Biography

Dr. Michio Kaku (born January 24, 1947) is an American scientist. He is a Professor of Theoretical Physics specializing in string field theory at the City University of New York. Kaku is also a well known futurist, popularizer of science, best-selling author and media broadcaster and presenter.

He is the co-creator of string field theory, a branch of string theory. He received a B.S. (summa cum laude) from Harvard University in 1968 where he came first in his physics class. He went on to the Berkeley Radiation Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley and received a Ph.D. in 1972. In 1973, he held a lectureship at Princeton University.¹

He is the author of several scholarly, Ph.D. level textbooks and has had more than 70 articles published in physics journals, covering topics such as superstring theory, supergravity, supersymmetry, and hadronic physics.²

He holds the Henry Semat Chair and Professorship in theoretical physics at the City College of New York, where he has taught for over 25 years. He has also been a visiting professor at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, as well as New York University (NYU).³

Books

Michio Kaku has written a large range of science books.

Kaku, Michio; Trainer, Jennifer, eds (1982). Nuclear Power: Both Sides. New York: Norton. ISBN 0393016315.
Kaku, Michio; Daniel Axelrod (1987). To Win a Nuclear War: The Pentagon's Secret War Plans. Boston: South End Press. ISBN 0896083217.
Kaku, Michio (1993). Quantum Field Theory: A Modern Introduction. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195076524.
Kaku, Michio (1994). Hyperspace: A Scientific Odyssey Through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the Tenth Dimension. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0192861891.
Kaku, Michio; Jennifer Trainer Thompson (1995). Beyond Einstein: Superstrings and the Quest for the Final Theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0192861964.
Kaku, Michio (1999). Introduction to Superstrings and M-Theory. New York: Springer. ISBN 0387985891.
Kaku, Michio (1999). Strings, Conformal Fields, and M-Theory. New York: Springer. ISBN 0387988920.
Kaku, Michio (1999). Visions: How Science Will Revolutionize the 21st Century and Beyond. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0192880187.
Kaku, Michio (2004). Einstein's Cosmos: How Albert Einstein's Vision Transformed Our Understanding of Space and Time. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 0297847554.
Kaku, Michio (2004). Parallel Worlds: The Science of Alternative Universes and Our Future in the Cosmos. London: Allen Lane. ISBN 0713997281.
Kaku, Michio (2008). "M-Theory: The Mother of All Superstrings" in Riffing on Strings: Creative Writing Inspired by String Theory. New York: Scriblerus. ISBN 9780980211405.
Kaku, Michio (2008). Physics of the Impossible. New York: Doubleday. ISBN 9780385520690.
Kaku, Michio (2011). Physics of the future : how science will change daily life by 2100. New York: Doubleday. LCCN 2010-026569.

YouTube Videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hujQg2E_fDw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCPn6Tyqr7I

Fox News #1

"katrina from outer space"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_TzIUlaQok&feature=related

Fox News #2

Commentator: (Cut in) "… bigger and more immediate than the threat of global warming, they say… Earth's magnetic field which acts as our protective shield in space has a hole in it, and that could put a lot of our earthly functions at risk. Dr. Michio Kaku, professor and author of the book Physics of the Impossible is back with us, Professor, How are you, and good morning to you."

Kaku: "Glad to be on the show"

Commentator: "ahh, thanks and twice in one week, man, it's bonus hour!"

Kaku: "Umhm"

Commentator: "What is this solar shield?"

Kaku: "Well, every eleven years, the sun has a temper tantrum, and it release a shock-wave, a tsunami of radiation that can wipe out communications, weather satellites, GPS, uh, spy satellites, you name it, its up there in outer space…"

Commentator: "Woahwhoah, so you're saying my Blackberry won't work?"

Kaku: "The internet, fox television, satellite TV, all of it could get wiped out around 2012… that's when we have the peak of the sunspot cycle, that's when the sun's magnetic field flips, north pole and south pole flip, releasing a shockwave of radiation, which will then hit the earth minutes later, potentially wiping out a good chunk of our satellite communications. We're watching it very carefully now."

Commentator: "Well, Doctor, this happens how often did you say?"

Kaku: Every eleven years.

Commentator: Well, why an eleven year cycle?

Kaku: It takes the magnetic field of the sun eleven years to build up enough intensity to begin the flip process, because it slowly revolves in a circle, its like winding up the windings of a clock. If you wind up the mainspring of a clock too much it 'boioioing' comes out of control. The same thing with the sun's magnetic field. It literally flips every eleven years, releasing a shockwave of radiation, and that means we have to start thinking about reinforcing our satellites, building redundant systems, because it means that GPS, the power grid, weather satellites, communication satellites, satellite television, all of that could get disrupted, peaking around 2012.

Commentator: So your point is that we can't do anything about it in space, but we can do something back here on earth.

Kaku: That's right.

Commentator: But, backup systems, are companies really doing that?

Kaku: Well, they're going to have to do it, because, see, we scientists made a mistake. We thought that the next cycle was going to be quiet. Well, some of our data was off by a factor of twenty, and that's why we're issuing this alert now. The next cycle, peaking around 2012, will be much more serious than we previously thought. Now, in the past we dodged a bullet, because we didn't have that many satellites up there, eleven and twenty-two years ago. Back in 1990 we didn't have that many space satellites.

Commentator: Well that makes sense to me, but [garbled] I'm listening to you talk and I'm thinking Y2K. I'm thinking its just a tactic, to put a lot of fear in a lot of people, and it may have gotten us ready, but there really was no danger in the end.

Kaku: Well, lets hope that if it does… let's hope that nothing happens. However, what if? What if our communication systems are wiping, are wiped out? Billions of economic activity could be jeopardized.

Commentator: You're thinking anyone's taking this seriously?

Kaku: I think we're going to have to… the physicists are now sounding the alert. We made the mistake. We made the wrong projection, the next solar cycle will be more intense than previously thought, and an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Now is the time to begin to create redundant systems, reinforce our satellites…

Commentator: I got chills.

Kaku: … create backup systems.

Commentator: Michio Kaku, the word is out. If you render my blackberry useless, that's ok, you're allowed… do that for a while and then we'll bring it back. Thank you Doctor!

Why Kaku is wrong

The sun's magnetic field does not "flip" suddenly as he implies
There is no "blast of radiation" or "tsunami of radiation" that happens when the magnetic field reverses
The next solar cycle is not predicted to peak until 2013
The next solar cycle is predicted to be less active than the last one.
The "data off by a factor of twenty" is never explained or cited, and we can find no reference to support this claim
Kaku employs "we" several times, implying that his statements are the consensus opinion of scientists.
Kaku is not a solar physicist. He is a theoretical physicist engaged in research on string field theory.
His statements run counter to the known properties of solar physics.