What do you think the world would look like if...

[Dlbrooks33]

What do you think the world would look like if humans were extinct?

[Aegix Drakan]

>_>

It'd probably look a heck of a lot better than it does now, I tell you that.

Or maybe some other specie of animal would've evolved to our point, and nothing would really be different...

very difficult question...

[Tygore]

Of course, the inherent problem with a hypothetical question is just that: it's hypothetical.

My belief is that, while certain problems would not exist, others would. More importantly, what would this mean for our future? We humans may be speeding up the degradation of the ecosystem, but we also have the intelligence and means to preserve what otherwise might go extinct. It really could have gone either way, and could still go either way. Ultimately, we are a heavy-resource consuming species that also recognizes the problems we cause. Who knows, in the grand scheme of things, it may even itself out.

[Dlbrooks33]

its nothing serious, I just want to see how vivid peoples imaginations are.

[Breaker]

this thread is way too philosphical for me.

[Starkist]

If we're all extinct, who's doing the looking?

[{DSG}DarkRaven]

The planet would look largely the same as it does now, only darker. The only man made object visible from space is the Great Wall of China. At night, there would be no glow from the largest cities. Other than that, perhaps some areas might be greener, some areas less blue, and some areas less white (uncut forests, lower sea levels, no man made beaches/islands). But for the most part, it would look just like it does now.

[moocow]

If we're all extinct, who's doing the looking?

Whoa, I was thinking the exact same thing.

No really, I was...

Yeah, if we were extinct, why would it even matter?

[Mitsukara]

It would matter to everything else living on the planet, I'd think.

[koopa]

The only man made object visible from space is the Great Wall of China.
I think that's an urban legend actually - the wall is long and thin, and conists of grey stone in a grey stony landscape. What you can see from space, apparently, are the giant drawings of the Aztecs in the Nazca plains.

Back on topic - I can't imagine the world being much worse off than now if all humans left. I think it would probably return to a more balsnced and natural state over the next few thousand years.

For a short-term answer, we need look no further than the abandoned city of Chernobyl - trees, bushes and grasses taking over and animals returning, soil covering up the concrete and cement. (There's a lot more on that topic on Wikipedia.)