Letters to the Editor

This letter is associated with the following article:
Millenium, schmillenium: Humans have made such a mess it's time for a whole new epoch.
  • Humans are part of nature...

    ...for better or worse.

    The idea that our various technologies have removed us from the "natural" flow of evolution is a hoot. Rather, our technologies represent the grandpappy of all extended phenotypes in Dawkins' terminology. Our food and shelter and clothing and technology bind us vastly more closely to evolutionary pressures than our peripatetic ancestors chasing down megafauna with atlatls.

    Prior geologic boundaries are marked by biologically significant events. There is nothing remarkable about the habits of today's dominant lifeform similarly marking its temporal territory.

    We're in for one heckuva punctuation point in evolution - whether or not it is followed by another tame equilibrium. (Actually "tame" is a far more aggressive term than anything emerging from the sans-human circle of life.)