Humans

The super species

Many successful mammals died out at the end of the Ice Age, whereas humans survived the last Ice Age 10 000 years ago and from then on rose to rule the earth.

By 8 000 years ago, humans have spread all over the planet. As the climate became more and more stable people gave up hunting and became sedentary. A primitive form of agriculture and animal husbandry developed. Around 5, 000 years ago, the first cities emerged in the Middle East. Stone, wood, and bone tools were replaced by materials such as bronze and iron.

The rest is history. The development of technology and science led to an explosion in the world's population. As of 2022, there are 8 billion people on Earth, which probably far exceeds the number of trilobites, ammonites, and iguanodons in their lifetime. This number of constantly consuming species creates great pressure on limited resources, ecosystems, and many animal species.

At the end of this century, humans will witness a mass extinction. The reason for this is not a supercontinent, climate change, an asteroid impact, or an ice age, but humans themselves.

Since the industrial revolution, humans have been polluting the earth more and more. Parts of the world's oceans are so polluted by oil, waste, and plastic that life is hardly possible. Due to the increasing CO2 emissions from factories, cars, or aeroplanes, the earth is getting warmer, causing the climate to change faster and more unnaturally. Many creatures, such as corals, will not be able to adapt to the changing temperatures. Similarly, deforestation, especially of rainforests, is taking away the natural habitat of many species of animals and plants. Humans are the new, most dangerous superpredator the world has ever seen. Forget about Tyrannosaurus. Humans are the new rex.