot' concept emphasizes the insignificance of human conflicts when viewed from space.

An updated tree of life shows the interconnectedness of all life on Earth, with humans being just a small part of it.

The narrative challenges the notion of human dominance over the Earth, positioning us as participants rather than rulers.

Transcripts

so this is a measure of who's doing the

most science in the world some countries

will shrink relative to that area you

see here others will expand depending on

how active they are in science so let's

check out what happens when we do

this well United States is sitting fat

and pretty there I'd say that's America

yeah yeah okay

wait what's that big purple region away

whoa what was that what's that

purple

whoa what country is that Japan kicking

major science butt on the map right

there one of the great tragedies is

Africa shrinking to nothing in area on

this chart compared with the area it

actually occupies in the world that is a

modern-day tragedy right there given the

natural resources that are prevalent

within it Europe is huge they split

formerly Eastern Europe that's in Blue

from Western Europe that's in those

shades of pink

so oh and there you have uh Brazil

looking that's the Aerospace industry

kicking in there all right so we so you

look at this you say hey we're doing

pretty good Tyson what are you

complaining about

okay

okay this is the wrong

map what you want to look at is not how

much science is going on no you want to

look at the

change in how much science is going on

from the year 2000 to 2010 that's the

trend line that is the future of the

world compare the difference in

published research papers in all science

is between

2000 and 2010 and you get

this Europe is even bigger Japan is even

bigger China is

huge Africa is even

smaller this is the changing landscape

of the

world as everyone else understands the

value of innovative investments in

science and technology in ways that we

do not we slowly fade this is the fading

that worried me when Russia says oh you

guys want to join us for a mission that

will save your West

Coast you say well sure well we got our

space program we lead the world in space

how about

space we've got some faulty memory going

on one of them is that we're space

Pioneers that's a faulty memory

okay Yuri Gagarin was launched into

orbit 50 years ago April 12th okay we

all know that did you know

however that he and I tweeted this by

the way he was the fourth mammal to

achieve this

feed after dogs guinea pig and

mice then we sent then a human they all

Russian a Russian dog Leica guinea pig

and mice then Yuri Gan so how so let's

look at the full

list dogs G in order dogs Guinea P

guinea pigs mice Russian human

chimpanzee American

human does that sound like we're

Pioneers

here we come behind Russian

mice the Russians did all this first

that they came up with the rocket

formula for goodness sake this is the

formula tells you that most of the fuel

in your rocket that's yet to be burned

requires fuel to lift it to a place so

that you can later on burn it that's why

the Saturn 5 rocket 32 stories tall the

astronauts you're and the up little bitt

B and all the rest is a bomb basically

all

right

first satellite first animal first human

first woman first black person in space

first to land on the moon with the with

the uh robots first lunar rover they

photograph The Far Side of the Moon

Earth rise from the Moon Venus Mars

space walk the now we have a few first

we have a couple first space docking

first to land on the moon we cross the

asteroid belt first first to achieve

hyperbolic velocity velocity that

escapes the solar say okay but still

this is hard what you would call

pioneering behavior let's see what

NASA's been up to

NASA that's how you spell it NASA right

there

um NASA actually doesn't get much money

people think it gets a lot of money well

that's actually quite a compliment to

NASA most people think NASA gets 10% of

the federal budget

20% maybe as little as 5% of the federal

budget but NASA actually gets is 1 half

of 1% of the federal budget

0.005 times the federal budget so this

is 1 half of 1% one half of a penny on

your tax dollar if you pull out a dollar

bill and you cut one half of 1% of its

width you don't even get into the ink

you still in the outer border of that

bill that is NASA's annual budget and it

pays for the space shuttle all launch

Vehicles the Mars rovers Hubble Space

Station astronauts NASA centers space

missions all of

it so the people say why are you

spending money up there and not down

here that's not that much M wait what

are you saying what you think if we took

this money from the federal if you said

let's not spend this because we have

problems on earth oh okay let's take

this and give it to the problems on is

that going to solve those problem you

think this little s

of the put it

back let me keep going here we we

somehow believe that we were leaders and

Visionaries in space Here's an

interesting quote I'm not that

interested in space I wonder who said

that huh John Kennedy to James web in

1962 that's who said that how about this

quote there Kennedy again this is

whether we like it or not a race

everything we do ought to be tied to

getting to the moon so it had nothing to

do with we're explorers we're

Visionaries we where's our DNA we're

American it's like no we're at

War Russia is beating us in every

measurable

way so I so I'm I'm angry I'm angry so I

have to I have to calm

down and then sort of take a cleansing

breath and bring to you the cosmic

perspective now okay so now the cosmic

is not all it's not always it's not

always make you feel big most of the

time it makes you feel little so I'm

just just warn you before you start

applauding okay now that dude up there

he might applaud no matter what

okay who is happy to learn how stupid we

are about the

universe my favorite planet Saturn

viewed from the front but let's go

behind it and view it with one of our

satellites and you'll view Saturn

eclipsing the sun one of the most

stunning images ever to come out of the

NASA portfolio the sun is behind Saturn

in this image and the sunlight is

Illuminating the outer rim of the upper

clouds of the ball and you see the ring

system illuminated from

behind Saturn

now we're looking towards the inner

solar system because the sun is behind

Saturn Saturn's far

away Saturn is 10 times farther from the

Sun than Earth

is so let's actually let's zoom in a bit

I see something there wait what's

that oh there's a little

speck oh that's Earth by the way sorry I

meant to tell you that that little speck

that four

pixel Speck

is planet

Earth you want to get a feeling for that

go listen to Carl Sean recite his own

words about a pale blue dot where on

that Speck is everyone you've ever

known all wars that have been fought

over temporary demarcations in soil that

exists on that

spec how

full of ourselves we

are when viewed only from

Earth other ways to view this let me

give you an updated tree of

life that's an updated Tree of Life done

in a circular pattern the beginning of

time is in the center and time extends

outward there are 3,000 species names of

3,000 species written on the Outer Rim

but that's only like you know one tenth

of 1% of the known species so these are

just sort of Representative species

there and you see the continuous

branching and each branch contains a

major sort of commonality of DNA but in

the end everything comes back because

we're all connected so you say well

where are we oh okay we must be up in

the Animals part because we're not fungi

and we're not plants I'm pretty sure of

that so let's zoom into that oh so you

are there oh there we are there we are

Oh no I got to get closer wait we got to

get even

closer yep let me get even

closer there we go Homo

sapiens there we go all pixelated out

there we go there we

go by the way seeing trees of life

written this way tell us with great

strength that it's not we who dominate

the Earth we're sort of participants in

unfolding of the Earth with all the

other life forms and more in that at a

moment