random evolution question

[NLSoldier]

If at some point humans and other animals are all killed off due to nuclear war or natural disasters or whatever, but all the elements required to generate organic material and maybe even some simple organisms still existed, I assume that the process of evolution would start over?

How likely would it be for species similar to those currently existing on earth to exist again? And mainly, at what point would a species be classified as "intelligent life"? (basically at what point would we consider them essentially 2nd generation humans)

[kevin017]

yes, evolution would start all over.

if evolution were to occur again from near-scratch, any outcome we predicted would be extremely unlikely to happen. there's no way to know if we'd get human-like beings ever again or if we'd go in some unforseen direction and get moving balls of lard that roll around eating dirt.

we'd consider them intelligent using the same judgement we use now i guess. i also think its possible we'd get intelligent life that I wouldn't call second generation humans because they'd be sufficiently different, but still intelligent.

[m_the0ry]

Of course. This has already happened once.

While there are still many theories about why the dinasaurs went extinct, it is still an irrefutable fact that there was mass extinction at some point. Maybe a meteor, maybe disease, maybe a giant volcano, but it killed almost everything except microorganisms. And evolution created what lives now.

[SNOWBALL]

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While there are still many theories about why the dinasaurs went extinct, it is still an irrefutable fact that there was mass extinction at some point. Maybe a meteor, maybe disease, maybe a giant volcano, but it killed almost everything except microorganisms. And evolution created what lives now

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AFAIK, mammals coexisted with dinosaurs. But us mammals had to stick to the graveyard shift economy. When dinos croaked, we extended our hours of operation and diversified our workforce.

[siegfriedandroy]

please elaborate

[siegfriedandroy]

sorry was not trying to impress you. you are in a different league. probably freakishly intellectual. still smarter than you, most likely. yes, i will wager a tenth of my (elevated) roll to play lestat at chess poker or basketball. he appears smart at times, but is no sklansky. pretty sure sklansky could not score 1590 or higher 75% of the time. not even in his prime. perhaps i underestimate

[The Don]

[ QUOTE ]
Of course. This has already happened once.

While there are still many theories about why the dinasaurs went extinct, it is still an irrefutable fact that there was mass extinction at some point. Maybe a meteor, maybe disease, maybe a giant volcano, but it killed almost everything except microorganisms. And evolution created what lives now.

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A better example would be the Permian/Triassic extinction event... much more devestating. Either way, life rebounded quickly because a lot of complex organisms (mammals, turtles, crocs, various fish, amphibians, and insects 65 millions years ago and mammal-like reptiles, various amphibians, fish and insects 225 million years ago) survived these events and their offspring formed the wide array of life in in the Jurassic/Cretaceous and what we see today. If an event happened that destroyed everything except bacteria then or even single celled organisms then things would certainly have taken a hell of a lot longer to come about.

I agree with madnak that if no life survived then it would be very likely to see life come about again on this planet.

[Gugel]

it would take a truly monsterous astronomical collision to destroy life on Earth. bacteria live as far as 2 miles under the surface of the Earth and in terms of mass, there is more life under the surface than above it.

[vhawk01]

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it would take a truly monsterous astronomical collision to destroy life on Earth. bacteria live as far as 2 miles under the surface of the Earth and in terms of mass, there is more life under the surface than above it.

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I bet God could do it in 3 days flat.

[Hoi Polloi]

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yes, evolution would start all over.

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Two misunderstandings here I think: 1) evolution would not have stopped so it cannot start all over; 2) evolution does not a have starting place and a direction or goal, so again the notion of starting "all over again" is meaningless.