Saru Posted April 24, 2013 #1 Share Posted April 24, 2013 If we were to become extinct in the forseeable future, how exactly would such an event come about ? What are the greatest global threats to humanity? Are we on the verge of our own unexpected extinction? An international team of scientists, mathematicians and philosophers at Oxford University's Future of Humanity Institute is investigating the biggest dangers. Read more... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Merton Posted April 24, 2013 #2 Share Posted April 24, 2013 I don't think human beings will become extinct except by evolving into other species as we spread around the galaxy (the stars are so far apart separate colonies will go thousands of years between exchanges). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post shrooma Posted April 24, 2013 Popular Post #3 Share Posted April 24, 2013 most likely through our own stupidity. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Merton Posted April 24, 2013 #4 Share Posted April 24, 2013 Or by being too smart for our britches. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woopypooky Posted April 24, 2013 #5 Share Posted April 24, 2013 by stopping procreation either by becoming extremely religious or all gay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaphod222 Posted April 24, 2013 #6 Share Posted April 24, 2013 (edited) If we were to become extinct in the forseeable future, how exactly would such an event come about ? Some cataclysmic event, such as a meteorite hit or a megavolcano explosion. The highest life forms go first in that case. And that obviously includes us. most likely through our own stupidity. Well, that certainly helps. :-) Edited April 24, 2013 by Zaphod222 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfknight Posted April 24, 2013 #7 Share Posted April 24, 2013 We will died out at our own hands. We humans are our own worst ememies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikami Posted April 24, 2013 #8 Share Posted April 24, 2013 very pessimistic... but very true.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrooma Posted April 24, 2013 #9 Share Posted April 24, 2013 The highest life forms go first in that case. . which means we'll have a world where only the french are left..... :-D 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freetoroam Posted April 24, 2013 #10 Share Posted April 24, 2013 . which means we'll have a world where only the french are left..... :-D Ooooooooooooooooooooo! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrooma Posted April 24, 2013 #11 Share Posted April 24, 2013 Ooooooooooooooooooooo! . surely you mean Oooooooooooooooooooui! freet? :-D 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrooma Posted April 24, 2013 #12 Share Posted April 24, 2013 (but before anyone jumps on the 'racist' bandwagon, can I just point out that my eldest son is black, my last GF was japanese/american, and I have two frenchmen on my FB list.) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BiffSplitkins Posted April 24, 2013 #13 Share Posted April 24, 2013 most likely through our own stupidity. Along what shrooma said, I don't think humans will ever become extinct. We will, however, become less intelligent and end up lacking basic human compassion and emotions. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freetoroam Posted April 24, 2013 #14 Share Posted April 24, 2013 (but before anyone jumps on the 'racist' bandwagon, can I just point out that my eldest son is black, my last GF was japanese/american, and I have two frenchmen on my FB list.) Sad state of affairs really. growing up in a very multicult area the main problem of being called a racist was NOT by black people, they were just as against black on black crime as the rest of us and the area i grew up in had a large black on black crime problem, it was the lefty white people who did not want anything said against the situation and would not have a white person talk against it....the numerous black friends i had were disgusted by their attitude as it did not help race relations at all! It was ok for a black person to complain but not a white, now how racist was that? but not by the blacks in this case. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budica Posted April 24, 2013 #15 Share Posted April 24, 2013 This is a no brainer, one word, RELIGION!!! with everyone fighting over who has the best imaginary friend the human race will be the casualty. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrooma Posted April 24, 2013 #16 Share Posted April 24, 2013 We will, however, become less intelligent . WILL biff?! surely you mean HAVE.....?? :-) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emperor Sherlock Posted April 24, 2013 #17 Share Posted April 24, 2013 All of your hypothesizes are accurate, the question is.. which event is gonna happen first?? That should be the question, not how, but which scenario will happen first~ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrooma Posted April 24, 2013 #18 Share Posted April 24, 2013 it was the lefty white people who did not want anything said against the situation and would not have a white person talk against it....the numerous black friends i had were disgusted by their attitude as it did not help race relations at all! It was ok for a black person to complain but not a white, now how racist was that? but not by the blacks in this case. . that's typical reverse-racism freet, and our govt. is largely to blame..... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrooma Posted April 24, 2013 #19 Share Posted April 24, 2013 true ryn. there's so many ways to choose from, it's like russian roulette on a global scale! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highdesert50 Posted April 24, 2013 #20 Share Posted April 24, 2013 Assume the human body encounters a virus. Because viruses replicate with great efficiency by parasitically using cells, the human body will initiate an immune response to likely include a fever. The immune response may destroy the virus. Or the virus, because it lacks intelligence, will continue to reproduce until it destroys the human and ultimately itself. Now, assume the human body to be analogous to the earth. Humans are the virus, the earth has elicited an immune response, think global warming, and the outcome might be the elimination of the virus. Or, a godly physician might hurl a potent antibiotic at the virus, think massive asteroid ... wink, wink ; ) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ancient astronaut Posted April 24, 2013 #21 Share Posted April 24, 2013 By our own hand. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katzenking Posted April 24, 2013 #22 Share Posted April 24, 2013 'medical applications for genetic engineering, nanotechnology and other advances could see great benefits...' and great dangers as well... - Zaphod222: 'Some cataclysmic event, such as a meteorite hit or a megavolcano explosion.' Absolutely, if this happens it will in all probability be the end of us... (...and the begining of something new?) - shrooma: 'most likely through our own stupidity.' Another good point, but can we prevent our stupidity? There are 2 other things which concerns me and they are related to 'stupidity': 1. population explosion. As we know 7bn humans live on this planet and this number increases as we speak (or rather write). How many more can this planet tolerate? Where are the limits? And what happens when those limits are exceeded? How behave overcrowded habitats in nature? If too many rats (or mice, or whatever) are locked up in a box, they become mad and aggressive. That means hunger, desease, war, economic collapse... etc. Mother Earth herself (or nature, or even God) may decide to get rid of those... parasites, finally. 2. global warming some don't believe it but I do. I am persuaded of this because of the glacier and pole melting. And if humans are to blame for it (what we don't know for sure but it seems so), we should do much more to prevent further warming than we did so far. Because I am afraid when the point of no return is reached and exceeded (may be this is already the case), the global temperatures will rise more than 1 or 2 degrees Celsius. The future will probably look like Venus. PS: No, I am no apocalyptic prophet. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Merton Posted April 24, 2013 #23 Share Posted April 24, 2013 (but before anyone jumps on the 'racist' bandwagon, can I just point out that my eldest son is black, my last GF was japanese/american, and I have two frenchmen on my FB list.) I don't know that there is anything so bad about being a little anti-French. There does not exist a tourist who does not have stories about things that happen to them in France. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Merton Posted April 24, 2013 #24 Share Posted April 24, 2013 I'm an optimist; I think the galaxy is empty with plenty of worlds waiting for us so in a sense the human species will exist at least as long as the galaxy exists, although there will be local catastrophes here and there. The thing is the inhabitable planets take at minimum thousands of years to travel between, so there will be separate evolution on each, leading to our descendants evolving into all sorts of beings, and no longer being human. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaphod222 Posted April 24, 2013 #25 Share Posted April 24, 2013 This is a no brainer, one word, RELIGION!!! with everyone fighting over who has the best imaginary friend the human race will be the casualty. No. Religion can cause a lot of misery, but it won´t do the entire species in. That needs something more drastic. Nature has plenty in store. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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