Sheril KirshenbaumJul 15, 2023

About 109 billion people have lived & died. Each grain of sand represents 10 million.

This stunning data visualization of human life by Max Roser was published in 2022.

Today there would be 805 green grains representing 8.05 billion people living on Earth. #science #art

Show threadBosque Bill
@Sheril I remember when the "conventional wisdom" was that there were as many people alive as had ever lived. Clearly not a data-driven conclusion. 🙄
Jul 15, 2023 at 1:36pmWeb
Show threadSimon Jul 16, 2023
@bosquebill @Sheril I thought I had heard this in the last year or so too, so this surprised me as it’s quite a difference!
Show threadSheril KirshenbaumJul 16, 2023
@staustellsimon @bosquebill I seem to remember hearing this in school as a child too
Show threadMarsh RayJul 16, 2023

@Sheril @staustellsimon @bosquebill

I believe it was popularized by The Population Bomb (1968)[1].

The reasoning seemed to go something like:

"The most recent population doubling period was shorter than the previous, so growth is super-exponential. The most recent doubling period was shorter than an average human lifespan, so over half the people who ever lived are alive today."

Forgive me if I am mischaracterizing it. It was at least 35 years ago that I read it in high school, but it seemed like a rather questionable conclusion at the time.

[1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Population_Bomb)

The Population Bomb - Wikipedia

Show threadBosque BillJul 17, 2023
@marshray @Sheril @staustellsimon Ha! Thanks for the link and reminder about the book. Don’t remember if I actually read it, but am sure I knew someone who claimed they had and insisted we were all doomed.