Inspirational Or Depressing?

[Zacs-Master]

If humans last as long as the average mammalian species, and no mass extinctions or catastrophes occur, then 99.5% of humans who will ever exist are yet to be born.

[jno]

that's quite a big "if". I'm not expecting an imminent nuclear war, in spite of everything, but one thing has happened that hasn't happened before: one species has developed the ability to wipe out most life on the planet. That would be qualitatively different from previous mass extinctions and catastrophes. Even Mt Toba left maybe 5000 humans alive; we may not be so llucky next time.

[Zacs-Master]

‘ one species has developed the ability to wipe out most life on the planet’

Yep, that would be the main conclusion of the facts to hand at this juncture in our evolution.

[Buenchico]

If we're doing statistics, homo sapiens has only been around for less than 0.00007 of the time that our planet has existed. Which, I suggest, goes to show just how insignificant our species really is!

[johnk]

You must have made a lot of assumptions to come up with any figure, such as how long will the human race exist.

[rowanwitch]

And by the end of that time should humans still be around we probably won't be recognisable by any standards we have today.... I suspect any change would be for the better

[Zacs-Master]

‘You must have made a lot of assumptions to come up with any figure, such as how long will the human race exist.

The figure comes from a comparison to other species of mammal and the length of their existence to date.

[Zacs-Master]

‘ Which, I suggest, goes to show just how insignificant our species really is!’

I think that’s the entire point of my original statement, Chris. In the blink of an eye in evolutionary terms, we’ve developed into a resource scouring, nuclear weapon bearing, species obliterating pestilence.

[douglas9401]

And here's me thinking that old chestnuts came nearer the end of the year.

[carolegif]

“We are just a moment’s sunrise fading in the grass!”

[Zacs-Master]

You leave my chestnuts out of this, Doooogie.

It was just a late night musing inspired by reading the body of my OP on Twitter. We are both a miracle and a disaster on this small lump of rock we call home which I thought worth discussing (well, more so than some subjects being currently discussed anyway).

[douglas9401]

Got you, now what's for dinner?

[Zacs-Master]

Something from the endangered species list, no doubt, Dooogie. Black Rhino steaks with Hawksbill Turtle egg salad maybe?

[Old_Geezer]

Good, plenty of time to colonise our galaxy then. Who knows, maybe we can also get to our neighbours before they disappear too.

[Zacs-Master]

Oh yes, let’s spread our brand of existence across the whole of the universe!

[MissTerious2]

Hopefully, the end of the Homo
Sapien age isn't too far away and something comes along. Are we the first species who will annihilate ourselves?

[MissTerious2]

It doesn't depress me at all. I don't like what we have become.

[The Builder]

Not depressing at all Zacs. Rather inspirational considering what Humanity has achieved so far. (Yes I know: but my glass is neither half full nor half empty.......... it's re-fillable.)

The most frustrating thing is not being able to "look in" in a couple of hundred years time to see how it's going.
If only to see if Fusion has finally been cracked..... and to check out Keith Richards latest album. ;o)

[Zacs-Master]

LOL.