The Insane Biological Cost of Living on Mars - Scott Solomon

Scott Solomon is an evolutionary biologist, professor, and author. Since the earliest days of science fiction, we’ve wondered what it would mean to live on Mars. Today, that question is no longer hypothetical. As humanity moves closer to becoming an interplanetary species, a new question emerges: what happens when humans are born and raised on another world? How would Mars change our bodies, our minds, and the future of evolution? Expect to learn if it is possible for humans to live on Mars, how humans who were born on Mars will evolve with their new environment, if there have ever been any astronauts who have had sex in space, what being on Mars could do to morph the human brain, and how living in space will change our Biology and much more… - 0:00 Is Living on Mars Actually Possible? 3:44 Is Space Exploration Evolutionary? 13:17 What Space Flight Really Does to the Body 21:46 How Dangerous is Space Radiation? 25:14 What Would Mars Do To the Human Body? 30:52 Will Mars Accelerate Genetic Mutations? 33:39 Would Life On Mars Create Selection Bottlenecks? 38:15 The Personality Traits You’d Need to Survive Mars 42:59 Who Should Really Be in Charge on Mars? 46:37 What Long-Term Isolation Does to the Mind 56:26 Can Humans Reproduce in Space? 01:06:44 How Long Will Speciation Take on Mars? 01:15:00 The Ethical Dilemmas of Living on Mars 01:21:51 Where to Find Scott - Get 10% discount on all Gymshark products at https://gym.sh/modernwisdom (use code MODERNWISDOM10) Get the brand new Whoop 5.0 and your first month for free at https://join.whoop.com/modernwisdom Get 35% off your first subscription on the best supplements from Momentous at https://livemomentous.com/modernwisdom New pricing since recording: Function is now just $365, plus get $25 off at https://functionhealth.com/modernwisdom - Get access to every episode 10 hours before YouTube by subscribing for free on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn or Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Get my free Reading List of 100 life-changing books here - https://chriswillx.com/books/ Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic here - https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom Check out Paul's book - ⁠https://tinyurl.com/yx9sdksa⁠ Paul's website - ⁠https://tinyurl.com/3ter5bcw⁠ Paul's podcast - ⁠https://tinyurl.com/4tmtnys8⁠ Paul's Instagram - ⁠https://tinyurl.com/4w7skd82 - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

Chris WilliamsonhostScott Solomonguest

Feb 28, 20261h 22mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: February 28, 2026
Duration: 1h 22m
Channel: Modern Wisdom
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Scott Solomon is an evolutionary biologist, professor, and author. Since the earliest days of science fiction, we’ve wondered what it would mean to live on Mars. Today, that question is no longer hypothetical. As humanity moves closer to becoming an interplanetary species, a new question emerges: what happens when humans are born and raised on another world? How would Mars change our bodies, our minds, and the future of evolution? Expect to learn if it is possible for humans to live on Mars, how humans who were born on Mars will evolve with their new environment, if there have ever been any astronauts who have had sex in space, what being on Mars could do to morph the human brain, and how living in space will change our Biology and much more… - 0:00 Is Living on Mars Actually Possible? 3:44 Is Space Exploration Evolutionary? 13:17 What Space Flight Really Does to the Body 21:46 How Dangerous is Space Radiation? 25:14 What Would Mars Do To the Human Body? 30:52 Will Mars Accelerate Genetic Mutations? 33:39 Would Life On Mars Create Selection Bottlenecks? 38:15 The Personality Traits You’d Need to Survive Mars 42:59 Who Should Really Be in Charge on Mars? 46:37 What Long-Term Isolation Does to the Mind 56:26 Can Humans Reproduce in Space? 01:06:44 How Long Will Speciation Take on Mars? 01:15:00 The Ethical Dilemmas of Living on Mars 01:21:51 Where to Find Scott - Get 10% discount on all Gymshark products at https://gym.sh/modernwisdom (use code MODERNWISDOM10) Get the brand new Whoop 5.0 and your first month for free at https://join.whoop.com/modernwisdom Get 35% off your first subscription on the best supplements from Momentous at https://livemomentous.com/modernwisdom New pricing since recording: Function is now just $365, plus get $25 off at https://functionhealth.com/modernwisdom - Get access to every episode 10 hours before YouTube by subscribing for free on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn or Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Get my free Reading List of 100 life-changing books here - https://chriswillx.com/books/ Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic here - https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom Check out Paul's book - ⁠https://tinyurl.com/yx9sdksa⁠ Paul's website - ⁠https://tinyurl.com/3ter5bcw⁠ Paul's podcast - ⁠https://tinyurl.com/4tmtnys8⁠ Paul's Instagram - ⁠https://tinyurl.com/4w7skd82 - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

SPEAKERS

Chris Williamson
host
Scott Solomon
guest

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Modern Wisdom, featuring Chris Williamson and Scott Solomon, The Insane Biological Cost of Living on Mars - Scott Solomon explores mars settlement may be possible, but at immense biological cost Scott Solomon uses Mars-settlement scenarios (and NASA’s CHAPEA analog habitat) to argue that living on Mars would be less a technological triumph than an evolutionary and biological upheaval.

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