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I saw a report a couple years back that basically says there are some many of us that extinction really isn’t a possibility. There will always be a remnant.
I think it will be with a whimper rather than a bang. The cost of living will skyrocket way too much, and the political situation too tense, that nobody will want to justify having children anymore. We will eventually die off due to lack of replacement bodies.
Disease. Something like Covid will come along that we can’t stop and it’ll decimate the population so much we won’t be able to keep the infrastructure running, and we’ll revert to post-apocalyptic scavenging, living off the bones of the former world, with no defense against the old favorites – measles, cholera, bubonic plague, and especially good ole’ influenza.
Might take a century or two for the last few survivors to kick it, but it’ll be disease combined with lack of medical tech and lack of simple hygiene that wipes us out.
Recombinant DNA engineering. Scientists are manipulating DNA to cure cancers, prevent illnesses and correct genetics dysfunctions, and it’s a good thing, but they’re playing with the very building blocks of our existence. By definition, recombinant DNA is chimeric, and the possibility for dangerous, pervasive mutations and novel life forms of unknown toxicity or environmental hazard has been a concern since the technology was invented in 1973.
Bathed in blood and screaming our anger and defiance at a cold uncaring universe sat atop a corpse pile miles high made from the bones of our billions of evolutionary competitors.
Humanity has and will most likely again come very close to extinction that I just can’t see it being a quiet goodnight like so many others here are touting.
Whatever does eventually get us or our descendant species won’t be something quiet or mundane. It’s just not in our nature as a species we didn’t get this far based on mediocrity.
To quote:
“The time of ending may have come but humanity shall not die softly, shall not leave the stage meekly with a small bow.
If this truly is the death knell for our species, then let humanity shut the door behind us with such force that the entire galaxy looks upon our exit with awe.”
We give birth to something that will ultimately supplant us. Whether that is a biological species better adapted to whatever environment we wind up creating for them, or some radical leap to silicon and steel, I can’t say.
Or we go the way of a lot of species and our branch of the tree of life just dies. That has happened a LOT in the geological record, and no small amount of it is happening now.
We are creating a new species to supercede us (AI), but we’ll probably still hang around as a lesser species on the planet for a while. What appears to be killing us now is the fallling birth rates. If we go to a post scarcity society, we’ll probably die out from spectacular success after a coupld centuries.
Whenever it is the last human alive will almost certainly have no idea they’re the last or even among the last since there will be no communications at that point. The further out you go from collapse the harder life will get and, paradoxically, the more normal it will seem. The last human alive may well think “everything is fine” until they die.
Nature created virus that’s leave men and women sterile. People lose hope slip into depression. Some get violent society collapses with a century only a handful of people are left. Then they kick it it’s over
Nuclear war, environmental destruction, infighting, disease, deliberate suicide, famine.
I think when we go, it’ll be a mix of these things. We’re going to trash the world, and wherever there’s left to run to, we’ll repeat the same processes at a smaller scale until we destroy ourselves in a way we can’t come back from.
And that’s on top of any kind of unexpected natural catastrophe that comes in to complicate things.
Agricultural collapse. The world relies on monoculture crops, and a single blight could wipe out 80% of the worlds food supply, and the ensuing war would push humanity to the stone age. The final extinction would just be a slow series of blows to isolated communities by natural disaster or disease or conflict.
Agricultural collapse. The world relies on monoculture crops, and a single blight could wipe out 80% of the worlds food supply, and the ensuing war would push humanity to the stone age. The final extinction would just be a slow series of blows to isolated communities by natural disaster or disease or conflict.
We will overpopulate and destroy the planet. We are already on the path. Eventually we will cut down and build over all inhabitable land, kill off most of the animals (we already kill so many animals that if we killed humans at the same rate, humans would be extinct in roughly 2 weeks)
We are literally burning down the rainforest for steaks 🤦♂️
Humans simply don’t give a shit enough to be inconvenienced.
Stopping eating meat is the single biggest thing that you can do to slow it down.
It takes roughly 2,000 gallons of water to produce 1lb of beef.
Many in the world don’t even have access to clean water. Humans are definitely the worst thing to ever happen to earth.
1.) (Self ecological) We create a world that is unhabitable/unsurvivable for us. So first there is famine, or we kill off everything else, and no longer have the way to feed ourselves. We allow the world to get too hot to survive.
2.) (Outside ecological) We are killed by disease/meteors/aliens. Seems crazy, but disease could kill off a significant amount of people (Probably not 100%, or even 99%, but you could kill off a significant proportion.), A meteor is possible assuming we can’t re-direct it, or stop it, and depending on the size, it could easily kill off humanity (or at least start the countdown to our extinction). Aliens – A real long shot, but it’s more likely that aliens will be more like 3 body problem and less like Star Trek.
3.) (Self physical destruction) We kill ourselves to the point where can no longer recover (under 1000 mating pairs)
I think most people wildly overestimate the probability of extinction in the short term.
Extinction is different than societal collapse. It’s infinitly more likely for 99% of humans to die than for 100% to die. We are in every inhabitable nook and crany of the planet, and as long as there are two people somewhere/anywhere, it’s not over. (We ain’t rhinos.)
Unless the earth becomes completely, 100% inhabitable*, humanity will likely persist until we evolve into something else.
(And nothing humanity is currently capable of would completely* destroy the earth. Only something like an asteroid could do that, diseases or nukes have no chance.)
General stupidity, greed, and mass loss of empathy and consideration. Only a few garbage yet powerful countries can ruin the world for everyone else in a variety of ways. We’re already on our way if things don’t change. Viva la revolution y’all.
We’ll destroy ourselves somehow. Either through war or some weapon that gets released (probably biological) that the people that made it can’t contain. And that’s all she wrote
Heat death, due to climate change. When surface temperature is equivalent to “Death Valley” we will be unable to continue. Most life, as we know it, will be unable to adapt. The acquisition of food, water and shelter will be a 24/7 problem for all surface life.
Eventually resource scarcity will become a huge fuckin issue, one worthy of waging war. Before we know it, the resources we’ve fought over will be used in the war effort or tainted by that same effort. We all die slow deaths in extreme discomfort. OR, these wars lead to nukes. Either way, I’d like to double it and give it to the next generation pls
Depends a little bit on when the Yellowstone super volcano cuts loose again. And there’s always the risk of nuclear war or biological war. That might accelerate the process considerably. But since humans are spread across the entire globe by now, there’s lots of potential little survivor pockets for speciation opportunities after civilization is over.
Even if we survive for another hundred thousand, five hundred thousand, or a million years, eventually we’ll evolve into something that is not what we are today. What we are today will not exist anymore.
But suppose we find a way to suspend our evolution artificially. The sun is going to die someday, alone with the earth and we will die with it.
But suppose we leave Earth and colonize the stars. One day all stars will have burned out and the heat death of the universe will snuff out all energy everywhere.
And there is no escaping that no matter what we do.
Evolution. I don’t believe we are going to go extinct until there is a competitive and superior animal or humanoid that runs us out of existence. Our numbers may dwindle or we might go through massive collapse but I don’t think we will go extinct.
Extinct is a tough one, something that would wipe out the whole species would need to be monumental. Like full on nuclear holocaust or meteoric impact. The collapse of human society is much more likely via like a new, more deadly disease or crop failure.
Um climate change is already causing an insect apocalypse which will reverberate through ecosystems around the planet. We’re not prepared for the collapse of farming in the slightest. Massive famines and war will send small isolated pockets of humanity back to the stone age and then those will die of random bullshit over time because they’re too small. Pisses me off that the billionaire’s response is bunkers rather than trying to solve it for all.
The pessimist version of me pictures the last two tribes fighting over the last pool of drinkable water with rocks (they burned all the clubs trying to cook the last animals).
There is a reason all mammals ballz are outside the body. Optimal temperature for sperms production is always a few degrees below normal body temp. If global warming continues, it’ll drop sperm production and we’ll just sort of fizzle out due to low birth rates
I think that we will have a company that will be able to take human beings to another planet. Once they are able to do that, they will supply resources to the planet to terraform it, making it hospitable for human and animal life. Then, they will create a gigantic mansion that can house thousands of people. All of this will be done with volunteers. With the promise of fighting for humanities future. Once there, nothing can stop them from working them like slaves in the most inhumane conditions. They can die and cover it up for decades, as well as force them to breed to create new slaves. Once everything is completed, whoever is the top dog can simply take as much food as he wants there. Along with thousands of women that he picks. They will be volunteers as well or kidnapped because he wants them. More than likely, they’ll be 7 year olds that come from good-looking parents. When he is satisfied, he has taken what he needs. He’ll take them and himself to the new planet. However, he will find a way to destroy the planet from the earth or from space. Completely wiping out our planet. He will be the only male. All the slaves will be killed once he returns. After that, he can create a new reality. Where the gods on our planet don’t exist. He will be god to them, and he will raise those girls with a new mentality to worship him as their god. Because none of the old traditions, morals, rules, or laws will exist there. He will reproduce with all of them, creating a new population and educating them on what’s necessary. Eventually, he will die, and new generations will pass as well. They could develop new technology to leave that planet. Now, here’s where humanity dies. Some will be left behind, and they will also die because they have barely any resources to create more ships to leave, they could get invaded by a new race, hit by an asteroid, etc. The ones that did leave, well they won’t make it long. They are human. If they do meet other species, they will be killed. Because we are the most toxic, disgusting, and volatile species on earth. It won’t change up there. Just as how we can’t get along here, we won’t get along with them there. They’ll just kill them, ending humanity.
I think we are seeing the beginning of it. It takes thousands, possibly millions of years for extinction to happen so I’m not saying we will be wiped out tomorrow, but with more and more people choosing not to have children and mass genocide happening across the world, I believe it’s happening already
I doubt human beings will go extinct. There might be a lot of war and death and suffering on the way to a much lower population but I doubt we would become extinct. The most likely people to survive would be remote communities is places like Australia, Brazil, Africa, South Pacific, or even the Sentanelese.
Humans won’t go extinct. Our modern culture will cease to exist one day. I bet if you were to travel 1000 years into the future you’ll find humans living like they did 1000 years ago.
At this pt, I think we’ll either be outcompeted by transhumanist cyborgs that evolved from us or some kind of incredibly incredibly stupid and preventable accident involving nukes
I think we will kill ourselves. Survive or don’t the earth keeps on turning. How many civilizations came before us. We are just a cycle in universe circling the milky way. Barely a blink in the eye of time. Our space rock keeps on circling.
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I saw a report a couple years back that basically says there are some many of us that extinction really isn’t a possibility. There will always be a remnant.
I think it will be with a whimper rather than a bang. The cost of living will skyrocket way too much, and the political situation too tense, that nobody will want to justify having children anymore. We will eventually die off due to lack of replacement bodies.
Disease. Something like Covid will come along that we can’t stop and it’ll decimate the population so much we won’t be able to keep the infrastructure running, and we’ll revert to post-apocalyptic scavenging, living off the bones of the former world, with no defense against the old favorites – measles, cholera, bubonic plague, and especially good ole’ influenza.
Might take a century or two for the last few survivors to kick it, but it’ll be disease combined with lack of medical tech and lack of simple hygiene that wipes us out.
Recombinant DNA engineering. Scientists are manipulating DNA to cure cancers, prevent illnesses and correct genetics dysfunctions, and it’s a good thing, but they’re playing with the very building blocks of our existence. By definition, recombinant DNA is chimeric, and the possibility for dangerous, pervasive mutations and novel life forms of unknown toxicity or environmental hazard has been a concern since the technology was invented in 1973.
The same way we came into existence.
Bathed in blood and screaming our anger and defiance at a cold uncaring universe sat atop a corpse pile miles high made from the bones of our billions of evolutionary competitors.
Humanity has and will most likely again come very close to extinction that I just can’t see it being a quiet goodnight like so many others here are touting.
Whatever does eventually get us or our descendant species won’t be something quiet or mundane. It’s just not in our nature as a species we didn’t get this far based on mediocrity.
To quote:
“The time of ending may have come but humanity shall not die softly, shall not leave the stage meekly with a small bow.
If this truly is the death knell for our species, then let humanity shut the door behind us with such force that the entire galaxy looks upon our exit with awe.”
Zoom out and Take pride in what you are people.
We give birth to something that will ultimately supplant us. Whether that is a biological species better adapted to whatever environment we wind up creating for them, or some radical leap to silicon and steel, I can’t say.
Or we go the way of a lot of species and our branch of the tree of life just dies. That has happened a LOT in the geological record, and no small amount of it is happening now.
We are creating a new species to supercede us (AI), but we’ll probably still hang around as a lesser species on the planet for a while. What appears to be killing us now is the fallling birth rates. If we go to a post scarcity society, we’ll probably die out from spectacular success after a coupld centuries.
Whenever it is the last human alive will almost certainly have no idea they’re the last or even among the last since there will be no communications at that point. The further out you go from collapse the harder life will get and, paradoxically, the more normal it will seem. The last human alive may well think “everything is fine” until they die.
Nature created virus that’s leave men and women sterile. People lose hope slip into depression. Some get violent society collapses with a century only a handful of people are left. Then they kick it it’s over
Nuclear war, environmental destruction, infighting, disease, deliberate suicide, famine.
I think when we go, it’ll be a mix of these things. We’re going to trash the world, and wherever there’s left to run to, we’ll repeat the same processes at a smaller scale until we destroy ourselves in a way we can’t come back from.
And that’s on top of any kind of unexpected natural catastrophe that comes in to complicate things.
Agricultural collapse. The world relies on monoculture crops, and a single blight could wipe out 80% of the worlds food supply, and the ensuing war would push humanity to the stone age. The final extinction would just be a slow series of blows to isolated communities by natural disaster or disease or conflict.
Agricultural collapse. The world relies on monoculture crops, and a single blight could wipe out 80% of the worlds food supply, and the ensuing war would push humanity to the stone age. The final extinction would just be a slow series of blows to isolated communities by natural disaster or disease or conflict.
We will overpopulate and destroy the planet. We are already on the path. Eventually we will cut down and build over all inhabitable land, kill off most of the animals (we already kill so many animals that if we killed humans at the same rate, humans would be extinct in roughly 2 weeks)
We are literally burning down the rainforest for steaks 🤦♂️
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2022/amazon-beef-deforestation-brazil/
Humans simply don’t give a shit enough to be inconvenienced.
Stopping eating meat is the single biggest thing that you can do to slow it down.
It takes roughly 2,000 gallons of water to produce 1lb of beef.
Many in the world don’t even have access to clean water. Humans are definitely the worst thing to ever happen to earth.
https://watercalculator.org/news/articles/beef-king-big-water-footprints/
One of three ways.
1.) (Self ecological) We create a world that is unhabitable/unsurvivable for us. So first there is famine, or we kill off everything else, and no longer have the way to feed ourselves. We allow the world to get too hot to survive.
2.) (Outside ecological) We are killed by disease/meteors/aliens. Seems crazy, but disease could kill off a significant amount of people (Probably not 100%, or even 99%, but you could kill off a significant proportion.), A meteor is possible assuming we can’t re-direct it, or stop it, and depending on the size, it could easily kill off humanity (or at least start the countdown to our extinction). Aliens – A real long shot, but it’s more likely that aliens will be more like 3 body problem and less like Star Trek.
3.) (Self physical destruction) We kill ourselves to the point where can no longer recover (under 1000 mating pairs)
I think most people wildly overestimate the probability of extinction in the short term.
Extinction is different than societal collapse. It’s infinitly more likely for 99% of humans to die than for 100% to die. We are in every inhabitable nook and crany of the planet, and as long as there are two people somewhere/anywhere, it’s not over. (We ain’t rhinos.)
Unless the earth becomes completely, 100% inhabitable*, humanity will likely persist until we evolve into something else.
(And nothing humanity is currently capable of would completely* destroy the earth. Only something like an asteroid could do that, diseases or nukes have no chance.)
General stupidity, greed, and mass loss of empathy and consideration. Only a few garbage yet powerful countries can ruin the world for everyone else in a variety of ways. We’re already on our way if things don’t change. Viva la revolution y’all.
We’ll destroy ourselves somehow. Either through war or some weapon that gets released (probably biological) that the people that made it can’t contain. And that’s all she wrote
Climate change!
Mostly bc it will lead to crop failures, and at some point plants will be Unable to grow due to heat extremes wiping them out.
Or bc everything we rely on is dead
Heat death, due to climate change. When surface temperature is equivalent to “Death Valley” we will be unable to continue. Most life, as we know it, will be unable to adapt. The acquisition of food, water and shelter will be a 24/7 problem for all surface life.
Eventually resource scarcity will become a huge fuckin issue, one worthy of waging war. Before we know it, the resources we’ve fought over will be used in the war effort or tainted by that same effort. We all die slow deaths in extreme discomfort. OR, these wars lead to nukes. Either way, I’d like to double it and give it to the next generation pls
Depends a little bit on when the Yellowstone super volcano cuts loose again. And there’s always the risk of nuclear war or biological war. That might accelerate the process considerably. But since humans are spread across the entire globe by now, there’s lots of potential little survivor pockets for speciation opportunities after civilization is over.
I mean, it’s inevitable.
Even if we survive for another hundred thousand, five hundred thousand, or a million years, eventually we’ll evolve into something that is not what we are today. What we are today will not exist anymore.
But suppose we find a way to suspend our evolution artificially. The sun is going to die someday, alone with the earth and we will die with it.
But suppose we leave Earth and colonize the stars. One day all stars will have burned out and the heat death of the universe will snuff out all energy everywhere.
And there is no escaping that no matter what we do.
Evolution. I don’t believe we are going to go extinct until there is a competitive and superior animal or humanoid that runs us out of existence. Our numbers may dwindle or we might go through massive collapse but I don’t think we will go extinct.
Extinct is a tough one, something that would wipe out the whole species would need to be monumental. Like full on nuclear holocaust or meteoric impact. The collapse of human society is much more likely via like a new, more deadly disease or crop failure.
[removed]
Um climate change is already causing an insect apocalypse which will reverberate through ecosystems around the planet. We’re not prepared for the collapse of farming in the slightest. Massive famines and war will send small isolated pockets of humanity back to the stone age and then those will die of random bullshit over time because they’re too small. Pisses me off that the billionaire’s response is bunkers rather than trying to solve it for all.
The pessimist version of me pictures the last two tribes fighting over the last pool of drinkable water with rocks (they burned all the clubs trying to cook the last animals).
There is a reason all mammals ballz are outside the body. Optimal temperature for sperms production is always a few degrees below normal body temp. If global warming continues, it’ll drop sperm production and we’ll just sort of fizzle out due to low birth rates
I think that we will have a company that will be able to take human beings to another planet. Once they are able to do that, they will supply resources to the planet to terraform it, making it hospitable for human and animal life. Then, they will create a gigantic mansion that can house thousands of people. All of this will be done with volunteers. With the promise of fighting for humanities future. Once there, nothing can stop them from working them like slaves in the most inhumane conditions. They can die and cover it up for decades, as well as force them to breed to create new slaves. Once everything is completed, whoever is the top dog can simply take as much food as he wants there. Along with thousands of women that he picks. They will be volunteers as well or kidnapped because he wants them. More than likely, they’ll be 7 year olds that come from good-looking parents. When he is satisfied, he has taken what he needs. He’ll take them and himself to the new planet. However, he will find a way to destroy the planet from the earth or from space. Completely wiping out our planet. He will be the only male. All the slaves will be killed once he returns. After that, he can create a new reality. Where the gods on our planet don’t exist. He will be god to them, and he will raise those girls with a new mentality to worship him as their god. Because none of the old traditions, morals, rules, or laws will exist there. He will reproduce with all of them, creating a new population and educating them on what’s necessary. Eventually, he will die, and new generations will pass as well. They could develop new technology to leave that planet. Now, here’s where humanity dies. Some will be left behind, and they will also die because they have barely any resources to create more ships to leave, they could get invaded by a new race, hit by an asteroid, etc. The ones that did leave, well they won’t make it long. They are human. If they do meet other species, they will be killed. Because we are the most toxic, disgusting, and volatile species on earth. It won’t change up there. Just as how we can’t get along here, we won’t get along with them there. They’ll just kill them, ending humanity.
People will just stop having enough kids to replace themselves. It’s already happening. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6KptpOuo7E
I think we are seeing the beginning of it. It takes thousands, possibly millions of years for extinction to happen so I’m not saying we will be wiped out tomorrow, but with more and more people choosing not to have children and mass genocide happening across the world, I believe it’s happening already
I doubt human beings will go extinct. There might be a lot of war and death and suffering on the way to a much lower population but I doubt we would become extinct. The most likely people to survive would be remote communities is places like Australia, Brazil, Africa, South Pacific, or even the Sentanelese.
Humans won’t go extinct. Our modern culture will cease to exist one day. I bet if you were to travel 1000 years into the future you’ll find humans living like they did 1000 years ago.
This comic sums up my theory:
Investment Banker Paris.com: Cartoon : shareholder value
At this pt, I think we’ll either be outcompeted by transhumanist cyborgs that evolved from us or some kind of incredibly incredibly stupid and preventable accident involving nukes
I think we will kill ourselves. Survive or don’t the earth keeps on turning. How many civilizations came before us. We are just a cycle in universe circling the milky way. Barely a blink in the eye of time. Our space rock keeps on circling.