How to Reboot Civilisation after an Apocalypse | Lewis Dartnell | TEDxSouthampton

Maybe it was an asteroid impact, a nuclear war, or a viral pandemic. Whatever the cause, the world as we know it has ended and your community of survivors must start again. What key knowledge would you need to accelerate the rebooting of civilisation from scratch? In this fascinating talk, Lewis Dartnell argues that the most important think you will need is the knowledge contained in a book. Not just any book, but a bespoke post-apocalyptic book with which you could reboot civilisation.
Lewis Dartnell is a research scientist, presenter and author based in London, UK. He is a Professor in Science Communication at the University of Westminster. His research is in the field of astrobiology and the search for microbial life on Mars. He also holds a STFC Science in Society Fellowship and is very active in delivering live events at schools and science festivals, working as a scientific consultant for the media, and have appeared in numerous TV documentaries and radio shows. He has won several awards for his science writing and outreach work and regularly freelances for newspapers and magazine articles, and has published three books.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at