Re: Biodiversity and the Fossil Record

[rons <rons@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Mon, 18 Mar 1996, N. MacLeod wrote:

> As with the mess extinction debates in the fossil record, the real nub of
> the problem is trying to figure out what proportion of extinctions were due
> to "exogenous" causes (e.g., human activities) and what proportion would
> have come about as a result of "normal" factors.

Hi Norm,  While I know you are trying to make an important distinction 
here, I fail to see the difference between these two causes as humans are 
merely part of the natural world.  What I'm trying to say, is that the 
humans' technological advances are merely an extension of their "normal" 
capability.  If human technology was not meant to be part of the 
evolution of natural history, perhaps it would not been part of our 
"design" to advance technologically.  Perhaps, if we destroy our 
selves and the living world with us, then this would be natures' way of 
ridding the planet of a species that couldn't adapt!