Cheiron

Well, seeing as the dinosaurs died out 65 million years ago, Had there been a dinosaur civilization comparable to our own in technology, or more advanced, would we be able to figure that out today? Is there evidence supporting the hypothesis of a dinosaur civilization?

Just a general life on earth question. Mod's I'm assuming this topic would go here, but maybe not.

Gregg

COULD they have? Sure, why not?

DID they? Well, since any evidence of a dinosaur civilization would be front-page news, I'm inclined to think there isn't any. And if dinosaurs HAD developed a civilization comparable to our own in technology, I don't think we'd be around to ask that question. Just like we're well on the way to doing, they probably would have wiped themselves (and all the other dinosaurs, not to mention those furry little things scurrying underfoot) out one way or another.

Still, hey, ya never know. We've only been around for an eyeblink of geological time. While I seriously doubt that any advanced dinosaur civilization existed, maybe there was a dinosaur species evolving toward consciousness and self-awareness just before the meteor hit. Even if they'd gotten to the point of using stone tools, though, I can't imagine finding any recognizable traces of them after all these millions of years.

Nic Tamzek

What, like the Star Trek: Voyager episode where they run into some transwarp capable aliens on the other side of the galaxy, and a DNA comparison (the only time a DNA comparison would actually have worked IMO -- why should independently evolved aliens have DNA?) shows that they share a common ancestor with humans? The "Saurians" I believe they were called.

It is an interesting question about whether or not a civilization would leave any detectable trace on Earth 65 million years later. E.g., if humans went extinct today, in 65 million years human civilization would be a sliver of a geological layer. On the other hand, all it would take would be one good artifact and we've already spread our junk everywhere. If a technological civilization lasted 10^3 --> 10^6 years the odds would improve greatly (then again, any geologically persistent civilization would probably reach a very stable state and end up not going extinct for a very long time).

Here's a question: How long would the lunar landers be detectable up there on the moon? 65 million years?

Jackalope

Strangely, songwriter Mark Graham wrote Their Brains Were Small and They Died based on that idea.


They were creatures in a manner quite reptilian
In their unique and stylish way,
And their numbers could be reckoned in the millions;
But there are zero of these heroes in the world today.
They had music, art and fashion, there was dinosauric passion
And I think they'd be enraged and mortified
That when they`re mentioned today it's only to say:
Their brains were small and they died.

Duvenoy

Hm. Given the right conditions, I've no doubt that they could have. After all. so-called 'intellegence' is no more than another, evolutionary survival advantage, albeit a rather esoteric one.

So, just how smart did a dino have to be to get by in it's enviroment? If what I've read of it is any kind of accurate, not very (relitivly speaking). The climate was good and there were lots of niches to be occupied and food to be consumed. And predators to be avoided. It seems to me that being fast on their feet, or a fearsome fighter, would have far more survival value than being 'smart'.

I read somewhere (no reference, sorry. It was a popular piece and worth only what you might read into it) some speculation that some of the velociraptors had perhaps the intellegence of a chimp. I dunno.

But, the point is moot anyway. The great reptiles died out, the vermin took over, and it's been all downhill since.

doov

Secular Pinoy

Or maybe evolution is so nondirectional that there is nothing that compels it to choose intelligence over something more beneficial in the short run. And that human intelligence owes more to chance and contingency during its evolutionary history, than to some inevitable impulse to progress. The latter one smacks of teleology and Lamarckism.

Duvenoy

Indeed. Further, intelligence, as we know it, has yet to demonstrate much long-term, survival value. We might well be just another evolutionary flash in the pan; lots of smoke and flame, but no shot.

Sometime it might be fun to speculate as to what might succeed us, not counting the cockroach of course, which will suceed everything.

doov

DMB

Bacteria.

Grumpy

Distant Origin. Unfortunately, they use miraculous technobabble to project future evolution from a primitive DNA sample. Apparently, the computer is able to model environmental selection pressures, population patterns, et cetera.

The Isaac Asimov short story "Day of the Hunters" speculates that dinosaurs invented ray guns and then hunted themselves to extinction. Not one of his best.

Cheiron

Well this particular thread was inspired by the giant crater in/on/under the ucatan peninsula, the crater that for all intents and purposes was caused by a meteorite striking earth.

However with recent research in fusion and fission, I've come to wonder if maybe the yucatan crater was not caused by a meteorite, but rather by some sort of giant explosion created by a more technilogically advanced species. For instance, our nuclear weapons continue to get more powerful, not to mention that for fusion energy to ever take off we need to ramp up the power involved in it. a future expirament in either of these technologies by us could end up wiping us out, is it possible that a similair thing happened to wipe out the dinosaurs? It seems that there was an actual decline in species before the meteor impact, could this be a fossil record of a similair thing to what we're doing (ie we are technically in a mass extinction period)

All of the above is just ramblings, maybe it would make a good Sci-fi film, or maybe I might be right.

After all Humanities technology has only really advanced in the last 500-1000 years, we had extremely slow technilogical growth before this point, so say humanity survives for another 500-1000 years, that gives a max span of 2000 years for our technology to be deposited and preserved. Now 65 million years down the road, would any of our tech be left?

Like i said just ramblings, Although if any of you write a screen play please give me some credit.