In an infinite universe what's the real difference, humans vs mammals

City rats and roaches would die off within a year. They'd first have no food supply, and then when the winter hit they'd all freeze to death since there would be no heating. Finally, the sewers would all fill with water so that wouldn't be a respite either.

There are articles about this.

There is no insect that inhabits as many environments as humans. We may be the most adaptable lifeform on our planet. You can't compare us to all "insects" - just any given species.

What insect exists in every place humans do?

 

Lol... also true. I wouldn't want to be there when the aliens find us feasting on their octopod brethren.

 

We will soon begin to manipulate our DNA to adapt to other environments like other planets and water etc.

 

I don't think so. Cockroaches and ratlike creatures have survived the equivalent of nuclear winters from other extinction level events so it seems to me that they could do so again. Also consider that cockroaches and rats can breed prodigiously and because of that have a greater ability to survive by essentially speeding up evolution. While billions of them will die with billions more being born there is more likely the possibility of beneficial traits that allow them to survive a nuclear winter will come about and persist.

Cockroaches. We have technology that allows us to adapt they have biology. While our technology may fail us its likely that the roaches will biologically adapt to exploit other niches.

 

Coachroaches aren't in all habitats. Some mountainous and arid regions will not have them as coachroaches require lots of water.

They wouldn't survive in nyc without humans. Like I said, rats and roaches require so much in a northern climate to survive - namely the heat from humans. Without humans, and the heat - they would all perish in a week.

Remember, there were no rats or roaches in new york city before humans, once humans are gone, they will all die out.

 

So do humans. We primarily aren't adapting to live in climates as our biology doesn't change very much but use technology to create micro environments that suit us. Cockroaches and rats have figure out how to adapt to our micro-environment and hitch a ride.

That is my point we need technology to survive while the roaches and rats have figured out how to leach off of us. They are the ones who have figured out without the aid of technology to leech off of the hard work of another species. That to me shows that they are superior adapters than we are. Not to forget that cockroaches can also withstand greater temperature and radiation than we can and can go longer without food or water than we do.

Possibly not in NYC but cockroaches and rats long predated our existence as a species so there is no reason to presume that they wouldn't survive after us.

Lets face it as a species we are pretty sorry in regards to hardiness and adaptablility. If we didn't have technology we would probably go extinct fairly quickly that's why if it came down to some sort of cataclysm I would give a lot of other species the edge in survival over us.

 

Yes - but you keep saying that if we didn't have technology - but that's what makes humans unique - is that we create technology - that is what makes us adaptable. We can control our environment where coaches and rats can not - they are at the whim of the environoment.

They don't adapt - the simply occupy the same environment. Warm and moist - that's it. If humans create a warm and moist environment, they can hitch a ride there - that's it. How is that adapting on their part?

The point is, we can survive far more differentiated environments. We can build radiation suits to survive greater radiation than roaches. Roachs can't adapt to a high radiation environment.

To say they are more hardy is one thing - but to say they are more adaptable is in correct. If the world froze over, roaches and rats would be completely dependent on humans to survive.

 

How does that explain that roaches and ratlike mammals have survived other cataclysms like the K-T extinction event? Consider that roaches and rats predate humanity so your argument that they are completely dependent on humanity is nonsensical. They have successfully exploited environments created by humanity but their history shows that they can and have survived without humanity and cataclysms that have doomed many other species.

Our species hasn't even survived one extinction level event and frankly I'm not sure we could. OTOH if it wasn't for creatures like rats building a new adapting and evolving to fill left over ecological niches after a cataclyms we might not even be here.

 

I think you guys are forgetting something, that rats and roaches are ever evolving. While some species of rats and roaches may die out, other will evolve to live without humans easily. Hell, there are thousands of species of roaches in the world, and I'm sure the majority of them can live without humans. Darwinism at it's finest.

 

Humans live based on logic, reason, and desires. Other creatures live off pure instinct.

 

I don't know what you think of the K-T extinction, but it wasn't a snowball earth. There would still be tropical climates, albeit much cooler. The K-T extinction hit herbivores and carnivores the hardest...but those species which depended upon decaying organic matter survived. Thats' what coachroaches and insects thrive on. Plant life was not eliminated, there for insect life continued. The mammals that survived ate - guess what - insects and decaying organic matter.

There are many many different varieties of roaches...the ones in our house have evolved to survive in that environment and take away the heat of a home and the water, and they die. Take coaches adopted to tropical environments and put them in house, and they will die.

Most species are not that adaptable, change their environment and they go extinct. The K-T extinction wasn't a sudden event - it was gradual change in environment, so mammals and roaches had generations to evolve and adapt.

 

Good thing I dont eat seafood! lol

 

Aliens genetically engineered human beings as a grand social experiment hundreds of thousands of years ago. Write about this, citing numerous references from '2001: A Space Odyssey' and offbeat conspiracy theory websites.