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Extinction

Discussion in 'Environmental Discussion' started by bwilson4web, Nov 9, 2020.

  1. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    At age 70, one might wonder about death, the end of life of those we loved and ourselves.

    Source: How long do most species last before going extinct? | Live Science

    ...
    It turns out the answer we find now could be very different than it usually is. Because of habitat destruction, climate change, and a range of other factors, plants and animals are disappearing from the planet faster than all but maybe five other points in history. Some experts say we're in the sixth mass extinction event. But even in calmer periods of Earth's history, the answer has varied depending on the type of species you're looking at. For mammals, the average species exists for 1 million to 2 million years, according to an article in the journal People & the planet.

    However, this average doesn't hold during all geologic periods and for all mammals. The average for the Cenozoic era (65 million years ago to present) mammals is 3.21 million years, with larger mammals lasting longer than smaller mammals, according to a 2013 study in the journal Integrative Zoology. For invertebrate species, the duration is even more impressive; they last between 5 million to 10 million years, on average.
    ...    ​

    It has been decades, ~1980s, since I last had occasional nightmares about a nuclear Götterdämmerung. The end of the Soviet Union and more sensible USA politicians like Bill Clinton ended the occasional, nuclear nightmares. Yet even after moving to North Alabama, I've speculated about a bunker/home designed to minimize a nuclear risk:
    • second ridge near, not on top
    • facing least populated areas away from likely targets
    • in ground, circular, shock-wave tolerant
    • integral water well and down slope, septic field
    • solar and easily repaired windmill
    • hardcopy library
    I've long felt the UN should have a program of periodic nuclear explosions witnessed by politicians and news media. So many don't understand what they've not witnessed in person. Well getting close to nap time and see if the horror dreams return.

    Bob Wilson
     
    #1 bwilson4web, Nov 9, 2020
  2. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    mid 60's - and the thoughts of our heirs left behind still living after we pass .... still unwinding their own Mortal coil .... it's unlikely there's a banister that the departed can look over - to check out how things are going.

    That said, decades after the fact, my father-in-law (electrical engineer), now in his 90's, his daughter & i learned he was in the Pacific when the first h-bomb(s) got lit up. He worked on the electrical aspect of detonation. Miles away - his impression was very disturbing. My mother-in-law always wondered why he would be away from home for so many months at a time.
    Yea - People ..... never remembering history
    .
     
    #2 hill, Nov 9, 2020
  3. Mark57

    Mark57 2021 Tesla Model 3 LR AWD

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    You left out the pallets and pallets of toilet paper. ;)
     
    #3 Mark57, Nov 9, 2020
  4. kenmce

    kenmce High Voltage Member

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    even after moving to North Alabama, I've speculated about a bunker/home designed to minimize a nuclear risk:

    Being in Alabama seems like a good first step.
    • in ground, circular, shock-wave tolerant
    Unless you are at ground zero, ground shocks should be pretty tiny. What you are describing is some sort of earth lodge. Them come in all flavors and varieties. I think of the initial cost as being higher and the operating costs as being lower when you go down into the earth for your house.

    I've long felt the UN should have a program of periodic nuclear explosions witnessed by politicians and news media. So many don't understand what they've not witnessed in person.

    There is a world policy right now of not setting off nukes above ground. Below ground is still OK, but not very impressive to watch.

    One thing you might add to the list is to support your local Boy/Girl scouts. It will do no harm to have a local pool of competent young people
     
    #4 kenmce, Nov 9, 2020
  5. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    Three to five million years number has been kicking around for a while. A technological species could change that in either direction I guess.

    There are too few tool-using species known to do (even weak) statistics on the question. There are many more colony-forming species, and that may have been examined.

    Timing of past glacial/interglacial cycles are not handy for comparing species' durations.
     
    #5 tochatihu, Nov 11, 2020
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