The first crewed mission to Mars could launch as soon as the 2030s, and, according to some scientists, it may be just a few decades before we attempt to establish permanent colonies on the Red Planet. But, to keep such colonies up and running, scientists would need to account for issues well beyond the extraordinary logistics of getting there. Presented as a series of interplanetary postcards, this short animation probes short-term and long-term quandaries of procreation and childrearing beyond our home planet, including: could childbirth and development removed from the physics of Earth create new human subspecies? And would it be ethical to rear and raise children in extreme and isolated environments?
Would children born beyond Earth ever be able to return to humanity’s home planet?
Video by BBC Ideas and the Royal Society
Animator: Christopher Brooks
14 June 2023
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