What would happen if humans suddenly vanished from Earth? Intelligent species could emerge, such as baboons and raccoons.

What would happen on Earth if humans suddenly disappeared one day? You might think it's science fiction, but it's not! Viruses, wars, disasters – you know how it goes, right? Moreover, a similar scenario almost came true 75,000 years ago when a catastrophic eruption of the Toba supervolcano led to a volcanic winter, drastically reducing the human population to just 2,000 men and women. Perhaps echoes of such events inspired the biblical legend of the Great Flood, where God decided to exterminate humanity after witnessing its wickedness. Who knows how much more we need to sin before the cup of the Almighty's patience overflows, leading Him to reset humankind without any backup options like the righteous Noah… And then what? What will remain after us?

This may sound strange, but scientists sometimes seriously consider such possibilities.

- The first thing that will be immediately noticeable after humanity's disappearance is the silence! - says Carlton Basmajian, an associate professor of urban design at the University of Iowa. - The world will become extraordinarily quiet, and you would realize just how much noise humanity produces.

However, the silence and tranquility won’t last long. Our departure will be accompanied by catastrophic events, triggering a series of technological disasters. Here’s the timeline of events proposed by reconstructionists.

APOCALYPSE TIMELINE

1 day

- Within a few hours, fires will break out at oil refineries due to the lack of operators.

- Fossil fuel power plants will cease operations once their stockpiles of coal and oil are depleted, leading to cascading power outages across the globe.

- After the first frost, heating system pipes will burst, flooding high-rise buildings. City water supply systems will also fail. As water flows, asphalt roads will begin to deteriorate.

2-3 days

- Subways in major cities, including Moscow and St. Petersburg, will be flooded within 36 hours as pumps that remove groundwater fail without operators.

- After 48 hours, nuclear power plants will switch to safe mode and halt electricity production as they register a drop in energy consumption.

10 days

- Fuel in emergency generators that power cooling systems at nuclear plants will run out. Once the water used to cool the reactors evaporates, explosions will begin. There are around 450 nuclear reactors worldwide, and their failures will lead to consequences reminiscent of the Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters.

- Hydroelectric plants will operate without human intervention for one week to 2-3 months. As equipment fails and emergencies arise, automation will sequentially shut down units and systems. Major cities will be plunged into darkness.

1 month

After hydroelectric plants shut down, water levels in reservoirs will start to rise. The breaching of dams, which will wash away downstream cities like Blagoveshchensk, is just a matter of time.

6 months

- Rats and mice will consume all edible supplies in supermarkets and warehouses, beginning to leave cities. Domestic animals will face great hardships. Cows, chickens, and pigs will become easy prey for predators. Even dogs will find it incredibly challenging to carve out a niche in the wild. However, cats will thrive.

2 years

- The absence of humans will lead to an explosive increase in wild animal populations. Wolves, bears, foxes, hares, and deer will start to inhabit urban areas.

5 years

- Most cities will be covered in a thick layer of soil and vegetation. Red Square in Moscow will transform into a picturesque green meadow.

25 years

- Museum mummies will begin to decay without a constant temperature. Only the skeletons of Egyptian pharaohs, Vladimir Lenin, and their “colleagues” will remain.

30 years

- Satellites will start falling to Earth as there will be no one to correct their orbits. This will include the International Space Station.

70-75 years

- Snakes will proliferate and grow significantly larger in size. They will thrive due to the explosive increase in their primary food source, the rodent population, following the disappearance of humans.

150-200 years

- One-third of the world's skyscrapers will collapse. The Empire State Building in New York will be one of the first to fall. The Eiffel Tower will be “eaten” by corrosion, and the top part of Paris's main symbol will fall during a storm.

- Human speech will finally cease to exist on the planet – the last talking parrots that mimicked their owners’ words will die out.

1000-1500 years

- Most modern cities will be covered by a blanket of plants. Visible evidence of human civilization will be nearly non-existent. The structures made of massive stones will last the longest: the Egyptian pyramids, the Great Wall of China, and medieval castles.

Look for traces of humanity on the Moon

In the paleontological record, only a thin layer of plastic, radioactive isotopes, and chicken bones (we kill 60 billion chickens a year) will remain from human civilization. If aliens arrive on Earth, they will learn about the existence of a highly developed civilization in the past through GMOs. Even millions of years later, DNA analysis of feral crops will reveal traces of genetic engineering interventions.

Beyond Earth, our mark in history will be more visible. Reminders of humanity's existence will be the lunar rovers. Soviet, American, and Chinese machines will remain well-preserved on the Moon, as there is no air, water, or earthquakes there.

Moreover, humanity can still be heard even millions of years after its disappearance. For over 100 years, since the invention of radio and television, Earthlings have been transmitting their culture into distant space using electromagnetic waves. Somewhere, 100 light-years away, little green men could listen to recordings of performances by Fyodor Shalyapin, Freddie Mercury, or the band Na-Na by constructing a large antenna.

These electromagnetic waves will continue to drift further and further from Earth for millions of years. Over time, they will become so weak that they will be indistinguishable from the background noise of space.

Can intelligent life evolve again after our departure?

If intelligent life once emerged on Earth, nothing prevents nature from pulling off this trick again. We are not an exception to the rule. For example, according to anthropologist Stanislav Drobyshevsky, an associate professor at the anthropology department of Moscow State University, baboon civilizations could have emerged. Four million years ago, their brains developed at the same pace as those of Australopithecus (one of the Australopithecus species eventually became the ancestor of modern humans). However, baboons opted for strengthening their internal hierarchy, focusing on dominance within their groups, and thus neglected brain development.

Most likely, intelligence could evolve among social animals that require a high level of cooperation within their pack.

- The next largest brain among primates relative to body mass is found in baboons, making them the most likely candidates, - says Alan Weisman, author of the book “The World Without Us,” which discusses how events on the planet will unfold in the absence of humans. - They lead a lifestyle similar to that of early humans, living in forests while also adapting to forest edges. They know how to unite against predators and effectively gather food in the savannas. Baboons could occupy our niche.

However, not only primates might succeed. According to Stanislav Drobyshevsky, raccoons have a decent chance of becoming an intelligent species. They are social and intelligent animals with dexterous front limbs. The only problem is that for the last 20 million years, raccoons haven’t been particularly eager to become the pinnacle of nature. They are quite satisfied with themselves.