Re:The Mathiness of Nassim Nicholas Taleb
by pcrh on Sunday July 26, 2015 @08:35AM
(#9950875)
My analogy of gene transfer with the LHC is as you quote; whatever humans do with respect to gene transfer has already been done many times over, and never resulted in a mass extinction event.
There are two mass extinction events that have a clear biological origin. Minor extinction events are a permanent feature of evolution.
The first is the evolution of photosynthesis causing the Great Oxygenation Event[0]. In this, cyanobacteria converted CO2 into water and oxygen on a massive scale. This lead to a cooling of the planet due to reduced CO2 levels and the precipitation of iron oxides into massive deposits worldwide, today visible as "banded iron formations" [1].
The second mass extinction with a clear biological origin is the current one, where Homo sapiens is converting a massive quantity of carbon previously sequestered during the carboniferous back into CO2 and warming the planet as a result. In addition, this species destroys the habitats of many other species.
There are two mass extinction events that have a clear biological origin. Minor extinction events are a permanent feature of evolution.
The first is the evolution of photosynthesis causing the Great Oxygenation Event[0]. In this, cyanobacteria converted CO2 into water and oxygen on a massive scale. This lead to a cooling of the planet due to reduced CO2 levels and the precipitation of iron oxides into massive deposits worldwide, today visible as "banded iron formations" [1].
The second mass extinction with a clear biological origin is the current one, where Homo sapiens is converting a massive quantity of carbon previously sequestered during the carboniferous back into CO2 and warming the planet as a result. In addition, this species destroys the habitats of many other species.
[0]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Oxygenation_Event
[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banded_iron_formation