Naked Science Forum
General Science => General Science => Topic started by: latebind on 12/12/2009 21:04:31
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Life on earth has faced many perils, from super volcanoes to floods and asteroids, but by far the greatest threat ever to have faced the earth is me and you, the human race. That is very sad and I hope life on earth survives even if we don't.
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Life on earth has faced many perils, from super volcanoes to floods and asteroids, but by far the greatest threat ever to have faced the earth is me and you, the human race. That is very sad and I hope life on earth survives even if we dont.
I respectfully disagree my friend. The greatest threat to life on earth has been and will continue to be the Virus. There are now scientists who believe that the Dinosaurs weren't done in by a cometary collision but rather by disease. Whether true or not, the microbes, bacterium and virus will be around long after every other life form has passed away....................Ethos
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Yes, it remains to be seen if we are our own worst enemy or if we can pull it together and other beings will (continue to attempt to) do us in instead. I am not that worried about our planet though. And most likely life will continue. If not here than somewhere else.
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We are no threat to the Earth.
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We are no threat to the Earth.
(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fbestsmileys.com%2Fevil%2F3.gif&hash=0ece0c60d4fafad186e71ebdd538e4ca)Mwaaahaa, but I am. (https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fbestsmileys.com%2Frude%2F20.gif&hash=33b5354a40d0701889db23e4c8ebee95) (https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fbestsmileys.com%2Frude%2F9.gif&hash=1038824793d93f7358d50a75348b902c)
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Gross dude! [:0]
Do your farts come out counter-clockwise down there?
Potential research grant application there. [B)]
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Whether true or not, the microbes, bacterium and virus will be around long after every other life form has passed away....................Ethos
What will they survive on? How does a virus exist without a host?
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Do your farts come out counter-clockwise down there?
AHahaha!!! That has just made my morning! Thanks mate.
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What will they survive on? How does a virus exist without a host?
They just wait for another to come along. Whether that's next week or a million years from now, they can survive the wait.
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It is probably fair to say that we are the greatest threat to life as we know it.
If (and it remains a big if) we are precipitating an extinction event through our selfish and thoughtless use of resources, the life forms that survive will rapidly speciate to occupy most (All?) of the vacant ecological niches - some which may be similar to those today and others that we would not recognise.
Whislt the virus argument is reasonable, I am unsure if there are types of virus so ubiquitous and potentially deadly to as many species as humanity.
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We are no threat to the Earth.
Tell that to the 100+ species that are extinct directly due to our actions.
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I suspect that life in some form will continue with or without us humans
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We are no threat to the Earth.
Tell that to the 100+ species that are extinct directly due to our actions.
Sure thing, along with the countless species that will go extinct after we have died out and also to untold numbers who went extinct PRIOR to our arrival/evolution/delivery by giant space stork.
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I'd say the greatest threat would be the sun.
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I'd say the greatest threat would be the sun.
I'd say a hulking giant space object(s) intersecting our orbit.
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Well, the sun doing something nasty is more likely.
In fact, in 5 billion years, it's certain...
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Well, the sun doing something nasty is more likely.
In fact, in 5 billion years, it's certain...
The inevitable is not a threat, it is a certainty, so I am not sure why you mention it. Perhaps a matter of perspective or translation.
(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.spaceref.com%2Fnews%2F2002%2F10.03.02.asteroid.image001.jpg&hash=d799b9dd4aa6fc072f962351c73cba1c)
The image above is in this article:
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=6718
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No, no,
Not a matter of perspective or translation.
In 5 billion years the sun is the inevitable end of the earth,
But the sun is a threat much sooner.
If you have some time to spare, watch the movie Knowing (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0448011/).
Now I know movies are fictional, but that doesn't mean that what's actually happening in the movie might occur in real life in the future.
And to explain why I think the sun's a bigger threat than a rogue asteroid: The sun is always near, so i believe the odds of the sun doing something weird that might affect earth are bigger than a rogue asteroid bumping into earth.