What if the human kingdom is extinted by the new epidemy?

[cyberateos]

Would animals repopulate cities?

[curiosityandthecat]

Also:
Short term
Long term

[VanReal]

There is a great series on the History channel about this very topic right now called "Life After People" and it is really quite interesting.  There is an island close to Japan that actually was populated by thousands of people in the early 40s that was abandoned that provides intersting evidence of what happens to structures, etc.  And then they go through animal populations, art, buildings, relics, etc., all the way until what things would look like when our very existence would not longer be visible.  

I did like how 60 years after people parrots were still saying "hello" and other words in the wild, kind of freaky that those were the only human utterances left.

Check it out.  It's on History and only two episodes have aired this time around.  Here it comes on Tuesday nights.

[SSY]

The zone around Chernobyl is a testament to nature's regenerative ability. After only decades, the landscape is already recovering, animals coming back etc, and that is with loads of radiation.

Edit, nice poster btw curio.

[karadan]

Mount Rushmore Will last 200 - 400 thousand years and will probably be the only recognisable man-made feature left after that amount of time. The cores of nuclear reactors will stay radioactive for a very long time but a new civilization will not really know what to make of them. I doubt they would instantly realise these 'mounds of death' are the byproduct of the power needs of an ancient civilization.

[Tanker]

Mount Rushmore Will last 200 - 400 thousand years and will probably be the only recognisable man-made feature left after that amount of time. The cores of nuclear reactors will stay radioactive for a very long time but a new civilization will not really know what to make of them. I doubt they would instantly realise these 'mounds of death' are the byproduct of the power needs of an ancient civilization.

Don't forget the Pyramids at Giza their sheer mass means they will be there a long long time. Not to mention most of the crap in orbit will be there for millenia upon millenia. Which assuming a new sentience arose and eventually achieved space flight they would have some information about us. Heck even before space flight the satalites woud be strange fast moving stars or planets to them (or gods if you go by human history with planets). Imageine their verion of Galileo surprise at seeing their nearness and constucted apearance.

I read an article a few years ago where they thought they had found a sight of natural nuclear fission in the Earths crust I can't remember what the exact proscess was but who knows mabey that was a former civilisations reactor (and no I don't believe that). Hell that might be what they think of our old reactors, might even mess up their early physics work trying to figure it out. After all we only found one possible they would find dozens everywhere.

Sorry went off on a bit of a tangent I could keep going but I'm really not trying to hijack. I just find so many intresting ideas following this thought line.

[SSY]

Heck even before space flight the satalites woud be strange fast moving stars or planets to them (or gods if you go by human history with planets). Imageine their verion of Galileo surprise at seeing their nearness and constucted apearance.

That would be the most unfortunate start ever.

"Oh look, I have a super light magnifier, we can see the stars as they truly are for the first time now!!"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Wow, I guess those guys in the church were right, Gid must have made the stars, they are clearly constructed, and no dogman could have made them"

It's almost the reverse of god putting hte fossils down to fool us.

P.S. I am assuming ( hoping ) that dogs take over from us if we go, those apes are getting a bit big for their boots imho.

[karadan]

Mount Rushmore Will last 200 - 400 thousand years and will probably be the only recognisable man-made feature left after that amount of time. The cores of nuclear reactors will stay radioactive for a very long time but a new civilization will not really know what to make of them. I doubt they would instantly realise these 'mounds of death' are the byproduct of the power needs of an ancient civilization.

Don't forget the Pyramids at Giza their sheer mass means they will be there a long long time. Not to mention most of the crap in orbit will be there for millenia upon millenia. Which assuming a new sentience arose and eventually achieved space flight they would have some information about us. Heck even before space flight the satalites woud be strange fast moving stars or planets to them (or gods if you go by human history with planets). Imageine their verion of Galileo surprise at seeing their nearness and constucted apearance.

I read an article a few years ago where they thought they had found a sight of natural nuclear fission in the Earths crust I can't remember what the exact proscess was but who knows mabey that was a former civilisations reactor (and no I don't believe that). Hell that might be what they think of our old reactors, might even mess up their early physics work trying to figure it out. After all we only found one possible they would find dozens everywhere.

Sorry went off on a bit of a tangent I could keep going but I'm really not trying to hijack. I just find so many intresting ideas following this thought line.

Unfortunately the pyramids will be buried in sand long before erosion does its bit with them. I'd hedge my bets that Rushmore would outlive any other human made structure including the great wall of China.

Most space debris would fall to Earth quite quickly. All orbits decay eventually (or spin off into outer space) depending on what orbit they start off in. I guess the stuff we left on the moon will stay there forever, or until an asteroid hits them.

[karadan]

P.S. I am assuming ( hoping ) that dogs take over from us if we go, those apes are getting a bit big for their boots imho.

I'd prefer cats to be honest  

[Recusant]

My money is on raccoons.  

[McQ]

Mount Rushmore Will last 200 - 400 thousand years and will probably be the only recognisable man-made feature left after that amount of time. The cores of nuclear reactors will stay radioactive for a very long time but a new civilization will not really know what to make of them. I doubt they would instantly realise these 'mounds of death' are the byproduct of the power needs of an ancient civilization.

You say "mounds of death" like it's a bad thing.  

[SSY]

I remember reading a story about some ruskies lost in the wilds of siberia. They fear freezing to death, but luckily for them they find some warm metal cannisters to act as hot water bottles.

Of course what they didn't know is that they were from seed irradiators, and woke up with horrific burns induced by the radiation. Terrible to think of the legacy we could leave.

[Tanker]

Mount Rushmore Will last 200 - 400 thousand years and will probably be the only recognisable man-made feature left after that amount of time. The cores of nuclear reactors will stay radioactive for a very long time but a new civilization will not really know what to make of them. I doubt they would instantly realise these 'mounds of death' are the byproduct of the power needs of an ancient civilization.

Don't forget the Pyramids at Giza their sheer mass means they will be there a long long time. Not to mention most of the crap in orbit will be there for millenia upon millenia. Which assuming a new sentience arose and eventually achieved space flight they would have some information about us. Heck even before space flight the satalites woud be strange fast moving stars or planets to them (or gods if you go by human history with planets). Imageine their verion of Galileo surprise at seeing their nearness and constucted apearance.

I read an article a few years ago where they thought they had found a sight of natural nuclear fission in the Earths crust I can't remember what the exact proscess was but who knows mabey that was a former civilisations reactor (and no I don't believe that). Hell that might be what they think of our old reactors, might even mess up their early physics work trying to figure it out. After all we only found one possible they would find dozens everywhere.

Sorry went off on a bit of a tangent I could keep going but I'm really not trying to hijack. I just find so many intresting ideas following this thought line.

Unfortunately the pyramids will be buried in sand long before erosion does its bit with them. I'd hedge my bets that Rushmore would outlive any other human made structure including the great wall of China.

Most space debris would fall to Earth quite quickly. All orbits decay eventually (or spin off into outer space) depending on what orbit they start off in. I guess the stuff we left on the moon will stay there forever, or until an asteroid hits them.

Wouldn't the pyramids being buried preserve them for even longer?

Alot of debris would probably remain in stable orbits for millions of years, tough by no means most (it is possible for other primates or even other animals to become sentient in that time). Much was very carfully placed to remain in a stable orbit for as long as possible and stuff flying off would take even longer, if it was at all possible, most was placed without a significant excape velocity hence the whole becoming a satalite thing. Even assuming some did fly away it's taken the Moon billions of years to move slooooowly away, though I guess you'ed have to account for the Moon's own significant gravity as a factor as well.

Oh and lets not forget about Mars probes, extra-Terran satalites and of course the Voyager probes. While the chance of any of those being found, ever is ridiculously insignifcantly small some proof of man would exist for years, probably billions in the cases of the Voyager probes.