life after people

devilstoy

Explorer
Nov 21, 2008
355
1
45
lindenwold
i really am addicted to that tv show , its amazing the technology they have to show the things they do , and they visit alot of already abandoned places , if anyone hasnt seen it you should deff look for it on the history channel
 

Sue Gremlin

Piney
Sep 13, 2005
1,288
245
61
Vicksburg, Michigan
Disease, DK. Like the avian flu or some new airborne virus similar to Ebola, might effectively wipe us out. I think it's a very useful thought experiment, actually, because it underlines what our impact is on the earth.

This show is so totally fascinating to me, being a bio geek. And I devoured The World Without Us, a book I very highly recommend.
 

devilstoy

Explorer
Nov 21, 2008
355
1
45
lindenwold
I seen that show. My opinion of it is that it's unrealistic to show people have died off, yet other animals are still wandering around. What could wipe out all the humans? A-Bombs? If a war like that happened everything would die. Even if it did happen like they show it, buildings would be around for a longer time than they show. Who would be there to vandalize them?:eng101:

it has nothing to do with how or why people died , just what would happen to earth as we know it if humans just vanished
 

Sue Gremlin

Piney
Sep 13, 2005
1,288
245
61
Vicksburg, Michigan
No, it isn't really discussed, that's just my logic. And no, viruses like that tend to be mainly species specific. That's why your dog doesn't generally get the flu or a cold from you.
 

woodjin

Piney
Nov 8, 2004
4,342
328
Near Mt. Misery
I think Sue is just saying it is mainly species specific. Virus and other disease have been known to have been carried by insects, rodents and birds (and pigs I guess) but it is far from an absolute that a disease would cross species.

Jeff
 

Sue Gremlin

Piney
Sep 13, 2005
1,288
245
61
Vicksburg, Michigan
Yes, of course diseases are shared by species, and that is how they are passed around, but most viruses, for example, evolve so they affect one species more than others. There are vectors and carriers, but a virus has very specific criteria for who or what it can infect.

Giraffes don't get polio and donkeys don't get diptheria for that very reason.
 
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