Aftermath: Population Zero

[Robert]

I am watching a really interesting show on the Telly right now:
Aftermath: Population Zero (http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/product/1167/4441/1074.html). Really well done. Here is a description:


What would happen if every single person on Earth simply disappeared? A world without people, where city streets would still be populated by cars, but without drivers. Nobody to fix bridges, repair buildings, or maintain power plants. After being controlled by humanity for millennia, the Earth would be reclaimed by nature. But how would that work? How long would skyscrapers, nuclear power plants, and our homes last if abandoned? Aftermath: Population Zero gives us a chance to see the effect of human beings by seeing how Earth would adapt without us. This is the astounding story of a world we will never see.

Interesting to note that cockroaches don't survive so well in the north when there are no humans around. Can you guess why?

[just strum]

This is strange - I was driving home from Canada this morning and I was thinking about this (the event, not the show). I was looking around and wondered what the animals would do if we just disappeared. Nothing else changed, except the changes made with time. How would the animals take over what was left behind? Would animals migrate back to places they were pushed out of? Would new species evolve to better utilize the remains of our civilization? Would monkey's sit around and watch reruns of the Three Stooges?

[Tone2TheBone]

Everyone always talks about how bugs would still survive a cataclysmic event and sorry I don't know how to spell cataclysmic. Bugs never used to bother me but lately they have been and I'm starting to realize just how evil they really are. Especially if they can outlast us. *smash* It's either them or me.

Things have a way of evolving and I'm sure another species would start everything anew. I doubt our old structures would last too long. Heck even dinosaurs lived millions of years.

[thearabianmage]

Things have a way of evolving and I'm sure another species would start everything anew. I doubt our old structures would last too long. Heck even dinosaurs lived millions of years.

Cataclysmic - you spelled it fine :AOK:

Evolution is an interesting process. It is speculated that the next dominant species on the planet will come from the sea. Think about octopus, squid, and cuttlefish. They are - believe it or not - some of the most intelligent species on the plant, as well as dolphins, all of which are from the sea.

As far as structures - the older structures - the built-to-last Egyptian/Mayan/Aztec pyramids etc., will most likely survive longer than the more modern quick-cheap mass-produced structures that are built today. But in all honesty, it takes thousands of generations for a noticeable change in evolution (i.e. a fin to turn into an articulated limb, etc.) so the chances of any of these buildings still standing are very slim. The next dominate species will probably dig us up as we did the dinosaurs. If we haven't destroyed the planet before then.

It's also estimated that in the next 100 million years or so there will be another apocryphal asteroid collision that will decimate the earth's crust - which will leave no building standing, wipe out all living life on the surface of the earth, and start everything from anew. That's what happened 65 million years ago, and is shown to have happened at least another 5 times in the earth's 4 billion year history. The only things to have survived the last collision, on a whole, where sea creatures.

Octopi FTW! :D

Joe

[just strum]

The only things to have survived the last collision, on a whole, where sea creatures.

Octopi FTW! :D

Joe

So Keith Richards is going to have to hook-up with sea creatures?

No end of civilization discussion is complete without mentioning Keith.

[piebaldpython]

Hmmmmmmmmmmm........well, I guess the apes and monkeys are going to have a TON of guitars to play once we humans are gone. :D

[Spudman]

Plants are the oldest living things on the planet and they will certainly take over and break down what ever we have built. So our structures wont be around to proclaim our legacy but thankfully neither will Chihuahua and other small yappy dogs. With nobody to coddle and feed them they will simply become food for bigger animals. This will probably happen with many other animals too small to defend themselves without human help. But the big kicker is that it will be the microscopic that will take over in the end. Bacteria and viruses that are incredibly adept at mutation and survival.

[just strum]

I sometimes think about when they start digging us up to learn about our culture. Do you think they might come to the conclusion that we probably worshiped at a place with golden arches and worshiped a false god with a red and white face?