Yes, mariner had signed off. There is no new insight into Armageddon; it is moving along as expected. But mariner suffers from empty time as a very hot weather pattern hangs around making gardening and any activity outside the front door verboten. So, to soak up a bit of empty time, mariner writes a post.

A new direction in science has entered the science magazines: extinction and consciousness, Do the scientists know something we don’t know? It is claimed that extinction is a good thing and is part of the evolutionary process – which could not exist without it. In other words, there comes a time when Earth doesn’t need dinosaurs anymore, or humans, either. Planet Earth simply can’t afford to maintain a status quo because of requirements arising from the Solar System and the limits of static consumption.

What would many species eat when all the Maryland crabs are gone? Crabs aside, 20,000 species have become extinct during the industrial era of humans. From another perspective, migrating creatures already are modifying their alternative environments if they can. Whales have a tough row to hoe right now. It wouldn’t be hard to argue, “Alright, we’ve had the humans too long – the biosphere is shifting.” If resources are disappearing, it’s time for extinction of the cause: Homo sapiens.

But would Homo disappear? Perhaps not. Many, many species have changed dramatically as climate and topography have shifted. Consider the aforementioned whales – they used to live on land and needed legs. If a species can change to survive, it will. What will humans become given their large sense of consciousness and creativity? Ever seen a minion? Ever seen a sex doll? Ever seen a chromosome grow on an AI circuit?

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Consciousness is included because the new insight into consciousness is that it is not a separate phenomenon from physical existence, that is, it is not some will o’ the wisp decision tree that is not bound by physiological behavior. A leading suggestion is that even gnats have consciousness, and frogs and earthworms. One wonders whether earthworms have fantasies. We shall find out. On the human level, it questions whether religious or other alternative realities actually exist or are the result of physiological need.

Ancient Mariner