What would happen to planet earth if the human race were to suddenly disappear forever? Would ecosystems thrive? What remnants of our industrialized world would survive? What would crumble fastest?
Abandoned skyscrapers would, after hundreds of years, become "vertical ecosystems" complete with birds, rodents and even plant life. One small animal might be responsible for bringing down the Hoover Dam hydroelectric plant. Swelled rivers, crumbling bridges and buildings, grizzly bears in California and herds of buffalo returning to the Great Western Plains: In a world without humans, these would be the visual hallmarks. Our cars would shrivel to piles of dust, our house pets would be overtaken by flourishing wildlife and most of the records of our human story�books, photos, records�would fade quickly, leaving little evidence that we ever existed.
So what would happen to the Earth if humans ceased to exist? Would all the remnants of mankind eventually disappear from our planet? How long would it take? Would endangered species thrive or would extinctions continue at an advanced pace?
History Channel - Life After People.
