From: Michael Lorrey (retroman@tpk.net)
Date: Wed Nov 06 1996 - 16:37:42 MST
Stephen de Vries wrote:
>
> On Tue, 05 Nov 1996 Michael Lorrey replied:
>
> > Unfortunately, this assumes that ANYONE should be "in power" Look at
> > the biggest organisms on the planet- coral reefs, Mangroves,
> > underground
> > molds, and hyperthermophilic communities in the earth's crust. The HTP
> > biomass is estimated to exceed 90% of all the living mass on the planet.
> > None of these has anything like a central authority, yet they are the
> > most successful organisms.
>
> Popular opinion (including mine) has it that _we_ are the most
> successful organisms.
>
> > Here's an analogy, using an idea of a possible alien judgement on the
> > superior species on the planet:
> >
> > The most superior species on the planet must be the cereal grains. They
> > occupy all the best real estate, are tended to by an autonomous species
> > which propagates the cereal's seed, and have a whole host of species
> > which serve one or more of their needs. They absorb the vast majority of
> > the solar flux, as well as material natural resources.
>
> Success in this universe is determined by who survives. If it came
> down to a battle of life or death between humans and cereal - my
> money's with the humans.
>
Of course your money is with humans, you are one. But if it's just who
survives, then my bet is with the hypertheormophilic bacteria. Using
Mars as an example, the latest word is that a Martian meteroite tested
by British scientists which is only 600,000 years old has the same life
traces as the 15 million year old rock publicized earlier. This second
rock is from a period of maritan history when the environment was pretty
much the same as it is right now, leading to the high possibility that
there are still such organisms in volvanic vents and under the crust of
Mars.
SO if simple survival proves superiority, the HTP bugs will be here long
after we are gone.
Mike
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