human disappearance

ever wonder what would happen if humans disappeared from earth for some reason? how long would synthetic structures, like paved roads and skyscrapers, last before crumbling. how long would it take for bacteria to evolve to break down plastics? what would the new dominant life form become?

i dont think i actually thought about this scenerio until i read an interview with alan weisman at scientific american online! cool stuff!

it's amazing how much humans can and have manipulated the surface of the earth... and more and more rapidly over time... we create completely synthetic structures to house ourselves, to package all our products, to move around in quickly, even the food we eat!! some of my fondest memories as a kid are based around camping with my family (and singing songs around the campfire) and foraging thru the neighborhood creeks for meals to feed my pretend family! sure i played video games too, but they were more adventure puzzles... they werent so much the simulation-of-real-life games that seem so popular today.

anyway, i think it's good to remember that we humans are just one type of creature sharing a home with many other creatures on the planet earth. our pale blue dot cannot withstand endless human manipulation and neither can all the other lifeforms that exist on earth!