RHP

RHP User

M35

How Relevant Are We?

May 18 2015

There could be 5 million species of animals on earth right now. This is 1% of the total animal species to have existed on earth. If you were to weigh every termite right now - they would weigh 10x the tonnage of the human race. Out of the 500,000,000 species of Species to have existed - we are but 1 of them. Current extinction rates are 1000x higher than natural extinction rates. Noah's Arc anyone?

Comments

  • RHP

    RHP User

    10 years ago

    As relevant as we want to be,to be or not to be that is the question ..said the Bard xxFreya

  • On_Safari

    On_Safari

    10 years ago

    It's just a pity some of the warring radical types among us can't go that way and a few of the species that did made a miraculous comeback (sigh) ~ God Bless David Attenborough

  • RHP

    RHP User

    10 years ago

    tectonic drift, ice ages, meteorite collisions, the evolution of an intelligent albeit destructive species...the world's face has changed many times over the millennia and it offers no apologies and bears no grudges.

  • RHP

    RHP User

    10 years ago

    I want your bath!!! In response to the OP...it's all relevant...

  • RHP

    RHP User

    10 years ago

    But OP of the 500 zillion or so species that have existed we come from a lineage that has survived every thing the universe has thrown at us. Calamities that nearly sterilized the Earth our great great great (lots of greats) grandmother witnessed, not only that she gave birth to the next member of our family while around her was death. We can draw our family tree as one unbroken line of the fittest of the fit all the way back some 3 billion years, inside all of us is a little bit that touched the first ever living thing. That makes us rather special as most of life failed while we survived. Think of the earth as the seed, in time if life is to continue we must leave. When a plant grows from its seed it consumes every last part of the seed, once growing it has no regard for conservation of the meager resources the seed provides. It only gets one shot at breaking out of the ground, its do or die. Humanity represents the first species on Earth to ever give escape from the planet a chance. We may be the only intelligent life to exist in the entire universe, with the current estimate of there being 100billion habitat planets in the milky way and 50 sextillion in the visible universe, and the awful silence of the Fermi paradox (see wiki Fermi paradox) we may be the one and only ever chance the universe has to be alive. So the termites out weigh us, i dont see their foot prints on the moon. Gather up all the animals, all the grasses and fruiting trees we have shaped to our needs, that would not exist without us, the trillions of living things that we gave life, form and purpose, and just our combined breath out weighs the termites. (BTW there are an estimated 4000 termite species so really we easily out weigh any single termite species) We are so extraordinarily special, we are supreme survivors, we manipulate the unseeable, we see to the very edge of space and time, we can live in the cold vacuum of space, bring life to the driest deserts and stay warm in the coldest ice field. We have touched the top of the world and the darkest deepest part, nothing like us has ever existed, no species has ever achieved even a fraction of what we do. We can either give up and give the world back to the pathetic doomed panders and other ill adapted flora and fauna and let them plod around waiting for the unavoidable death of Earth or we march on to glory.

  • RHP

    RHP User

    10 years ago

    is relevant, and we adapt when we have to. The species who doesn't adapt will die.....that's natures law.

  • Mischeviouslad

    Mischeviouslad

    10 years ago

    Given that we (humans) have the ability to breaker make our own environment...... I suggest we are the single most relevant species in our galaxy.

  • RHP

    RHP User

    10 years ago

    People talk about saving the planet/ environment. Pretty much anything we do the planet will still be here,we wont but the planet will. Humans are top of the food chain at the moment. We haven't always been and probably wont always be there either. The ecosystem of earth is remarkable and sooner or later it will probably hit the reset button and start over again as it's done in the past. - Posted from rhpmobile

  • RHP

    RHP User

    10 years ago

    as far as maintaining conditions on the planet suitable to currently living species, I'd say humans are highly relevant - unfortunately (or fortunately depending on POV) the other large animal species that are going extinct are pretty irrelevant in that respect. Small insects, termites, etc would be a bigger impact if they went extinct than whether we lost lions, tigers or bears oh my. (though it'd be sad to see those animals go)

  • RHP

    RHP User

    10 years ago

    Quoting 'Mischeviouslad' Given that we (humans) have the ability to breaker make our own environment...... I suggest we are the single most relevant species in our galaxy. Agreed. Although - most relevant 'now'. Later, we will be gone and the termite will remain. Later will be relatively minuscule in comparison to Earth's existence and future. There isn't really a purpose for this post. Implying a few things - but letting the reader decide what it means to them.

  • RHP

    RHP User

    10 years ago

    Quoting 'Freya79' As relevant as we want to be,to be or not to be that is the question ..said the Bard xxFreya As relevant as 'can be' - I think. Collectively speaking of course.

  • RHP

    RHP User

    10 years ago

    We are the most destructive species on the planet. We've evolved to become the most intelligent species but can't comprehend the fact that we are responsible for the well being of the planet and other species we coexist with. Power and greed will be the death of us all one day. - Posted from rhpmobile

  • RHP

    RHP User

    10 years ago

    enjoy the ride and belt up !!! MOTHER EARTH is drive'n !!😮 - Posted from rhpmobile

  • RHP

    RHP User

    10 years ago

    Quoting 'Blindman67' But OP of the 500 zillion or so species that have existed we come from a lineage that has survived every thing the universe has thrown at us. Calamities that nearly sterilized the Earth our great great great (lots of greats) grandmother witnessed, not only that she gave birth to the next member of our family while around her was death. We can draw our family tree as one unbroken line of the fittest of the fit all the way back some 3 billion years, inside all of us is a little bit that touched the first ever living thing. That makes us rather special as most of life failed while we survived. Think of the earth as the seed, in time if life is to continue we must leave. When a plant grows from its seed it consumes every last part of the seed, once growing it has no regard for conservation of the meager resources the seed provides. It only gets one shot at breaking out of the ground, its do or die. Humanity represents the first species on Earth to ever give escape from the planet a chance. We may be the only intelligent life to exist in the entire universe, with the current estimate of there being 100billion habitat planets in the milky way and 50 sextillion in the visible universe, and the awful silence of the Fermi paradox (see wiki Fermi paradox) we may be the one and only ever chance the universe has to be alive. So the termites out weigh us, i dont see their foot prints on the moon. Gather up all the animals, all the grasses and fruiting trees we have shaped to our needs, that would not exist without us, the trillions of living things that we gave life, form and purpose, and just our combined breath out weighs the termites. (BTW there are an estimated 4000 termite species so really we easily out weigh any single termite species) We are so extraordinarily special, we are supreme survivors, we manipulate the unseeable, we see to the very edge of space and time, we can live in the cold vacuum of space, bring life to the driest deserts and stay warm in the coldest ice field. We have touched the top of the world and the darkest deepest part, nothing like us has ever existed, no species has ever achieved even a fraction of what we do. We can either give up and give the world back to the pathetic doomed panders and other ill adapted flora and fauna and let them plod around waiting for the unavoidable death of Earth or we march on to glory. I agree we are an extraordinary species! Extraordinary is probably an understatement. But really, we haven't survived that much - relatively speaking. By 'relatively' I am taking into account duration of human existence, earth's existence and our age as a species when compared to other species.