Evolution is the way of life and many experts and well, even living room conversations have broached on the topic of whether humans could go extinct one day.
Several species on this planet have enjoyed their time in the day, but one day or another they went extinct. Even dinosaurs considered to be among the apex predators, had to meet their final time.
In light of this though, a scientist has taken a look at which species or creature could replace humans if ever the day comes when our species goes extinct from the planet.
Which Creature Could Replace Humans?
Professor Tim Coulson from the University of Oxford has spoken about this having studied biology and evolution. As per reports, he believes that the disappearance of humans from Earth could be the pathway to new species taking over the planet and assuming important ecological roles.
According to Professor Coulson’s book The Universal History of Us,, no species is permanent, as he wrote “Extinction is the fate of all species, including humans, although let’s hope our demise is far in the future.”
Having researched and studied mutation and how it is imminent even though it has risks, Coulson wrote “I started to wonder what species might take our place if humans, and our close great ape relatives, were to die out.”
The extinction of humans apparently wouldn’t result in the collapse of Earth, instead, it would allow a new species to evolve and take up the position humans currently enjoy.
Coulson believes that “new forms of intelligence and complexity could emerge in unexpected ways” indicating that the next ruling species doesn’t have to be similar to humans.
In this aspect, Coulson offers an answer on who could potentially take over the planet once humans are no longer there and that would be: octopuses.
Coulson believes “Their ability to solve complex problems, communicate with one another in flashes of color, and manipulate objects suggests that, given the right environmental conditions, they could evolve into a civilization-building species.”
He further adds “their advanced neural structure, decentralized nervous system, and remarkable problem-solving skills make several species of octopus well suited for an unpredictable world.”
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The smartness and intelligence of octopuses is not a new thing to be written about. Many experts have talked about how smart these creatures are and exhibit many traits proving that.
As per Coulson “Some individuals even escape from their tanks at night in some research centers, visiting those of their neighbors, believe it or not.”
Coulson admits that their current physical form would not allow them to live on land saying “Octopuses are unlikely to adapt to life on land due to their lack of a skeleton, which makes swift and agile movement out of water challenging.”
However, he also comments that it is possible that the creatures could evolve to develop ways to breathe out of water.
“With evolutionary advances, it is possible, if not probable, that they might develop ways to breathe outside of water and eventually hunt terrestrial animals like deer, sheep, and other mammals – assuming they have survived the catastrophic event that drove humans extinct.”
Coulson even comments on the possibility that octopuses could build underwater habitats and in their curiosity reach the land one day. Speaking about an absurd thought he said “Would octopuses build vast underwater cities and come onto land wearing breathing apparatus to shoot a deer? We’ve no way of knowing.”
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Sources: Moneycontrol, Earth.com, Business Today
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This post is tagged under: Humans, evolution, octopus, octopus human, human extinct, extinct, extinction, human extinction, human evolution, science, octopus evolution, octopus intelligence
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