Observe our Ecological Interactions. Forecast Deep-Time Legacies. Archive the Essentials.
TROUBLESHOOTING TOMORROW
CONSOLIDATING FUTURE STUDIES
What should be archived for posterity generations? Is there an arena of research, or practical experimentation, you believe possesses a lingering impact for the future of life on Earth? Are you involved in existential risk profiling, techno-social integration studies, or have you identified a specific category of ‘essential information’ which should ideally be committed to multigeneration memory for the benefit of informing those who will one day inherit these legacies? What do you think posterity ‘needs to know’, or should we signpost particular material remnants under a cautionary ‘do not go’ classification?
Following on from the success of the initial Beyond the Earth study group, we are once again looking to operate a digital forum to enable international researchers and scholars to come together and deliberate over subjects that are essential for long-term communication strategies, or suggest themes and proposed fields which should rightly feature in our ‘After the Horizon’ initiative. This platform intends to again promote and nurture speculative theories with a healthy dose of science fiction, while enabling a plethora of philosophical landscapes and other multi-disciplinary perspectives to naturally arise when contemplating what information we should morally and ethically bequeath to the great silent majority yet to be born.
If you would like to participate, collaborate, or simply wish to contribute your own perspectives on what should feature in this archival debate, please register your interest, or submit your thoughts for inclusion in the preliminary table below. We encourage you to explore the shortlist, share your opinions to populate this directory, and perhaps to also identify future avenues we may one day investigate for the betterment of planetary custodianship and generational resiliency. Where possible, we will interlink some of these proposed fields with related projects now being pursued by third-parties. For the moment, this listing intends to simply display these fields while the foundation pursues the remaining project workloads.
List last updated 16 Jun 2024
Provisional Title:
General Description of Research Content(s):
A Pathogen Library
Documenting ‘crucial mutations’ within human and animal microbial pathogens (changes in; bacteria, fungi, protozoa, chromista, archaea, and viruses).
Tomorrow's Technologies
Tracking the emergence of controversial technological domains like; Nanobots/ nanites/ ‘grey goo’ systems, Molecular machines, Transhumanist enhancement technologies, and ‘Neo-Genesis’ (i.e., synthetic life, engineered by humankind).
The Redshift Almanac
Caching our observational data for Redshifting Astronomical objects presently accelerating away from the Sol System due to the processes of cosmic inflation.
A Cosmic Exchange
Establishing a diary for the reception, debates, and decisions made by SETI researchers during future ‘First Contact’ events as an account for future study.
Fifty Shades of Brown
A record of our changing relationships with brownfields and ‘sacrifice zones’ we choose to re-occupy, to inform those who will, one day, live upon these lands.
Adapt and Re-Adaptation
Chronicling the development of microbial antibiotic resistance to treatments and vaccines, along with general impacts on human immunological responses.
Dry-storing the ‘Wet Zoo’
Inscribing genome sequences for extinct and endangered species (it is unclear how useful these complex lists of figures may be should ‘wet’ samples perish). See the work of Revive & Restore for the potential applications of this ‘biobanking’.
A Tomb for our History’
Cultural achievements and literacy databases (several of our partnering organisations are already pursuing these ‘goodwill’ repositories to ‘preserve knowledge, our cultural heritage, and milestones in human history – forever’).
A Library of Unforgotten Voices
Documenting the locations for terrestrial time capsules and similar hardened archival sites (see; ‘International Time Capsule Catalog’ by the Oglethorpe International Time Capsule Society/ NotForgotten Digital Preservation Trust).
The Definitive Climate Record
Establishing a hardened record of contemporary climate data alongside humanities’ reactions to these widespread changes. See; 'Earth’s Black Box'.
Escaping the Sandbox
Documenting the emerging steps – and disruptions from – Artificial Intelligence. See; Future of Life Institute, the OECD AI Incidents Monitor, and the ‘AI Incident Database’.
Chronicling our Unfolding Age
Creating a hardened record of current events and printed news media gathered from across the globe. See; Memory of Mankind.
Comparative Language Library
Compiling an archive of world languages to safeguard against language loss, and aid in preserving linguistic diversity. See The Long Now Foundation’s ‘Rosetta Project’ and ‘PanLex Swadesh Corpora’.
The Modern Biota Tree
Inscribing our knowledge of the diverse branches on the tree of life, documenting evolutionary changes, biota relationships, and broken branches from our age.
Global Seed [Genome] Vault
Creating a secure, complementary backup (as inscribed genome sequences) for global seed vault initiatives to preserve the world's crop diversity.
Extreme Experiments
Recording datasets from experiments in high energy physics, sky surveys and other large-scale investments in scientific instrumentation/ international programmes – preserved to reduce the need to repeat costly experiments.
Our Marks Upon the Snow
Creating a sophisticated survey of human interactions across Antarctica – the seventh continent, which possesses no indigenous human population.
An Atlas of Sea Mining
Documenting the locations of sea mining operations, along with their stated missions, to record the sweeping ecological impacts across these regions of ocean.
Database of Rare Medical conditions
Preserving our evolving comprehension of rare human medical conditions – genetic disorders and other conditions with little available literature.
Where There’s Smoke
Conserving an intricate record of seismic and volcanic activity from known Supervolcano sites located across the globe with multi-millennial impacts. This area may eventually be integrated into our ‘Foreboding Lands’ registry.
The Hidden World
Documenting research undertaken in subterranean cave networks containing extremely isolated ecosystems,in addition to isolated biomes on the deep seafloor, for the benefit of future research into these near-unreachable regions of Earth.
When Branches Collide
Chronicling the dispersion of ‘neobiota’ or invasive species as habitats intersect and collide over time due to many climatic, anthropogenic, or migratory vectors. This component would integrate with ‘The Modern Biota Tree’ identified above.
A Brief Guide to International Accords
Preserving a referential repository of foundational multilateral agreements, regulations, and international treaties developed by the United Nations and other institutes for the betterment of balancing human and environmental rights.
On the Balancing of Many, Many Probabilities
Recording the multidisciplinary insights gleaned from existential risk (X-Risk) studies, in addition to the complementary musings from science fiction literature, to inspire future modes of thinking. See; The Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential, Laetus in Praesens and TASAT services.
A Museum of Lost Nations
Ensuring the preservation of local traditions, cultural memories, allegorical stories, and lore of island nations as they slowly slip beneath the rising tides. See the virtual museum of Tuvalu Metaverse plan as an example.