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Comment by bbojan | Hacker News Reader

As I believe that Earth is the only life-bearing planet in our galaxy, if not the whole Universe, I'm extremely saddened with news like this of a near-extinction of yet another fascinating species.

My only hope is that humanity will spread among the stars, dispersing what species remain to billions of new worlds, and that this might be our redemption for the unspeakable crimes we have committed against life...

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If there are other planets with life on them then humanity could be more like a plague, choking out who knows how many ecosysyems on however many planets, much in the sane manner we've done here.

If humans cannot develop a healthy balance on this planet - which is unlikely, as drastic population and industrial reduction would be necessary and right quick - then we do not deserve to escape this planet. Humanity spreading to other planets at this point would be akin to a disease spreading.

I hope it doesn't happen but if earth becomes inhospitable to mankind and we all die it won't be the end of "life".

Earth had mass extinction events where 90%+ of living things died, and life just came up with some new stuff and recovered.

A highly likely explanation for why we’re seemingly the only intelligent life in a vast universe is the great filter, something in the path between inert matter and a galactic civilization that prevents progressing along said path. What if there have been hundreds of human-like intelligent species in our galaxy, and what if all of them wiped themselves out before spreading among the stars? What would that say about us?

Anyway, there’s an interesting podcast “the end of the world” that covers this in depth.

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