Originally posted by SuzianneHumans around for long term, not in the equation. We will be history long before Earth gets challenged by the sun When the sun runs out of fuel, it expands to something like the size of the entire Earth orbit and at that point Earth is a burned out cinder, but dead long before that and that is billions of years in the future and humans will be lucky to be here even 5 MILLION years much less 5 billion. If we do it right, we go out among the stars and at least last as long as we possibly can, out living the odds of extinction compared to just hanging around Earth. Even getting a permanent colony on Mars would start that process.
This planet will keep spinning.
Whether there will always be humans on it is another question.
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Originally posted by sonhouseOlaf Stapledon - Last and First man
Humans around for long term, not in the equation. We will be history long before Earth gets challenged by the sun When the sun runs out of fuel, it expands to something like the size of the entire Earth orbit and at that point Earth is a burned out cinder, but dead long before that and that is billions of years in the future and humans will be lucky to be h ...[text shortened]... to just hanging around Earth. Even getting a permanent colony on Mars would start that process.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_and_First_Men
... he thought differently (kind of). Read it as a young teenager and got me hooked on science fiction.
In the geological and fossil history we find five massive exterminations of life on earth, and we know more or less the cause of them: large meteors and vulcanic eruptions that blotted out the sun with dust for decades. Ice eras. But everytime life started again, diversed, and filled the earth and oceans.
The sixth and worst extermination of life started when Homo Sapiens started about 150,000 years ago, in Africa. In his first 80,000 years he progresses very slowly, and kills off mainly his local sister species Homo rudolfensis, Homo ergaster and Homo erectus.
But then he changes, and starts to take over the world. As he reaches the East ( 50,000 years ago), Homo soloensis dies off. In Siberia he meets Homo denisova about 40,000 years ago, that happens to die out as well. He moves westward to Europe where he encounters Homo neanderthalensis about 25,000 years ago, where he disappears also off the face of the earth. A strange meter high dwarf on the Flores islands (Homo floresiensis) is found 12,000 years ago, and disappears at the same time.
In a period of 100,000 years Homo sapiens manages to wipe out all seven other human species that lived on earth.
With his reaching Eurasia, three quarters of the large animals (woolly rhinoceros, mammuts and a few more), disappears. He reaches Australia (45,000 years ago) and exterminate 23 of the 24 animal types heavier than 50kg within a few centuries.
Between 16,000 and 14,000 years ago he reaches America from the top, and spreads in the next 10,000 years right down to the southern point of South America. The trace of annihilation claims 34 of the 47 animal types bigger than 50kg in North America, and 50 of 60 animal types in South America. Included are mammuts, mastodons, a bearsized rat, horses, camels, giant lions, 8 ton sloths of 6 meters high, and more.
Many islands are reached only later, and cleaned up. The last mammuts are wiped out when the Wrangle islands, 200km north of Siberia are reached 4,000 years ago. On the Caribbean islands many of America's animals survived until they are found 5,000 years ago and wiped out.
Nieu Zealand is only found 800 years ago, and cleaned out 95% of its animal life, and 60% of its bird species.
Our " innocent savage forefathers" achieved all of this with only Stone-aged technology and fire.
People that want to wipe out all other animal species ( and also human races) on earth, is working hard at the "proud tradition" of Homo sapiens.
The single ones that view all living things as worthwhile and precious, is maybe a new human species in forming.
Does "Homo humilis" even stand a chance of surviving?
Originally posted by pawnpawNow it appears modern humans just being around Neandertals seems to have helped in their extinction because we gave them a number of nasties, like herpes and others. We are SUCH a helpful species.....
In the geological and fossil history we find five massive exterminations of life on earth, and we know more or less the cause of them: large meteors and vulcanic eruptions that blotted out the sun with dust for decades. Ice eras. But everytime life started again, diversed, and filled the earth and oceans.
The sixth and worst extermination of life started wh ...[text shortened]... is maybe a new human species in forming.
Does "Homo humilis" even stand a chance of surviving?