Coral flourishing at Bikini Atoll atomic test site

Coral is again flourishing in the crater left by the largest nuclear weapon ever detonated by the United States, 54 years after the blast on Bikini Atoll, marine scientists reported Tuesday.

Yes, it does look as though, when we have finally removed ourselves from the planet’s crust, no matter how ugly a method we choose to use, the earth will probably survive.

Godzilla lurks there somewhere.

…Until the sun dies, or we get hit by some variety of NEO or other interplanetary missile, or there’s some nearby super nova, or…

:stuck_out_tongue:

Radioactive coconuts. Mmmm, that would make a good band-name.

Life is tenacious.

Even human life may be a bit more tenacious than folks tend to give it credit for. We’ve been around for a while now, and gone through a couple of pretty tough moments…and that without our technology that we’re so proud of.

However…

That’s not to say that we can’t make this planet a mass grave for the many and a living hell for the few that would be left.

Extinction, like death, is not always the worst that there is to fear.

–James

yes…but now;

it’s coral with a purpose… :open_mouth:

Hope it can defend itself against that starfish that is destroying the coral around the great barrier reef. I think that is a greater danger than most anything else, because they can’t seem to find a way to deal with it. Maybe this coral has little knives on the ends of its protuberances, or issues a cloud of toxic liquid when attacked. Or maybe it just radiates its enemies to death. :astonished:

Did someone say starfish?

My favorite line from an otherwise unquotable book, Jurassic Park, is when the Jeff Goldblum guy says, paraphrasing, We can never destroy the Earth. We can destroy ourselves but never the Earth.

The 500 square miles around chernobyl is one of the most important wilderness areas in Europe, too.

The maple trees around Three Mile Island still grow giant, strangely shaped leaves. Thank Gord for containment!

djm

That’s interesting. One of the reasons chernobyl is OK from the wildlife POV is that many animals don’t live in the wild state long enough to be grossly affected by radiation sickness.

Trees, however, are organisms that live more than long enough for trouble to find them.

I saw something about that about a month ago on a Discovery HD channel. It showed this cat who lived in one of the abandoned houses there, the mice it lived off of were full of radiation. But, somehow, the animals in that area were insusceptible to it. Really a great show…really sad seeing what happened in that area..

Patrick!:lol:

When I see the title of this thread I think …

Bikini Bottom

Some folks still cling to the hope that death is the end.

Bikini Atoll:

No Bikini Atoll:

When did Mary-Ann get a haircut? :boggle:

djm

She is going to ruin those shoes!!!