Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2013 16:56:18 GMT -5
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mike
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Post by mike on Nov 27, 2013 13:27:40 GMT -5
Hi Lily,
Since we, or rather our distant ancestors, were the ones that survived the asteroid strike while the dinosaurs didn't, that says something for the resiliency of us mammals. I haven't watched the video, I'll try to get to it later, but I am guessing it talks about global warming, pollution, wars and other man made catastrophes leading us to our self-annihilation. But comparing man made disasters with a totally unavoidable and completely natural partial extinction event would seem a bit problematic.
Also problematical, but maybe a bit anal to mention it, the dinosaur extinction was not the first apocalypse, it was the fifth great extinction in Earth's history.
Having said all that I suppose now I really should watch the video.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 27, 2013 13:40:24 GMT -5
Yes, Mike, you really should watch it. There is some about man-made problems mentioned, but it's really a lot more than that, and other theories about how the dinosaur really became exctinct. Massive volcanos is one theory for the future of mankind.
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Post by Blarney Rubble on Nov 27, 2013 19:15:23 GMT -5
Dinosaurs are extinct?
Aren't you forgetting Bob??
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mike
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Post by mike on Nov 28, 2013 20:49:16 GMT -5
I did watch the film and it was quite interesting. The hypothesis is that the dinosaurs were not killed off by the asteroid and its after effects. According to some scientists they were already dead. They claim that there have been no dinosaur fossils found at the KT boundary where they say there should be millions of them if it was a sudden mass extinction. Other scientists point out quite reasonably that the KT boundary has only been examined in a few separate locations and it's quite possible that these particular locations just happened to be areas where there were no dinosaurs wandering around at that precise moment. So the hypothesis is contentious and not anywhere near being the consensus view among scientists in the field.
If the asteroid did not do it what did? The film suggests several possibilities, including pandemic diseases, insect borne illnesses, and inability to adapt quickly enough to rapid climate change. Maybe some others that I have forgotten. The message for humans is that we are vulnerable to pandemic diseases (influenza is presumably one of them although it wasn't mentioned), insects resistant to control methods, and loss of biodiversity due to agriculture focusing on a limited variety of crops for maximum profit. I watched the film yesterday and am now trying to remember it after turkey, pie and a bit of wine so feel free to correct me if I got it wrong.
My feeling about all the human extinction worries that we read about is that, yes there are threats that could kill off a lot of us, but total extinction is not in the cards unless there is something like an asteroid strike. Even then I would expect there would be some survivors (in nuclear submarines for one example mentioned in the film or that I may have made up - not sure). So we will not go the way of the dinosaurs, but we may be greatly reduced in numbers. And a happy Thanksgiving to one and all.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2013 22:58:01 GMT -5
That was a great summary, Mike. That about covers all that I remember. I'd really have to view it again just because of all the theories and information that was presented. The only thing right now I would add is massive volcanoes.
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