Mass Extinction Underway

[cspcdawg]

By Joby Warrick
Staff Writer

A majority of the nation's biologists are convinced that a "mass extinction" of plants and animals is underway that poses a major threat to humans in the next century, yet most Americans are only dimly aware of the problem, a poll says.

The rapid disappearance of species was ranked as one of the planet's gravest environmental worries, surpassing pollution, global warming and the thinning of the ozone layer, according to the survey of 400 scientists commissioned by New York's American Museum of Natural History.

The poll's release yesterday comes on the heels of a groundbreaking study of plant diversity that concluded than at least one in eight known plant species is threatened with extinction. Although scientists are divided over the specific numbers, many believe that the rate of loss is greater now than at any time in history.

"The speed at which species are being lost is much faster than any we've seen in the past -- including those [extinctions] related to meteor collisions," said Daniel Simberloff, a University of Tennessee ecologist and prominent expert in biological diversity who participated in the museum's survey. [Note: the last mass extinction caused by a meteor collision was that of the dinosaurs, 65 million years ago.]

Most of his peers apparently agree. Nearly seven out of 10 of the biologists polled said they believed a "mass extinction" was underway, and an equal number predicted that up to one-fifth of all living species could disappear within 30 years. Nearly all attributed the losses to human activity, especially the destruction of plant and animal habitats.

Among the dissenters, some argue that there is not yet enough data to support the view that a mass extinction is occurring. Many of the estimates of species loss are extrapolations based on the global destruction of rain forests and other rich habitats.

Among non-scientists, meanwhile, the subject appears to have made relatively little impression. Sixty percent of the laymen polled professed little or no familiarity with the concept of biological diversity, and barely half ranked species loss as a "major threat."

The scientists interviewed in the Louis Harris poll were members of the Washington-based American Institute of Biological Sciences, a professional society of more than 5,000 scientists.
http://www.well.com/~davidu/extinction.html

[enevitable]

I watched a special on like 60 minutes or dateline a month or so ago, talking about the rapid extinction of honey bees. Apparently they are leaving the hives, never coming back and dying off for absolutely no reason.

I'm not an enviromentalist by any means, and I honestly hate all the enviromentalists because of one reason:

Theres almost 7 billion people on this planet, what do they fucking expect?

Human beings have spread like a plague, its not because of how we treat the enviroment that its dying, its because we are honestly spreading across the planet like locusts

They expect africa's soil to be so detrimented in the near future that it wont even be able to feed 25% of its population. (Not that they can even feed much of their population now)

Not just africas soil too, americas soil is so degraded its not even funny.

And honestly the whole global warming concept is stark in comparison to our natural resources dilemma.

You have to look at it this way: Whether we care for the enviroment or not, one day very soon this planet will be expended of its resources. Did I mention soon?

[the roach]

That's a neat article however,

Originally Posted by cspcdawg

[Note: the last mass extinction caused by a meteor collision was that of the dinosaurs, 65 million years ago.]

Most widely-supported explanations (Dinosaur mass extinctions)
Macleod (2001)^[14] summarised the relationship between mass extinctions and events which are most often cited as causes of mass extinctions, using data from Courtillot et al (1996),^[15] Hallam (1992)^[16] and Grieve et al (1996)^[17]:

• Flood basalt events: 11 occurrences, all associated with significant extinctions^[18][19] But Wignall (2001) concluded that only 5 of the major extinctions coincided with flood Basalt eruptions and that the main phase of extinctions started before the eruptions.^[20]
• Sea-level falls: 12, of which 7 were associated with significant extinctions.^[19]
• Asteroid impacts producing craters over 100km wide: 1, associated with 1 mass extinction.
• Asteroid impacts producing craters less than 100km wide: over 50, the great majority not associated with significant extinctions.

http://www.answers.com/topic/extinct...cat=technology

We can't say for sure what happened, but to claim with such certainty that they were wiped out by only one of the theories theory is a bit unprofessional. (and dare I say....unscientific!)

Other then that It's a neat article.

[gord420]

Its pretty obvious why all the animals and plants are dying, its because people are killing them and building malls and other ridiculous wastes of space instead of having a calm quiet forest instead. This worlds getting more ridiculous every year. If more people would just settle down and stop doing stuff all the time the world would be a way better place. If more people were introverts the world would be a way calmer and different place and most likely not have any problems in it.

[Salvial]

We're a fucking virus. But don't worry about it, this is all just a ride. If you want to worry more, however, most of us should start dying off around 2009-2010 after the UN's new controversial food regulation comes into effect. For more info search for Codex Alimentarius on these forums.

[backfromthedead]

I agree with this article completely and also have a theory on gobal warming.

It must be human activity that will end us look at all the roads we build.

If you put all the black asphalt in the world in one country it would most likely fill the country and there would appear to be a large black global warming pad if seen from space.

I wirte about these kinds of things at my weblog about the future of the Humans. I have entitled it Future-Forecast

You should check it out if you are interested in these types of things I love to write about the future. But hopefully will last longer than 30 years, as far as the animals they may dissappear.

Only those species who are able to adapt to living on the same planet with us will live through this all, the next evolutionary stage of the earth will begin.

[enevitable]

Originally Posted by Salvial

We're a fucking virus. But don't worry about it, this is all just a ride. If you want to worry more, however, most of us should start dying off around 2009-2010 after the UN's new controversial food regulation comes into effect. For more info search for Codex Alimentarius on these forums.

We are a virus, but the UN's food regulation won't change that much.

Originally Posted by backfromthedead

I agree with this article completely and also have a theory on gobal warming.

It must be human activity that will end us look at all the roads we build.

If you put all the black asphalt in the world in one country it would most likely fill the country and there would appear to be a large black global warming pad if seen from space.

I wirte about these kinds of things at my weblog about the future of the earth and mankind. I have entitled it Future-Forecast

You should check it out if you are interested in these types of things I love to write about the future. But hopefully will last longer than 30 years, as far as the animals they may dissappear.

Only those species who are able to adapt to living on the same planet with us will live through this all, the next evolutionary stage of the earth will begin.

C'mon now, asphalt helping global warming? Sure the color black absorbs more electromagnetic radiation then any other color, but it's not going to help global warming.

HOWEVER. The incredible amount of roads/parking lots we are putting in are hurting our rivers/streams/drainage. Flash floods and drainage are going to be a fucking serious problem in the future.

Originally Posted by the roach

That's a neat article however,


Most widely-supported explanations (Dinosaur mass extinctions)
Macleod (2001)^[14] summarised the relationship between mass extinctions and events which are most often cited as causes of mass extinctions, using data from Courtillot et al (1996),^[15] Hallam (1992)^[16] and Grieve et al (1996)^[17]:

• Flood basalt events: 11 occurrences, all associated with significant extinctions^[18][19] But Wignall (2001) concluded that only 5 of the major extinctions coincided with flood Basalt eruptions and that the main phase of extinctions started before the eruptions.^[20]
• Sea-level falls: 12, of which 7 were associated with significant extinctions.^[19]
• Asteroid impacts producing craters over 100km wide: 1, associated with 1 mass extinction.
• Asteroid impacts producing craters less than 100km wide: over 50, the great majority not associated with significant extinctions.

http://www.answers.com/topic/extinct...cat=technology

We can't say for sure what happened, but to claim with such certainty that they were wiped out by only one of the theories theory is a bit unprofessional. (and dare I say....unscientific!)

Other then that It's a neat article.

Agreed completely

[AlphaQ]

"The year 2000. The most wasteful society in the history of the galaxy and it was running out of places to empty its never-ending output of garbage. The landfills were full. New Jersey was full."

Ah Futurama, so funny yet so insightful.

[enevitable]

Originally Posted by AlphaQ

"The year 2000. The most wasteful society in the history of the galaxy and it was running out of places to empty its never-ending output of garbage. The landfills were full. New Jersey was full."

Ah Futurama, so funny yet so insightful.

You know, it would actually be an interesting experiment for us to start putting all of our trash into space.

Not only can we free up space on earth, but we can also work more on the nebular hypothesis. We can learn exactly how much mass an object needs before it gravitationally collapses in on itself and differentiates. Imagine a ball of trash so large that it has its own specific gravity.

As soon as we develop technology for a mass driver or an orbital elevator, then we can really start our mass infestation of space.

[BubbleFunker]

Then comes the waste bill from our space neighbors!
And won't that come as a shock?

[ThePhantom]

This is horrible how the Earth is being destroyed, it really is going to come back and kill us. If marijuana was legal, this rapid deforestation and extermination could end, because hemp can be used for paper and housing, the two largest industries lumber is used for.

[enevitable]

Originally Posted by ThePhantom

This is horrible how the Earth is being destroyed, it really is going to come back and kill us. If marijuana was legal, this rapid deforestation and extermination could end, because hemp can be used for paper and housing, the two largest industries lumber is used for.

the deforestation isn't that bad, they are planting them as fast as they cut them. do a little research on it, a lot of things have changed in the past 10 years.

[bkadoctaj]

Originally Posted by enevitable

the deforestation isn't that bad, they are planting them as fast as they cut them. do a little research on it, a lot of things have changed in the past 10 years.

Uh, careful with that... I don't know where you read that, but post a link if you would.

[barrelhse]

I live in Mass. If I move can I avoid this Mass Extinction? And, WTF, how about a Republican Extinction?

[FrostAie]

i hope the cannabis plant is not one that goes extinct as long as i have my clones they will never dissapear