Really "the rise of the Planet of the Apes"? If humans disappear, baboons are most likely to rise to the top.

This article comes from the official account of Wechat: SF Chinese (ID:kexuejiaodian), author: SF

If there were a specific virus that only attacks humans, it would be so powerful that the entire human race would be wiped out. And after the extinction of mankind, it also disappeared. So, in the following time, which species are likely to occupy the positions vacated by humans, and can they develop technologies similar to ours?

(Louis Biazon / tr. by Phil Newell)

Translation | Li Xiang

Editor | Wen Jing

Is the position vacated by human beings "really fragrant"? We often measure the quality of a creature by the use of tools, the possession of language and culture, and the ability to change the environment. This is obviously a human-centered evaluation system that focuses on what we are good at and ignores what we are not good at.

The total number and total mass of bacteria exceed that of humans, and they are not only more widely distributed on the earth than we are, but are also likely to continue to exist for a long time after we disappear.

In 99.9% of the earth's life history, the earth works well even without the participation of human intelligence. So even if we disappear, there doesn't have to be another creature to take our place.

Octopuses and dolphins are already very smart, but they cannot use fire and electricity when they live in water, so it is impossible for them to extract metal and make machines. If they are going to develop on land, the process from aquatic to terrestrial will take about 100 million years of effort.

Baboons, the largest "potential stock", look at the land, and it is relatively easier for existing primates to occupy the environment we vacate.

In South Africa, baboons live around residential areas. they are social animals and are as intelligent as chimpanzees. After the extinction of human beings, they will immediately take over our territory, as well as the food and livestock we leave behind. This could lead to an explosive growth in their numbers in the short term.

Even if the food runs out, they can rely on the buildings we leave behind to protect them from the wind and rain, and may even start using some of the metal tools and knives we leave behind. This will give them a considerable survival advantage and help them compete with other primates and predators.

But baboons may not be able to use human machines, because they may be rusty long before they learn how to use and repair them. But thousands of years later, the remaining refined metals and plastics may still help them embark on their own technological path.