Still Waters Posted July 13, 2010 #1 Share Posted July 13, 2010 Life on Earth suffers catastrophic extinctions every 27 million years, according to researchers. For at least the last 500 million years, say Adrian Melott, an astrophysicist at the University of Kansas, and Richard Bambach, a palaeontologist at the Smithsonian Institute, there has been a burst of extinctions every 27 million years. Periodic mass extinctions have been posited before, and it has been suggested that it means the Sun has a huge, dark neighbour which orbits it every 27 million years, each time knocking a shower of comets out of the Oort Cloud at the fringes of the solar system and sending them crashing into Earth. This hypothetical dark satellite was called "Nemesis". Read more... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaoloWillente Posted July 14, 2010 #2 Share Posted July 14, 2010 How do they research that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paracelse Posted July 14, 2010 #3 Share Posted July 14, 2010 How do they research that? Each disaster left data within the earth strata. Analysis of those strata give geologists an idea of the time each occurs. Of course those information are to be taken with a grain of salt because we haven't found all information yet. It's a working hypothesis only Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbondo Posted July 14, 2010 #4 Share Posted July 14, 2010 The difference is technology. With technology we can prevent some of these things from happening. It's just a matter of doing it in time. IMO the sky is falling right now and unfortunately most won't believe it until a piece of it hits them. Too many people see money, fame, power and objects as their gods. A small example: People are so worried about getting their cars dirty (a big hunk of metal) that they value it over littering. Instead of throwing a wrapper out your car window, keep a small bag for trash under your seat. Then, once a week, throw that bag in a receptacle. This is just one of so many little things we could do to help this planet. It all starts with the little things. If anyone really wants a taste of a post apocalyptic world, Que up "The Road" on your Netflix account and when you watch it; try to immerse yourself into the film. Don't worry about what you think is realistic or not, just really think it thru as you watch. The truth of the matter is that the film is a very possible scenario. If you are already suffering from depression I seriously recommend you do not watch this film. If you would like, we can come back here and discuss possibilities for such a scenario after you've had a chance to watch the movie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nerupe Posted July 14, 2010 #5 Share Posted July 14, 2010 (edited) The difference is technology. With technology we can prevent some of these things from happening. It's just a matter of doing it in time. IMO the sky is falling right now and unfortunately most won't believe it until a piece of it hits them. Too many people see money, fame, power and objects as their gods. A small example: People are so worried about getting their cars dirty (a big hunk of metal) that they value it over littering. Instead of throwing a wrapper out your car window, keep a small bag for trash under your seat. Then, once a week, throw that bag in a receptacle. This is just one of so many little things we could do to help this planet. It all starts with the little things. If anyone really wants a taste of a post apocalyptic world, Que up "The Road" on your Netflix account and when you watch it; try to immerse yourself into the film. Don't worry about what you think is realistic or not, just really think it thru as you watch. The truth of the matter is that the film is a very possible scenario. If you are already suffering from depression I seriously recommend you do not watch this film. If you would like, we can come back here and discuss possibilities for such a scenario after you've had a chance to watch the movie. This is, of course, assuming that there were no other technologically advanced civilizations on this planet 27 million years ago. In case you haven't noticed, 27 million years is more than enough time to erase all evidence of any advanced civilization. If humankind were to dissapear, in a million years our cities would just be massive deposits of Iron. And whatever comes next won't even think those rich mineral deposits used to house millions of lives. Edited July 14, 2010 by Nerupe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
:PsYKoTiC:BeHAvIoR: Posted July 14, 2010 #6 Share Posted July 14, 2010 This is, of course, assuming that there were no other technologically advanced civilizations on this planet 27 million years ago. In case you haven't noticed, 27 million years is more than enough time to erase all evidence of any advanced civilization. If humankind were to dissapear, in a million years our cities would just be massive deposits of Iron. And whatever comes next won't even think those rich mineral deposits used to house millions of lives. That is quite the mindblowing thought. I suppose that is true with fossil oil that we extract today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac E Posted July 14, 2010 #7 Share Posted July 14, 2010 Of course we are currently in a mass extinction phase, where humans have a hand in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
27vet Posted July 14, 2010 #8 Share Posted July 14, 2010 Well according to the article, there is still 17 million years to go to the next one. Phew! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent Darkbootie Posted July 14, 2010 #9 Share Posted July 14, 2010 Good thing the apocalypse only happens at regular intervals. Takes a real load off! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevewinn Posted July 14, 2010 #10 Share Posted July 14, 2010 instead of our sun having a companion lurking out there. maybe its caused by our solar system as a whole moving through the galaxy arms. how long does this moving in and out of the arms take. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abramelin Posted July 14, 2010 #11 Share Posted July 14, 2010 Is this news? I already heard of it back in the 80's of the past century. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsm_luck Posted July 15, 2010 #12 Share Posted July 15, 2010 That is quite the mindblowing thought. I suppose that is true with fossil oil that we extract today. There is nothing in the fossil record or our knowledge of evolutionary biology that allows for an advanced civilization in earth ancient history. Its just not there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malakthrin Posted July 15, 2010 #13 Share Posted July 15, 2010 (edited) There is nothing in the fossil record or our knowledge of evolutionary biology that allows for an advanced civilization in earth ancient history. Its just not there. Or we just haven't found it yet. *shrug* We've found what? 250,000 species through fossil records? Compared to the probably millions of species that have existed over the aeons, it's possible there has been 'advanced' lifeforms here before. Likely? Probably not. Impossible? Certainly not. 98% of species that ever lived are extinct. Edited July 15, 2010 by Malakthrin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielost Posted July 15, 2010 #14 Share Posted July 15, 2010 (edited) Or we just haven't found it yet. *shrug* We've found what? 250,000 species through fossil records? Compared to the probably millions of species that have existed over the aeons, it's possible there has been 'advanced' lifeforms here before. Likely? Probably not. Impossible? Certainly not. 98% of species that ever lived are extinct. dont confuse the issue, it isnt in the fossil record so it cant be there. (i am being sarcastic here) the earliest known country was sumer until they found another one off the coast if india. oh and except for power pumps they had running water like we do. Edited July 15, 2010 by danielost Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
27vet Posted July 15, 2010 #15 Share Posted July 15, 2010 Maybe that is what Atlantis was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielost Posted July 15, 2010 #16 Share Posted July 15, 2010 Maybe that is what Atlantis was. i think so and have said i have thought so. basically based on the fact that they were supposed to be masters of the air. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abramelin Posted July 15, 2010 #17 Share Posted July 15, 2010 i think so and have said i have thought so. basically based on the fact that they were supposed to be masters of the air. Yep, master breathers they were. Puff themselves up, and make themselves look bigger than anyone would have ever thought possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielost Posted July 16, 2010 #18 Share Posted July 16, 2010 Yep, master breathers they were. Puff themselves up, and make themselves look bigger than anyone would have ever thought possible. well masters of the air means they either controlled the air or flew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRCivic98 Posted July 16, 2010 #19 Share Posted July 16, 2010 The difference is technology. With technology we can prevent some of these things from happening. It's just a matter of doing it in time. IMO the sky is falling right now and unfortunately most won't believe it until a piece of it hits them. Too many people see money, fame, power and objects as their gods. A small example: People are so worried about getting their cars dirty (a big hunk of metal) that they value it over littering. Instead of throwing a wrapper out your car window, keep a small bag for trash under your seat. Then, once a week, throw that bag in a receptacle. This is just one of so many little things we could do to help this planet. It all starts with the little things. If anyone really wants a taste of a post apocalyptic world, Que up "The Road" on your Netflix account and when you watch it; try to immerse yourself into the film. Don't worry about what you think is realistic or not, just really think it thru as you watch. The truth of the matter is that the film is a very possible scenario. If you are already suffering from depression I seriously recommend you do not watch this film. If you would like, we can come back here and discuss possibilities for such a scenario after you've had a chance to watch the movie. I've actually wanted to see the movie "The Road" I believe it has Viggo Mortensen in it if I remember correctly? Looks interesting. But I would also like to get my hands on the book. but anyways, another thing I've noticed which happens more commonly than a meteor shower or asteroid hitting the Earth is that the Earth goes into Ice Age periods which eliminates a lot of life at one time as well. But I am one of those people that can't stand to liter because one it cost a crap load if you get a ticket for it and two...well I've just always thought that trash belonged in the trash, never in nature...sad thing is, I always pour water or gatorade or tea or milk on the dirt near plants if I don't want it no more. Kind of ironic really... I know that there's no way to be 100% enviromentally clean, but it's the small things that count right? As far as oil goes, oil is actually fossilized plants underneath the Earth's core that's been compressed for millions or even hundreds of millions of years and heated continously at a steady pace and then drilled and burned. Just like Charcoal. It's burned trees that's been de-carboned and packaged after cooling and then burnt later. Or home made charcoal is when you burn wood for a certain amount of time and then you suddenly cool it. Which makes a lump of coal, the coal being wood that's been charred so it's known for the term of Charcoal. Neat huh? But yeah, no one really knows when another asteroid, meteor, ice age, heat wave <-- we're talking 120 degrees F or higher, mutation, or anything else is bound to happen. For all we know it could be happening now but hey, it's not like we'd notice right? So I just say live day by day and forget the rest. Because as well all know, human kind shall force it's own extinction before thing else will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.B. Posted July 17, 2010 #20 Share Posted July 17, 2010 And this is why we prioritize. 1. Minimize our impact as best we can on nature. 2. fix that damn greed thing that makes us want to rape and pillage the environment/each other. 3. Space travel/colonization. More planets we have under our belt, the stronger our chances of survival in the long run are.And any species we take along will benefit too, not to mention continual evolution that will eventually generate so many different off-shoots of species that if one goes extinct there could be two or three replacement species on hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abramelin Posted July 17, 2010 #21 Share Posted July 17, 2010 (edited) well masters of the air means they either controlled the air or flew. I was joking. You were joking too, right? . Edited July 17, 2010 by Abramelin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielost Posted July 17, 2010 #22 Share Posted July 17, 2010 I was joking. You were joking too, right? . everything but them being masters of the air. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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