Revisiting a 1960 Physicist's Prediction of Global Overpopulation

In 1960, physicist Heinz von Foerster published a paper in the journal Science predicting that exponential population growth would eventually lead to a breaking point where humanity would be "squeezed to death." This followed earlier predictions like those by economist Thomas Malthus in 1798 regarding food supply and starvation. However, population dynamics proved trickier to calculate than the models assumed. While von Foerster accurately measured past trends, population growth did not continue accelerating infinitely, and growth rates eventually slowed as global trends shifted.