Edwardsville Public Library’s Comments (group member since Aug 26, 2013)

Edwardsville Public Library’s comments from the Edwardsville Public Library group.

Chapter 13:
When considering what happens to homo sapiens in the face of extinction, a positive outlook from some is "human ingenuity will outrun any disaster human ingenuity sets in motion."

On page 268, we see that this could mean reengineering the earth's atmosphere or decamping to other planets.

Do any of the options in the book sound feasible? Can you picture humans settling on other planets?

Chapter 12:
The title for this chapter is The Madness Gene. Paabo thinks it's possible to discover a particular difference in DNA between humans and Neanderthals to explain the "human insanity and exploration thing" that made humans take greater risks and venture off to Madagascar and Australia while the Neanderthal stopped at obstacles that humans bypass. What do you think of this and other theories from Paabo concerning humans and neanderthals?

Chapter 11: What should be the function of zoos in regards to the preservation of endangered animals?

Chapter 10: We see examples of successes and failures of "it takes an invasive species to catch an invasive species" in Chapter 10. Various beetles and weevils have helped control the spread of purple loosestrife in North America. Seen as a failure, the wolfsnail has preyed upon colorful native snails of Hawaii rather than hunting the invasive giant African snail. What are your thoughts on this invasive vs. invasive strategy?

Gman1611yahoo.Com wrote: "Edwardsville Public Library wrote: "Chapter 8: On page 150, Kolbert writes "in the popular imagination, global warming is mostly seen as a threat to cold-loving species..."

While polar bears and o..."

Yes, Gman, it will surely lead to floods, droughts, famines, and migrations. With more droughts, there will be more wildfires.

It is interesting when you hear certain pundits talk about migrations, where they say "people will just sell their house and move," but they won't be able to sell waterfront property that's underwater. So, we'll have many people that are displaced and unemployed.

Chapter 9: Amazonian species, we are told, are "very specialized," which accounts for their inability to consistently adapt to changes in their environment. What may appear to be a small change to humans (cutting back total acreage in a ecosystem) can really have lasting, monumental consequences including slow extinction. Can we use the current pandemic to give examples of how small changes to our human environment might have a lasting, irreversible impact to us over time?

Chapter 8: On page 150, Kolbert writes "in the popular imagination, global warming is mostly seen as a threat to cold-loving species..."

While polar bears and other arctic species will certainly be affected, the tropics will likely see a greater impact from global warming/climate change. What are some other misconceptions regarding climate change or global warming do you think exist 'in the popular imagination'?

Chapter 7: Kolbert lists the threats that reefs are under, and they include:

Ocean Acidification
Overfishing
Agricultural Runoff
Deforestation
Dynamite Fishing
White-band disease
High water temperatures

Seeing such a list can feel overwhelming, but it's interesting to see how scientists are tackling these threats. In this article, we meet coral geneticist Madeleine van Oppen, who is re-engineering corals to be better adapted for warmer sea temperatures.

After reading Chapter 7 and any other additional articles, what is your outlook on the future of coral reefs?

Chapter 6: As we read in this chapter, the rate at which humans pump CO2 creates such hazards for ocean life.

What changes would you like to enact in your personal life this year to help cut your carbon footprint

Tera wrote: "When my kids were babies, I was (like so many moms who are generally disconnected from the world) extremely vulnerable to messages about safety. There were a lot of anti-scientific rabbit holes wai..."

Tera, as a new parent, I definitely understand erring on the side of caution when receiving information from varying sources. In the realm of climate change, it seems that modifying our behaviors regarding sustainability can only help.

If scientists are wrong regarding climate change, can you think of any possible harmful effects in siding with science?

Cary wrote: "Edwardsville Public Library wrote: "Chapter 5: Jan Zalasiewicz is convinced that giant rats will inherit the Earth. While it may sound like science fiction, perhaps this image will be more relatabl..."

Cary, you can see something like this in the documentary Radioactive Wolves from PBS. Near the site of Chernobyl, the forest and plantlife has grown wild and a pack of wolves are thriving in an area devoid of humans. I believe there are copies of the DVD that you can request through IHLS.

Chapter 5: Jan Zalasiewicz is convinced that giant rats will inherit the Earth. While it may sound like science fiction, perhaps this image will be more relatable to the general public than other scientific predictions.

Have you ever imagined the Earth after human extinction? What have you envisioned?

Chapter 4: When "Extraterrestrial Cause for the Cretaceous-Tertiary Extinction" was published, the Alvarezes and their hypothesis were reviled by many. Over the next decade, more evidence supporting their hypothesis came to light, and skeptics in paleontology and other fields gradually changed their minds.

Have you ever wrestled with new information that contradicted a long-standing theory or belief?

Chapter 3: Darwin proposed the theory of "natural selection" as a slow progression of new species wiping out the old -- evolution & extinction we would not notice -- not by a sudden, catastrophic event. Yet during his own lifetime, Man-made extinctions of animal species happened quickly-- catastrophically. How might we use these facts to sway people who are not convinced of human-influenced extinctions today?

Chapter Two: What were your overall impressions of Cuvier after reading Chapter Two? Were you familiar with him before this reading?

Chapter Two: Cuvier made science a form of theater with his public displays of paleontological discovery, changing the public view on sciences and the world. The internet and online videos have made it even easier for us to witness events as they happen in real time. What prompts you to act when you learn about an issue impacting the world online?

Chapter One: Since the publication of The Sixth Extinction, a Mountain Yellow-legged Frog Working Group has been formed. Looking at their approach to stop the spread of Bd, did you draw any connections to the pandemic that humans have faced this year?

Chapter One: David wake was initially skeptical of the endangerment of frogs in the Sierra Nevada, telling his students that they must be looking in the wrong place. It seems that even experts can remain skeptical until extinctions are well proven. What evidence would convince you to change your behaviors and patterns to benefit a species?

Hi, Pam-- Welcome to the group! We're glad you are reading the comments, and hopefully, at some point, there will be an opportunity for you to share your thoughts.

No comments yet from our many readers? I'll pose two questions, one a heavy duty, the other lighter. First, do you think the authors were voicing opinions about nature vs. nurture issues when Adam is 'misplaced'? He was supposed to become the Antichrist, but because of his normal upbringing, turned out to be a pretty basic kid. (I'm a former biologist, so this one stood out for me...) Any opinions?

Second, do you think Aziraphal and Crowley are 'friends'? If so, what does that mean? If not, what type of relationship is this? Does it matter to them, their jobs?