How likely is human extinction?

Mail & Guardian Online ^ | Tuesday, April 13, 2004 | Kate Ravilious

[Momaw Nadon]

FYI and discussion

[blam]

The explosion of Toba 75,000 years ago reduced the worldwide population of humans to 2,000 and this event is still seen in the human genetic record.

[Condor51]

How likely is Human extinction?

I think it all depends on how much power the eco-Nazis and crazies like PETA, Green Peace and the Sierra Club get. After all, they see the human race as a danger and would like to see us all dead right now.

[Arthur McGowan]

Which goes to show how short-sighted it is to postulate a "conflict" between "science" and "religion." "Science" turns on a dime.

[Doctor Stochastic]

How likely is human extinction?

100% (of course, I can't put a time frame on that.)

The author doesn't seem to understand random drift processes very well. Were evolutionary processes driven by random changes, one would expect to see periods of small fluctuations interspersed with big jumps.

[Iron Matron]

Humans are a relatively recent phenomenon, jumping out of trees and striding across the land around 200 000 years ago

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What a BS article.

BTW, the only humans that were likely to have jumped out of trees are democrats, and their extiction would be no great loss.

[biblewonk]

Very unlikely according to my bible.

[Riley]

BTW, the only humans that were likely to have jumped out of trees are democrats, and their extiction would be no great loss.

"Hold muh coconut shell of fermented goat's milk and watch this!"

[MattinNJ]

Wow. Sobering. I remember reading in one of Bill Bryson's books that Yellowstone is a giant volcano and could eventually wipe out mankind.

[lafroste]

Most species seem to have long stable periods followed by a burst of change: not the slow, steady process predicted by natural selection.

And Ford Motor Company releases a new model Explorer every year, but all Explorers within that year are the same, then suddenly they change. The "fits and starts" simply indicate the introduction of a new (and presumably improved)model.

Have you ever wondered why there were dinosaurs in the first place? Have you ever wondered why little boys seem to nearly universally go through a phase of fascination with dinosaurs? In His image.

[reagan_fanatic]

BTW, the only humans that were likely to have jumped out of trees are democrats, and their extiction would be no great loss.

LOL!

[familyofman]

Human extinction is 100%, it's just a matter of when, if it's 'natural', or self-induced.

[camle]

According to Dave Lister, in three million years he will be the only human left.

[sheltonmac]

A better question would be, "How likely is evolutionist extinction?" Does anyone else find it strange that the theory of evolution must constantly evolve in order to avoid becoming extinct? It's also interesting to note the consistent use of phrases like "current estimates suggest..." and "more experiments need to be done..." as well as references to the baffling phenomenon of sudden "fits and starts" that defy traditional evolutionary thought.

It seems whenever people start to lose interest some "scientist" comes up with another wacky idea that can't be tested, can't be observed and can't be proven as a way of explaining the inadequacy of their original theories - a lengthening of the evolutionary telomeres, if you will. (By the way, if you took a small group of humans and had them inbreed for awhile you would probably get the same results you would get with lab mice.)

[Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit]

it's just a matter of when, if it's 'natural', or self-induced.

How can you tell the difference?

[Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit]

"inbred intensively from a small population."

Are they talking about RATS?

[sheltonmac]

The explosion of Toba 75,000 years ago reduced the worldwide population of humans to 2,000...

I didn't realize that such detailed census records were kept back then. I guess "prehistoric" man was more advanced than we thought.

[Alex Murphy]

blam: The explosion of Toba 75,000 years ago reduced the worldwide population of humans to 2,000 and this event is still seen in the human genetic record.

shaltonmac: I didn't realize that such detailed census records were kept back then. I guess "prehistoric" man was more advanced than we thought.

But it's true! I can personally attest that every time there's a mysterious explosion in prehistory, my left knee flares up.

[Momaw Nadon]

Ping.

[sheltonmac]

Come to think of it, my right shoulder has been pretty sore lately for no apparent reason.