Re: Evolution and Mass Extinction by Asteroids


curiousneuron wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> imo, one could think of a kind of a race between the evolution and the
> periodic impact of major asteroids on the earth that extinct species. If a
> species like the human beings doesn't manage to get to a level of
> intelligence (and technology) that allows them to protect themselves from a
> major impact prior to such an event, then it will be extincted.



If you want to know the actual day-to-day impact risk, then
visit the NASA Near Earth Objects - Risk page at
... http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/risk/ ..... read the 1950 DA story!

If we still have computers and space travel, we may need to
deal with 1950 DA one day (the risk is ~ 1 in 300, if I recall).

Try the orbit diagrams out - zoom in on some of the close
approaches, centre the view on the object or planet, speed
up the time frame or go back in time.... lots of fun!!


>
> This dropped me to the question, whether it could be possible that earlier,
> there has already been some kind of advanced intelligent live (whatever this
> means) on earth that "just almost" reached such a level and has been
> extincted? If an asteroid impact is extreme, could this extinct all the
> traces of such a species? Or more general, what do evolution biologists,

I dare say that the event which saw a mars-size impact knock a chuck
out of the earth (mid-pacific ocean, I gather, which is now our moon)
could have wiped away a lot, but if there had been TIME to get to
the current level of artifact that we have produced, we might well be
able to find such traces! Those nuclear fuel dumps in the most
geo-stable areas are going to be artifactual until the sun goes nova.

I doubt however that life can reach complexity in under a couple of
thousand million years.... as we have seen.

(signed) marc

Parramatta,
NSW


.

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