The 165-year reign of oil is coming to an end. But will we ever be able to live without it?

The 165-year reign of oil is coming to an end. But will we ever be able to live without it? | Will we ever be able to stop using plastic? | 10 surprising things that are made from petroleum Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( June 3, 2024 CONNECT WITH LIVESCIENCE  [Facebook]( [X](  [LIVESCIENCE]( Amazing science every day [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [WEBSITE](  [] Top Science News [] [The 165-year reign of oil is coming to an end. But will we ever be able to live without it?]( (Future) [The 165-year reign of oil is coming to an end. But will we ever be able to live without it?]( Between the 17th and 20th centuries, humans killed millions of whales for oil. They stripped their blubber, spinning the iconic creatures in the water and pulling off the fat in a huge spiral like the peel of an apple. The blubber was boiled into oil, then strained into barrels to be used in everything from oil lamps to industrial lubricants. This was the bloody process that brought light to society. For over 100 years, the voracious hunger for whale blubber drove blue, humpback and North Atlantic right whales to the brink of extinction. Now, commercial whaling is all but banned, whale blubber is used in just a handful of products, and whale populations have rebounded somewhat. A similar sea change is coming for petroleum, though when and how it will play out is still incredibly hazy. The best superforecasters, combined with machine learning, are only accurate at predicting geopolitical events up to a year in advance. But the general trends are clear. We've already transitioned much of our home energy use away from oil. And as climate change pushes us to accelerate that transition, we're developing new technologies that will help the world outgrow its oil dependence ever faster, experts say. In a few industries, like shipping and plastic, the decayed bones of long-dead animals will be the primary energy source for a long time to come. [But a post-oil world is coming](. [Read More]( [] - [Will we ever be able to stop using plastic?]( [] - [10 surprising things that are made from petroleum]( [] - [How much oil is left and will we ever run out?]( [] History & Archaeology [] [Wreck of WWII 'Hit 'Em Harder' submarine, which sank with 79 crew on board, discovered in South China Sea]( (Lost 52 Project) [Wreck of WWII 'Hit 'Em Harder' submarine, which sank with 79 crew on board, discovered in South China Sea]( The U.S. wreck is the grave site of the 79 crew who died when the sub was sunk in battle in 1944. [Read More]( [] Astronomy & Astrophysics [] [Mars is more prone to devastating asteroid impacts than we thought, new study hints]( (NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona) [Mars is more prone to devastating asteroid impacts than we thought, new study hints]( Potentially hazardous asteroids pose a risk to Mars missions, but they can also yield insight into the history of the Red Planet and the early solar system, new research suggests. [Read More]( [] Health [] [A woman kept getting drunk despite not drinking. Fungi in her gut were brewing their own alcohol.]( (Love Employee via Getty Images) [A woman kept getting drunk despite not drinking. Fungi in her gut were brewing their own alcohol.]( A woman kept mysteriously getting drunk despite not consuming alcohol. Turns out, a rare condition called "auto-brewery syndrome" was to blame. [Read More]( [] Daily Quiz [] Archaeologists recently discovered 3,500-year-old rock art in Kazakhstan. What did it depict? (Learn the answer [here](.) [Vote]( [Woolly mammoths]( [Vote]( [Wild sheep and double-humped camels]( [Vote]( [Saber-tooth tigers]( [Vote]( [Caterpillars and butterflies](   [Sign Up]( | [Update Profile]( | [Unsubscribe]( [Privacy Policy]( | [Cookies Policy]( | [Terms and Conditions]( CONTACT US: [FEEDBACK](mailto:livescience@smartbrief.com) | [ADVERTISE]( [Future]( Future US LLC © Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036