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I am trying to figure out how extinction events caused by a meteorite impact, massive volcanism or global glaciation could be manifestations of increased comple
by mannykannot 6y ago
I am trying to figure out how extinction events caused by a meteorite impact, massive volcanism or global glaciation could be manifestations of increased complexity. Are you are saying that worlds populated only by simple organisms are effectively immune from mass extinctions? Even if that were so (which I doubt), it would seem to be irrelevant to the Fermi 'paradox', which concerns the non-arrival, here, of complex organisms or their machines.
- joe_the_user 6y ago"I am trying to figure out how extinction events caused by a meteorite impact, massive volcanism or global glaciation could be manifestations of increased complexity." A multitude of organism evolve over time, with more complex organism appearing in little ecological niches not occupied by existing species. When an extinction event occurs, the entire ecology changes and the most fit, complex and well adapted organism now can fill many more niches. Are you are saying that worlds populated only by simple organisms are effectively immune from mass extinctions? No, nothing of the sort.
- mannykannot 6y agoMass extinctions roll the dice on complexity. They redefine the yardstick against which fitness is measured, at least temporarily (but long enough to have a lasting effect.) If the KT meteorite were somewhat larger, it might have bombed Earth back to the Archean. On the other hand, this is one aspect of the Fermi puzzle where we do have more than one example - and they suggest that mass extinction events alone are not sufficient to answer it.