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To: Arthalion
Very unlikely but even worse possibility: Our sun could be at just the right spot when they collide that it gets sucked into either our own galaxies or the Andromeda galaxies core. Why is this one worse than gamma ray extinction? Because it would take centuries to fall into either one, and we'd see it coming. We'd know we were doomed and would have no escape.

Only upside to this is we would have absolutely beautiful night sky -- and probably day sky, too.

All of these scenarios presuppose that the human race is still on earth during these events. Somehow, in the intervening billions of years, I think we will have abandoned earth for other more resource rich planets or we will have destroyed ourselves (war, over population, mutating plague, whatever) and some other life form will be dominate then.

Personally, I go for the former choose, I'd like to think of my descendants living thought so much of the galaxy that the destruction of one star system will not impact the population density of the human race.
59 posted on 05/31/2005 2:11:00 AM PDT by Talking_Mouse (Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just... Thomas Jefferson)
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To: Talking_Mouse; Arthalion

There is no way imaginable that Homo Sapien will be around in 3 billion years.

First of all, we will have to leave the planet because our Sun will begin to change fundamentally expanding about 10% every few hundred million years to eventually become a red giant which will be large enough to reach Earth's orbit.

Before that, however, if we do not destroy ourselves we will either combine ourselves with machines, and no longer be human, alter our genes, or adapt naturally in such a way to deal with the artificial environment we have created over the last 200 years. Eventually we will reach a point where we are no longer the same species.

Most likely is that we eveolve into several different species depending on where in the galaxy we end up.

However my guess is that we cease to be completely and perhaps we give the insects a chance. Ants might eventually establish some form of collective intelligence.

But, if an unbroken line traceable to mammals / simians continues to develop into an increasingly intelligent creature capable of manipulating and understanding his environment, that creature would appear as a god to us. That would be the case in 1 million years. If humanity survives and continues in exponential increase in wealth and knowledge generation, we will be able to stop the galaxies from coliding probably in less than 100,000 years. Its either us or the Tralfalmadorians.

PS please don't tell the people in Kansas I wrote this.


61 posted on 05/31/2005 2:38:20 AM PDT by Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit (“There is a law – a law of nature. Man is not the ruler.")
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