If The Human Race Ceased To Exist.......

[thehawk]

Assuming a specific virus wiped out all humans, how long before any type of 'civilisation', if at all, would start to appear. Could other primates or mammals potentially be the 'common ancestor' for the future of intelligent life?

Or even worse, a cataclysmic event that destoyed most larger lifeforms only leaving bacteria and insects. Would/Could mammals re-evolve in several hundred million years or are we really a fluke?

[Eric Mc]

A couple of millions of years at least.

But, in the larger view, that isn't that long.

[dundarach]

Primates already have well developed structures - would they bother making stuff or just play, shag and eat remains the question....

In fact thinking about it - it's only us silly sods that bother making stuff, all other life just plays, eats and shags - so perhaps in another million years we'd have gotten it right by then....mmmm

Edited by dundarach on Tuesday 3rd March 08:42

[AlexKP]

thehawk said:

Assuming a specific virus wiped out all humans, how long before any type of 'civilisation', if at all, would start to appear. Could other primates or mammals potentially be the 'common ancestor' for the future of intelligent life?

Or even worse, a cataclysmic event that destoyed most larger lifeforms only leaving bacteria and insects. Would/Could mammals re-evolve in several hundred million years or are we really a fluke?

It's a very interesting question and the answer depends upon a multitude of variables such as climate, competition, resources, geography, and above all need.

Most anthropologists agree that the human brain/mind evolved simply because it gave us a better chance of survival. Therefore the stimulating factors are likely to be availability of prey, distribution and quantity of predators, environmental threats, and advantages to social groupings.

The latter already exists in higher order primates and many other species.

Of course, there are other types of intelligence. Octopi and Squid for example do possess reasoning powers and learned memory. It wouldn't necessarily have to be primates that evolved next time.

[kambites]

Another question: If the human race continues to exist in (more or less) it's present form and it becomes clear at some point in the distant future that another form of intelligent life is evolving, what will we do about it?

[Dakkon]

kambites said:

Another question: If the human race continues to exist in (more or less) it's present form and it becomes clear at some point in the distant future that another form of intelligent life is evolving, what will we do about it?

Nuke them

[turbobloke]

If the human race ceased to exist.....we wouldn't be able to post on PH

[Davel]

There'd still be pikies!

[Eric Mc]

kambites said:

Another question: If the human race continues to exist in (more or less) it's present form and it becomes clear at some point in the distant future that another form of intelligent life is evolving, what will we do about it?

We'd probably end up destroying it before it became too much of a rival or threat - if it didn't destroy us first.
Not very edifying I know but that is more or less the way nature works.
In fact, there is a strong case that this type of behaviour in humans led to the extinction of our close relatives, the Neanderthals.