Intelligent Dinosaur Paleo Civilization?
brian hval (74641.2061@CompuServe.COM)
14 Jun 1995 06:50:46 GMT
Considering the short time span it has taken mankind to develop
civilization, perhaps in the long history of earth it has happened
before, maybe more than once and perhaps to more than one
intelligent species.
What evidence would there be for "paleotechnical" cultures? If our
society were to stop in its tracks (by plague or nuclear war?) what
would be left behind after 70 million years? Would our plastic be
"recycled" by plate tectonics? Would our steel reinforcements
become merely rusty colored rock, a sort of iron ore deposit? Would
our crushed and pulverized nuclear power plants be detected as a
puzzling anomalous band of slightly radioactive soil? What would a
newly emerging intelligent species (descendents of otters or
meerkats?) find to know they were not the first ...or the last!
Maybe the scattered equipment and footprints on the Moon would be
all that was left to show we were here! Who knows what other
hardware we might find on the lunar surface once we explore it
more?
Given a hypothesis that dinosaurs did evolve an intelligent branch,
how would we recognize the remains of its passing? Although I have
mentioned plastic, steel and atomic power as trace remnants of our
culture, it is possible they (dinosaurs?) developed along different
paths. But you would think something of an organized paleosociety
would be left behind .... foundation stones of buildings, etc.? The
signs may be elusive and more subtle. Perhaps one or more of the
geological mass extinctions of species was due to the activities of
a paleoculture as well as by asteroid impact. We seem to be doing
a good job of eliminating others .... so maybe it happened before,
perhaps several times. We are just the latest edition!
I propose the above hypothesis not to trigger endless speculation.
Rather that someone somewhere may remember this question under the
right circumstances. There may be existing data or anomalies which
provide evidence the Greeks were right "there is nothing new under
the sun!". So how do you explain finding an asphalt road surface at
the bottom of the Antarctic ice sheet (just kidding or ....?). Keep
your eyes open! Something very unusual may be found but it has to
be recognized for what it really is! Good luck in finding it!
--
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