by eric_b » Mon 13 Aug 2007, 17:42:31
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('dutchcyclist', 'S')ince you all seem to be enjoying mass extinction you must be thrilled to hear that we are experiencing the fastest mass-extinction ever right now. Thats right folks: lifeforms are disappearing faster right now than after the big asteroid hit earth.
The beginning of this extinction event (wich is called the holocene extinction event) seems to coincide with humans inventing agriculture.... one might suspect this is no coincedence...
Well, at least we'll leave future generations some pretty pictures of what once was, assuming we don't join the very long list of extinct species.
Another thing is the extensive fragmentation of the remaining areas that are still somewhat diverse biologically, like the Amazon basin. This is caused primarily by roadways. Everything has been subdivided by the very greedy H. Sapiens. This often damns the islands of greenery to a slow death. And then there are the many species (like nearly all the large mammals outside of our pet domestics) that have been so drastically reduced in number they are now functionally extinct because of genetic drift.
It's a pity, our priorities are all wrong. These other ancient strands of life are the true wealth of this world and we're destroying them all for nothing. Nothing lasts forever, but there's no reason to destroy the garden as we are.
http://www.well.com/~davidu/extinction.html