• Tyfud@lemmy.world
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    18 days ago

    To clarify, we likely wouldn’t end as a species.

    Dinosaurs were ended with a roughly 10-15km meteroirite hitting earth, and causing months of distortions and damage to the ecosystem that disrupted their way of life enough that they starved or died of other causes.

    They were not nearly as adaptable as we are in modern times.

    To be sure, a lot of progress would die, and life would be greatly disrupted, but we, as a species, would almost certainly survive a similar event.

    • chillinit@lemmynsfw.com
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      18 days ago

      If we humans did not chronically overestimate self and underestimate risk then we’d all choose to kill ourselves. Individuals can be smart. But, when pressured or at scale we’re really fucking stupid.

      causing months of distortions and damage

      It wasn’t months. It was centuries of upheaval before systems restabilized, double digit human generations.

      Sure, the meteror’s impact wouldn’t kill all of humanity. The subsequent choices of the few that remained almost certainly would. We’re fragile, ordinary creatures that just got here and immediately set about killing one another and the planet itself.

        • chillinit@lemmynsfw.com
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          18 days ago

          Sir, the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately three thousand seven hundred and twenty to one!

          Never tell me the odds.

          A very human response.

    • leftzero@lemmynsfw.com
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      18 days ago

      The Deccan Traps probably didn’t help either.

      Oh, by the way, didn’t the Phlegraean Fields start acting up recently…?