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From: departed@netcom.com (just passing through)
Subject: Re: Computers--Next stage in evolution? Hmmmmmm.....
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References: <3hgj4q$di7@news.u.washington.edu> <3huofl$ogd@mp.cs.niu.edu> <longrich-1902950047320001@longrich.student.princeton.edu> <Harmon.1779.000BA9A5@psyvax.psy.utexas.edu>
Date: Tue, 21 Feb 1995 20:24:11 GMT
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In article <Harmon.1779.000BA9A5@psyvax.psy.utexas.edu>,
Michael G. Harmon <Harmon@psyvax.psy.utexas.edu> wrote:
> longrich@princeton.edu (Nick Longrich) writes:
>
>> Take a look at a comparable event: the Cretaceous-Tertiary
>>impact in the Yucatan. It was about 100,000 times the size of a full-scale
>>nuclear war, at least in megatonnage of explosive power and caused a huge
>>mass extinction.
>>This is, of course, neglecting the effects of radioactive fallout, but I'd
>>guess that once it became well-mized in the atmosphere and ocean, the
>>long-term effect would be a large increase in the mutation rate. 
>
>You'd be wrong.  Full scale detonation in both hemispheres of all currently 
>existing thermo-nuclear devices would release enough radioactivity to 
>completely sterilize all land surface biology.  If all existing nuclear power 
>plants, waste sites, and plutonium refining installations were targeted as 
>well, subsequent release of long-term fallout could completely sterilize the 
>globe.   
>
>Thank you, and have a nice day.    
>
>    -Bigfoot

Taking a 'guesstimate' approach reveals some problems ...
How much plutonium are we talking about?  10,000 tons seems a very generous
estimate.  What's the Earth's area?  50 million square miles?  The math
gives you about 1/2 lb per square mile, which doesn't seem like enough
to remove life.  Plus, the plutonium will be very unevenly distributed,
so that some areas will be overkilled, and other areas won't get very
much at all.

It wouldn't be at all nice, but life would continue, and the human species
might well survive.

Or perhaps you have some more concrete figures which show the contrary?

-- Richard Wesson (departed@netcom.com)



