What would it take to erase evidence of our times?

Anything short of that will always leave traces.

How those traces are then interpreted is also important. There is no certainty that they would be interpreted correctly. As somebody mentioned earlier if our future generations found symbols of the crucifix they could infer that earlier generations(us) had a cult of human sacrifice.
Similarly, we find traces such as green glass strewn across deserts, this can be interpreted as ancient nuclear war or a meteroite strike.

I would be careful in being overconfident that we could actually correctly interpret the traces left.

Roadways and pathways are visible for thousands of years (even covered up by other things).

It really depends on the type of cataclysm that takes place. If it was a super earthquake it may destroy all our roads and pathways. A giant tsunami could innundate the roads. Perhaps, unknown weapons could level an entire continent. It is all open to speculation.

If an advanced civilization from the stars landed here and formed a colony some 100,000 years ago, it'd be blindingly obvious from the mining of mineral resources around the globe to terraformed areas (traces of farms (there's a change in the soils), to genetically manipulated animals and animals (huge changes in short periods of time all occurring during the same 1,000 year time frame) to full buildings or more built very durably (nobody wants a house that will collapse into dirt in 4 years... and once you have a house, even if the original inhabitant dies, other generations might want to live there.)

Again this really depends on how we interpret it. Some claim that humans have genes that appear to have no precursor. I am not saying I subscribe to these theories myself. but I am simply showing you how different interpretations are possible of the same evidence. I recently read an interesting theory on how there are little gold reserves in ancient India, and yet ancient India had a huge amount of gold, this means that they had found a way of manufacturing gold through transmuting metals. Again I am not subscribing to this theory, I am again demonstrating how different interpretations are possible of the same evidence. So you should not be overconfident of something being "blindly obvious"

Originally posted by Byrd

People live in packs. I couldn't weave cloth to save my life, but I know people who know how to gather fur and weave it into cloth and I know people who sew. I can't make anything out of metal, but I know 2-3 blacksmiths. I can't work on cars, but my brother-in-law is one of millions who can scratch build and fabricate parts for cars. I can't garden and have no clue how to raise and slaughter a cow or chickens, but I know people who have this skill. I do know how to make paper, however, and I know about wild foods that are safe to eat (so someone else could cultivate them.) I know a little bit about smelting metal, and I know how to find and identify metal ores.

Fair point, except there is one snag. In the example you gave you know these people and have a means of communication with them. In a post apolcalyptic society, these communication networks would be destroyed. The people that survive, who may be experts in various fields, would not likely have the communication with other people with the skillsets in order to make technology possible. In fact, their basic aim would be survival. The future generations therefore would not gain their skills, but instead learn how to survive.

Have you seen the movie that came out recently, "The Road" It is about a father and son surviving in a post apolcalyptic world. The father does not teach his son any science or engineering, he teaches him how to survive. This is very plausible. I know if I had to survive with my kids, the least of my worries would be imparting to them knowledge of science and philosophy, I would teach them how to survive.

Therefore it is feasible that in the event of a major cataclysm that we would lose our technology and resort to primitive hunter-gatherer type lifestyles, thereby starting the evolution of civilisation all over again.

[edit on 12-1-2010 by Indigo_Child]

Originally posted by Indigo_Child
Fair point, except there is one snag. In the example you gave you know these people and have a means of communication with them. In a post apolcalyptic society, these communication networks would be destroyed. The people that survive, who may be experts in various fields, would not likely have the communication with other people with the skillsets in order to make technology possible. In fact, their basic aim would be survival. The future generations therefore would not gain their skills, but instead learn how to survive.
Therefore it is feasible that in the event of a major cataclysm that we would lose our technology and resort to primitive hunter-gatherer type lifestyles, thereby starting the evolution of civilisation all over again.

[edit on 12-1-2010 by Indigo_Child]

LOL, that was the exact point I was about to make!

Also, out of those who do survive, would they really have the means to make microchips for computers? AND even if they did, would they REALLY want to? Wasting time on making technology that others may not have the means to use/share/communicate with.
Or would they convert to a simple lifestyle like many of us truly, deep down, really want...?
Advancing in technology once again over time....
This really does beg more questions if your mind is truly open...like:
Is de ja vu because we go through this process every couple of thousand years and your current experiences are that of ONE of those times?
or
is this what the third dimension is all about? Finally understanding the means of the universe, the laws that govern it, the waves and patterns that continue and never end!?
or
Are we worth surviving? Is our species a positive to the universe, in even just one way!? Can we offer others anything?
or
Should I prepare and document as many things as possible so I can recreate some technology and use it to benefit people? Like light bulbs and power?


I hope those of you who are truly unlocked see the benefit of technology and could use it to help humanity if something apocalyptic were to happen. While enjoying the easy life is always an awesome thought, it could be an easy life as there as so many advances we are capable of, you just need to be able to see the light and then use the light to our advantage and to help people.

reply to post by Indigo_Child


Not really very much, about 500 years should do it. Considering everyone and his dog uses the lowest bidder for everything.