Rats and bears will take over the cities, while cats will thrive. AI has illustrated what Earth would look like if humanity suddenly vanished.
A number of researchers conducted a thought experiment: what would happen if humans suddenly vanished from the face of the Earth? No, these scientists were neither sociopaths nor misanthropes. Likely, their intent was to remind us just how fragile and vulnerable human civilization is.
Our perception of human dominance on the planet is incredibly naive. If we were to visualize the entire history of Earth as a single day (which, as we know, consists of 24 hours), modern humans appeared just 4 seconds before midnight, at 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 56 seconds! In other words, what if our carriage turns into a pumpkin right at midnight?!!
Scientists have documented five mass extinctions in Earth's history. The most recent, the fifth extinction, occurred 65 million years ago, leading to the disappearance of about 75% of all species alive at that time, but it is not the largest. The greatest catastrophe is the Permian-Triassic extinction, which happened 250 million years ago, when a drastic change in the atmosphere caused 95% of Earth's living organisms to vanish over several thousand years. Hence, there is indeed a risk that viruses, natural disasters, or nuclear wars could wipe out humanity.
Researchers have created a timeline of events that would unfold on Earth after humans disappear (detailed coverage can be found in the article “What will happen if humans suddenly vanish from the face of the Earth: Baboons and raccoons could become the dominant species” on KP.RU).
- Without humans to maintain urban infrastructure and industrial operations, water will cease to flow through pipes, and electricity will stop flowing through wires, - says Carlton Basmajian, an assistant professor at the University of Iowa's urban design department. - Without water circulating in the cooling systems of nuclear power plants, reactors will start to explode. Without electricity, water pumps that drain groundwater will stop, and subways in major cities worldwide will be flooded within the first 36 hours. And this will just be the beginning of a series of global technological disasters.
To visualize what Earth would look like without humans, we turned to artificial intelligence for assistance. Based on our publication, the neural network highlighted the main events from the apocalypse timeline and generated images depicting what the world would be like a day, month, year, and century after human dominance ends.
5Photo: Neural Network
1 Day
- Within a few hours, fires will break out at oil refineries due to the lack of operators.
6Photo: Neural Network
2-3 Days
- Subways in major cities, including Moscow and St. Petersburg, will be flooded within 36 hours as pumps that drain groundwater fail without operators.
7Photo: Neural Network
10 Days
- Fuel in emergency generators that power the cooling systems of nuclear power plants will run out. After the water cooling the reactors evaporates, they will begin to explode. There are around 450 nuclear reactors worldwide, and their accidents will lead to consequences reminiscent of the Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters.
8Photo: Neural Network
1 Month
- After hydroelectric plants shut down, water levels in reservoirs will start to rise. The breaching of dams, which will wash away cities built downstream, such as Blagoveshchensk, is only a matter of time.
9Photo: Neural Network
6 Months
- Rats and mice will consume all edible supplies in supermarkets and warehouses, and they will begin to leave cities. Domesticated animals will struggle greatly. Cows, chickens, and pigs will become easy prey for predators. Even dogs will find it incredibly difficult to carve out a niche in the wild. Meanwhile, the surviving cats will thrive.
0Photo: Neural Network
2 Years
- The absence of humans will lead to an explosive increase in the population of wild animals. Wolves, bears, foxes, hares, and deer will begin to inhabit urban areas.
1Photo: Neural Network
5 Years
- Most cities will be covered with a thick layer of soil and plants. Red Square in Moscow will transform into a picturesque green meadow.
2Photo: Neural Network
25 Years
- Museum mummies will begin to decay without maintained temperatures. Only skeletons will remain of the bodies of Egyptian pharaohs, Vladimir Lenin, and their "colleagues".
3Photo: Neural Network
30 Years
- Satellites will begin to fall to Earth as there will be no one to correct their orbits. This includes the International Space Station, which will also crash.
4Photo: Neural Network
70-75 Years
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