Fernando Alcoforado *
Cosmology is the branch of astronomy that studies the structure and evolution of the Universe as a whole, worrying both about its origin and its evolution. This article aims to present the scientific advances that need to be made in cosmology to contribute to the adoption of technological solutions to protect humanity from threats to its extinction coming from outer space. The future of humanity depends on the success achieved in advancing knowledge about the Universe, especially 10 major cosmological issues that need to be clarified so that humanity can, with scientific knowledge, adopt measures to protect itself from threats to its survival and seek locations in or outside the solar system that could be habitable by humans.
The 10 main cosmological questions are as follows: 1) Knowledge about the “Oort Cloud” and the “Kuiper Belt” located at the limits of the solar system where the comets are located; 2) Evidence of the existence of Nemesis, a brown dwarf star, which would constitute with the Sun a binary star that could launch by its gravitational action asteroids and comets located in the “Oort cloud” towards Earth; 3) Detection of gravitational waves aiming at the development of observational astronomy to probe the first moments of the Universe; 4) The nature of dark matter and dark energy to understand the Universe; 5) Threats on planet Earth from the collision of celestial bodies and cosmic rays emission; 6) Possible alternative habitable places for humans in and outside the solar system; 7) The size of the Universe to determine whether it is finite or infinite and its shape to determine whether it is flat or spherical; 8) The fate of our Universe whether there will be contraction starting a new Universe, expansion with its thermal death, the end of the Universe as a cold, dark and empty place or unlimited expansion until its disintegration; 9) The existence or not of parallel universes; and, 10) The development of the final theory or theory of everything, that is, of the unified field theory to explain and connect in a single theoretical structure, all physical phenomena joining quantum physics and the theory of general relativity in a single treatment theoretical and mathematical.
The top 10 cosmological issues presented in this article need to be elucidated without delay. The success in elucidating these cosmological issues will provide the conditions to get to know the Universe and, consequently, promote the technological advancement essential to the adoption of strategies aimed at the survival of humanity as a species.
To read the article, access the website <https://www.academia.edu/48988860/THE_ADVANCES_NEEDED_IN_COSMOLOGY_TO_SAVE_THE_HUMANITY_OF_EXTINCTION>.
* Fernando Alcoforado, 81, awarded the medal of Engineering Merit of the CONFEA / CREA System, member of the Bahia Academy of Education, engineer and doctor in Territorial Planning and Regional Development by the University of Barcelona, university professor and consultant in the areas of strategic planning, business planning, regional planning and planning of energy systems, is author of the books Globalização (Editora Nobel, São Paulo, 1997), De Collor a FHC- O Brasil e a Nova (Des)ordem Mundial (Editora Nobel, São Paulo, 1998), Um Projeto para o Brasil (Editora Nobel, São Paulo, 2000), Os condicionantes do desenvolvimento do Estado da Bahia (Tese de doutorado. Universidade de Barcelona,http://www.tesisenred.net/handle/10803/1944, 2003), Globalização e Desenvolvimento (Editora Nobel, São Paulo, 2006), Bahia- Desenvolvimento do Século XVI ao Século XX e Objetivos Estratégicos na Era Contemporânea (EGBA, Salvador, 2008), The Necessary Conditions of the Economic and Social Development- The Case of the State of Bahia (VDM Verlag Dr. Müller Aktiengesellschaft & Co. KG, Saarbrücken, Germany, 2010), Aquecimento Global e Catástrofe Planetária (Viena- Editora e Gráfica, Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, São Paulo, 2010), Amazônia Sustentável- Para o progresso do Brasil e combate ao aquecimento global (Viena- Editora e Gráfica, Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, São Paulo, 2011), Os Fatores Condicionantes do Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2012), Energia no Mundo e no Brasil- Energia e Mudança Climática Catastrófica no Século XXI (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2015), As Grandes Revoluções Científicas, Econômicas e Sociais que Mudaram o Mundo (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2016), A Invenção de um novo Brasil (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2017), Esquerda x Direita e a sua convergência (Associação Baiana de Imprensa, Salvador, 2018, em co-autoria) and Como inventar o futuro para mudar o mundo (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2019).