I'm wondering:

Is man a "pioneer" or a "climax" species?

Aren't we just something that came about and will be replaced soon?

A towering Douglas Fir is a "pioneer" tree, only thrives in the
beginning while in the shadow of a larger tree. The larger Western Red
Cedar is the "climax" species.

What species maybe lurking in our shadow ready to take over if we
disappear?

What happened to the Megafauna, weren't we lurking in their shadow,
ready to dominate the earth at their demise?

I see in this mornings paper that a young Ph.D. from McMasters "has
unlocked the secret of how long it took the earth to plunge into its
last ice age 13,000 years ago"

"in five years or less" after the warm Gulf Stream "which carries heat
to both Europe and North America" is blocked by cold water from melting
glaciers thru global warming.

Global warming does not appear to be in dispute -- it is indeed
happening.

Light up a "fire", turn on a car engine, cut down a tree and crank up
the industries  -- we continue on with the industrial and technical
revolution -- stock market indicators show no end in sight.

I'm betting on the whales & dolphins to succeed us.
- killer whales don't just kill to eat, they kill for "sport" too
- whales have a well developed language
- dolphins have been seen using "tools"
- like us, in "captivity" they demonstrate the ability to jump thru
hoops and do other tricks workers & employers perform.

I'm also thinking that if the Paleo-Movement grows, the whales &
dolphins may have to wait because paleo-people are:
- shunning the packaged foods that fuel industry
- cutting back on "over cooking"
- selecting our meals from that which is safely edible raw

Grant
Who is looking askance at "refrigeration" that made all this possible.

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