From: jdnicoll@panix.com   
      
   In article <0jTFb.16132$Pg1.5051@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net>,   
   Joseph Oberlander   wrote:   
      
   >But, there's a catch.  Consider how long we have been around as humans.   
   >We know that there was a cataclysm about 35-40K years ago that wiped out   
   >almost all humans.  We can all trace our genes back to less than a dozen   
   >individuals at that time.  Then there was the Ice age.  Then, before that,   
   >there were three mass extinctions.   
   >   
   >Given all of that, we figured there's about a 1/10 chance of there being   
   >somewhat evolved life that hasn't completely died off due to whatever factors.   
   >Most planets will be like Mare - once capable of supporting life, but now   
   >an irradiated barren rock.   
      
   	Five big extinctions (possibly six depending on how the Pleistocene   
   works out): Cretaceous-Tertiary, End Triassic, Permian-Triassic (the big   
   kahuna, against which other MEs are mere hicoughs), Late Devonian and   
   Ordovician-Silurian. Note how in all case, including the Permian one (which   
   killed something like 95% of all species), were followed by a recovery   
   of diversity, although not of disparity.   
      
   	What I take from that is that terminating all life is actually   
   difficult and that given survivors, variation, selection and time empty   
   niches will be refilled and indeed new ones discovered.   
   --   
   	"The Union Nationale has brought [Quebec] to the edge of an abyss.   
   With Social Credit you will take one step forward."   
      
   						Camil Samson   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)