Paul Cantrell
@futurebird
I’d venture maybe a scar like one of history’s other mass extinctions? Because this is a mass extinction, and one of the fastest in the planet’s history. (Even the K–Pg Extinction may have unfolded over centuries or millennia.)
The outcome of those past extinctions: Earth filled with life again, but different life. The scar remains in the evolutionary history and its outcomes, visible in contrast (but only in contrast) to what came before.
myrmepropagandist
Somehow we manage to both underestimate the delicacy of ecological & climate systems essential to *humanity thriving* but also overestimate our destructive power against Earth in the long term.
Many think if we set off all of the nuclear bombs we could erase life from earth. Not even close. The Siberian traps couldn't do it! Our weapons are toys in comparison.
Is it cold comfort to think: if humans die, well, we'd at least leave a scar?
In reality? over deep time? It won't even be a scratch.
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@prdan @futurebird For anyone interested, just looked it up and New England in 1850 was 25% forested. Nowadays it's close to 75% forested. For anyone familiar with the area, imagine it with only 1/3 of the trees currently. That's how much has changed in the last 170 years.
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@prdan @futurebird Walking in the woods in New England you'll often come across low stone walls. They are reminders of the not-obvious fact that less than 200 years ago the region was heavily deforested for farming. 100,000 years? I think a casual observer wouldn't notice much.
Dan Foster
@futurebird
We live in rural america and the farm next to ours has been vacant for about 20 years. If you just drive by, you may not notice the building site due to the vegetation growth. It is indeed amazing how quickly things can disappear. See also the recent Mayan City discovery in the Yucatan.
myrmepropagandist
100,000 years is not enough to restore the loss of species diversity completely, or for the most pernicious poisons to dissipate. But, it's more than enough time to erase all obvious traces of human built environment. Nature is powerful. Shocking how quickly a forest can gobble roads and buildings.
I'm certain the aliens in the story will find traces of humanity eventually- but, if you discovered earth wouldn't you be so distracted by the biodiversity that you might not get to that right away?
A Light Shining in Darkness
Great story.
One thing tho, 100.000 years will not nearly be enough for earth to recover after we are done with it.
myrmepropagandist
Having done the least desirable task in the mission the junior alien researchers go back to earth and they have a wonderful time. They never go back to Mars. And other than wondering how anyone could be so clueless, they never even really think about "The best of Earth" again.
8/8
myrmepropagandist
Somehow they manage to extract themselves from the Mars machine men... who happily cannot leave their compound-- they needed their maintenance machines.
"Do you think these count as gray goo? Do we need a quarantine?" Asks one alien as they make their way down the mountain.
"Nah! That's only if it's nanotech. I can't believe you almost told a group of immortality AIs the truth about uploading!"
"They would have never believed me!"
7/
myrmepropagandist
The machines of Mars tell the aliens how they "uploaded" their minds.
"Oh no." Says one alien involuntarily, but his friends nudge him to be quiet.
The machines of Mars have many questions to ask the aliens, but the aliens are growing bored. They just saw a video on their ship's social feed of senior officers diving & swimming in jewel blue waters with sea turtles & colorful fish. And there are photos of the remarkable birds-
"uh. We are honored to meet you and all but for now we must go." 6/
myrmepropagandist
"We are the people of earth!" The machines proclaim. "It is sad, but we are all that survives."
The aliens share a look of skepticism between them. They saw an awful lot that survived in the little time they got to spend on Earth, and speaking of earth they want to get back so try to rush through their interview with these weird machines.
The machines tell of a civilization, an environmental crisis. How they, the very best of Earth went to Mars so all would not be lost. 5/
myrmepropagandist
Though there is art on the walls and books on the shelves, everything has been replaced thousands of times all this effort, the vast strip mine, the fleets of machines have only one purpose: to prevent change.
Inside the house there is no air to breathe, the residents do not need it.
"Greetings Alien visitors! We always knew you would come to find us some day!" Say the three figures seated at the table in the dining room.
"Who are you?" Ask the junior alien researchers.
4/
myrmepropagandist
At the summit they find a pit. A vast strip mine where robots labor to build more robots. Some of these robots maintain a building, patching and repairing it endlessly against the storms of the Martian surface. The junior research aliens enter the building. Inside they discover more robots and these too are set on maintaining the building in a perpetual shape of a human home, a large one, a mansion of the 21st century. 3/
myrmepropagandist
In fact, most of the aliens do not go to Mars, the least senior members of the team are sent, since tracing such signals is core to their mission. Everyone else wanted to stay on Earth taking in the vast herds of wilder-beasts, the insects and plant life, the remarkable coral reefs.
The junior members of the team lament being back in space suits on a cold dead planet-- but such is the lot of a new explorer. They make their way to Olympus Mons where the signal originates. 2/
myrmepropagandist
In 100,000 years an alien ship enters our solar system. The earth has no remarkable intelligent life, but it's a beautiful biodiverse planet recovering from some bad extinctions. The aliens don't notice the traces left by humanity right away, this is just a survey trip and not much monumental remains.
But, they do pick up a signal, coming not from Earth, but from Mars. "How strange?" they think. Mars is obviously the inferior planet for life. Earth is incredible. But they go to investigate. 1/
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