Climate Extremes Likely to Drive Mass Extinction of Land Mammals in 250 Million Years

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Climate Extremes Likely to Drive Mass Extinction of Land Mammals in 250 Million Years

Quote

In about 250 million years, all continents will converge to form Earth’s next supercontinent, Pangea Ultima. A natural consequence of the creation and decay of this supercontinent will be extremes in carbon dioxide levels due to changes in volcanic rifting and outgassing. New research shows that increased carbon dioxide, solar energy and continentality lead to increasing warming hostile to mammalian life.

Read More: Sci News

 

[Tatetopa]

Its been a good run.

[Waspie_Dwarf]

2 minutes ago, Tatetopa said:

Its been a good run.

With a quarter of a billion years still to go, the run has not ended yet,

[Tatetopa]

1 hour ago, Waspie_Dwarf said:

With a quarter of a billion years still to go, the run has not ended yet,

I think it is pure hubris for humans to worry about 250 million years in the future when we can't control our destiny well enough to guarantee the next thousand.

[Waspie_Dwarf]

6 hours ago, Tatetopa said:

I think it is pure hubris for humans to worry about 250 million years in the future when we can't control our destiny well enough to guarantee the next thousand.

This is not "worrying" about the future, any more than astronomers are, "worried" about the sun becoming a red giant or the heat death of the universe. The powerful thing about science is it allows you to extrapolate, using knowledge of the present, to determine what has happened in the deep past and what will happen in the far future. This is about knowledge, not worrying and knowledge is a useful thing. You never now what discovery will aid humanity and the planet. By delving into the past and future science may just discover facts that are useful in the present. If we stop scientific research we can guarantee that we won't be able to control our destiny, continue to study and all bets are off.

[Tatetopa]

6 hours ago, Waspie_Dwarf said:

This is not "worrying" about the future, any more than astronomers are, "worried" about the sun becoming a red giant or the heat death of the universe. The powerful thing about science is it allows you to extrapolate, using knowledge of the present, to determine what has happened in the deep past and what will happen in the far future. This is about knowledge, not worrying and knowledge is a useful thing. You never now what discovery will aid humanity and the planet. By delving into the past and future science may just discover facts that are useful in the present. If we stop scientific research we can guarantee that we won't be able to control our destiny, continue to study and all bets are off.

Agreed.  Describing the process of a new supercontinent forming is fascinating and Pangea extinctions and geological records of conditions in the interior would indicate some mighty hot dry expanses.  Was it Wegner that first posited continental drift? 

I love it.  I am fond of stellar evolution too.  As a high school student, back in about 1967, I even got to meet Martin Schwarzschild  at a balloon launch facility in Palestine, Texas.  I suggest we never stop growing and questing for knowledge.  It is great to read about developments and I appreciate your efforts. 

I guess I am just being an old fud here, but when the popular press gets hold of things like this, it has to be made sensational or readers and viewers lose interest before the commercial.. I can't think of a single vertebrate that has survived unchanged for 250 million years.  Linking Pangea Mark 3(?) to the extinction of humanity is a media hook that rankles me.   But if it got a million people to donate $10 to science, or more young people into STEM fields, it might be worth it.

[Abramelin]

21 hours ago, Waspie_Dwarf said:

Climate Extremes Likely to Drive Mass Extinction of Land Mammals in 250 Million Years

 

Why should we worry about what might happen 250 million years from now?

I doubt humans will survive the next 1000,000 years.

[Waspie_Dwarf]

50 minutes ago, Abramelin said:

Why should we worry about what might happen 250 million years from now?

I doubt humans will survive the next 1000,000 years.

Sorry for repeating myself, BUT...

8 hours ago, Waspie_Dwarf said:

This is not "worrying" about the future, any more than astronomers are, "worried" about the sun becoming a red giant or the heat death of the universe. The powerful thing about science is it allows you to extrapolate, using knowledge of the present, to determine what has happened in the deep past and what will happen in the far future. This is about knowledge, not worrying and knowledge is a useful thing. You never now what discovery will aid humanity and the planet. By delving into the past and future science may just discover facts that are useful in the present. If we stop scientific research we can guarantee that we won't be able to control our destiny, continue to study and all bets are off.