To some people cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin are merely a risky fad, a gamble that might pay off only in the short run. To others, including IT security specialist Pavol Luptak, they are a ‘tool of liberation’ from government control and the hope of a better future. Why is it that many people are so keen on this new decentralised form of money? And why do they think society as a whole would be better off if everybody used it? Jonathan McCormick recently caught up with Pavol to ask him these questions and more. Juraj Toth is not only a renowned physicist but also an expert on asteroids who has developed the first global system for asteroid & meteor detection. He's thus qualified to answer the question: If a giant asteroid were about to hit the earth, would we know about it beforehand?