Z/Yen : Our Scans

Clathrates

LATEST: With emerging reports that water may be warming at depths not previously seen, there is a growing concern that clathrate deposits in the Arctic will destabilize and release massive amounts of both ...

Nanotechnology

LATEST: Mobile games will be one of the largest markets between 2023 to 2027, experiencing an average growth of 6.57% per year at a value of $220 billion.

Rogue Microbes

LATEST: The greatest causes of death will be from accidents, crimes, environmental calamity and the rapid spread of rogue diseases that are resistant to known cures.

Space War

LATEST: China's growing emphasis on militarizing space greatly increases the potential of space war, which is a situation that might seriously jeopardize international security.

Stellar Explosion

LATEST: a.

Unknown knowns

LATEST: Unilever's Knorr (another WBCSD member) is adding plant-based ingredients to its product lineup, and has set a goal to make 50% of its foods plant-based by 2025.

Supervolcano

LATEST: The discovery of a colossal lithium deposit in the McDermitt Caldera on the Oregon-Nevada border could redefine global energy politics.

Paranormal

LATEST: The facilitating communication claim could mean that Telepathy is meant to help paralyzed people communicate by way of typing on an external device, but it could also mean allowing telepathic commu...

Cyber attack

LATEST: AI-driven threats are accelerating, enabling criminals to automate cyber attacks and create deepfake scams, such as one that resulted in a $25 million theft.

Solar flare

LATEST: Scientists closely monitor solar activity to predict solar flares and mitigate their effects on Earth and in space.

Nuclear winter

LATEST: China, Russia and the United States could see food production fall up to 97% under nuclear winter models and would be forced to rely on new food production technologies.

Bio weapons

LATEST: The possibility of resurgent biological warfare programs built around toxin and pathogenic agents enhanced through genetic recombination will be a threat to world security as long as nations or ter...

Supernova

LATEST: Catastrophic events on Earth have previously wiped out many long-lived species, and there's a small but non-zero chance that Earth could, in any given year, get obliterated - by an undetected ...

Known unknowns

LATEST: The Argentine pope has repeatedly warned in recent weeks against the spread of the conflict in the Middle East into a regional war with unforeseen consequences.

Electromagnetic pulse

LATEST: The year 2025 will feature terrorist attacks in the United States, biological attacks, and an EMP or electromagnetic pulse causing widespread fires and destruction.

Extraterrestrial

LATEST: ISRO has made significant advancements by successfully germinating lobia seeds in space, a vital step in exploring the potential for sustainable food sources in extraterrestrial environments.

Climate change

LATEST: The future could bring a sharp increase in space debris as satellites start to get stuck in Earth's orbit because of climate change.

Ecosystem collapse

LATEST: The Bank of England might need a war with Russia as an excuse to default on its debt, which could lead to a collapse of the global financial system.

Pandemics

LATEST: The COVID-19 pandemic, while less lethal in terms of raw mortality, demonstrated the profound disruption a novel virus can cause to global supply chains, international travel, and even the fundamen...

Antimicrobial resistance

LATEST: Common One Health issues threatening people, animal and the environment include endemic zoonotic diseases, vector-borne diseases, antimicrobial resistance, food safety, environmental contamination ...

Asteroid

LATEST: NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, in collaboration with global observatories like Pan-STARRS, the Catalina Sky Survey, and NEOWISE, constantly monitors asteroids to assess potential...

Capitalism

LATEST: Concerns are rising about the US economy and a possible recession amid new tariff threats.

Geoengineering

LATEST: Europe should ban the use of geoengineering methods to tackle climate change over concerns that the untested methods could lead to unintended consequences.

Super Tsunami

LATEST: Even a moderate earthquake in the eastern Mediterranean could set off a tsunami with the potential to affect a large proportion of the 130m people who live on its coastline.

Superintelligence

LATEST: The ultimate leap to artificial superintelligence (ASI) involves machines that surpass human intelligence, presenting unparalleled opportunities for innovation alongside significant ethic...

Genetic modification

LATEST: While the ethical considerations surrounding gene editing remain complex, 2025 could see advancements in gene therapies for a wider range of diseases, offering hope for millions of patients.

Neobiota

LATEST: The challenges discussed include Russia's invasion of Ukraine and threatening to use nuclear weapons if Ukraine targets Russian cities with intercontinental ballistic missiles carrying convent...

Ozone depletion

LATEST: SDGs & socioeconomic co - benefits - Reducing methane emissions by 30% below 2020 levels by 2030 could avoid roughly 6 million premature deaths per year due to ozone exposure and about 1,6...

Hypersonics

LATEST: In an executive order on Monday, Trump called for the creation of an Iron Dome for America to counter ballistic and hypersonic missile threats, reviving parts of a controversial Reagan-era plan nic...

Coronavirus

LATEST: People with disability are overrepresented amongst the poorest and most marginalised people globally, disproportionately affected by health threats such as the COVID-19 pandemic and increasingly at...

Nationalism

LATEST: The domestic terrorism designation could give law enforcement sweeping authority to surveil people protesting against Elon Musk's role in the US federal government.

Totalitarianism

LATEST: The EU should manage its relationship with China carefully, both embracing the opportunities for European consumers while selectively confronting China when strategic interests dictate.

Unknown unknowns

LATEST: A big wild card is the threat of President Donald Trump's tariffs, which could throw Canada into recession if imposed and force the Bank of Canada to cut rates further.

Global Scans · Existential threats