In geochronology, an epoch is a subdivision of the geologic timescale that is longer than an age and shorter than a period. We are currently living in the Holocene Epoch of the Quaternary Period. Rock layers deposited during an epoch are called a series.

What time period are we in?

Facts

Geologic time scale - Wikipedia

Reader Question: "If humans don’t die out in a climate apocalypse or asteroid impact in the next 10,000 years, are we likely to evolve further into a more advanced species than what we are at the moment?" Harry Bonas, 57, NigeriaHumanity is the unlikely result of 4 billion years of evolution.From self-replicating molecules in Archean seas, to eyeless fish in the Cambrian deep, to mammals scurrying from dinosaurs in the dark, and then, finally, improbably, ourselves – evolution shaped us.

Background

It’s hard to predict the future. The world will probably change in ways we can’t imagine. But we can make educated guesses. Paradoxically, the best way to predict the future is probably looking back at the past, and assuming past trends will continue going forward. This suggests some surprising things about our future.

How To Make Predictions?

Organisms reproduced imperfectly.Mistakes made when copying genes sometimes made them better fit to their environments, so those genes tended to get passed on.More reproduction followed, and more mistakes, the process repeating over billions of generations.Finally, Homo sapiens appeared. But we aren’t the end of that story. Evolution won’t stop with us, and <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126952-400-review-the-10000-year-explosion-by-gregory-cochran-and-henry-harpending/">we might even be evolving faster than ever</a>.

Introduction 

We will likely live longer and become taller, as well as more lightly built. We’ll probably be less aggressive and more agreeable, but have smaller brains. A bit like a golden retriever, we’ll be friendly and jolly, but maybe not that interesting. At least, that’s one possible future. But to understand why I think that’s likely, we need to look at biology.

Introduction cont.

Some scientists have argued that civilisation’s rise <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2007/dec/15/genetics.evolution">ended natural selection</a>.It’s true that selective pressures that dominated in the past (<a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajpa.20415">predators</a>, famine, plague, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DTDFOFG/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1">warfare</a>) have mostly disappeared.<ul><li>Starvation and famine were largely ended by <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003QP4BJM/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1">high-yield crops, fertilisers </a>and family planning.</li><li>Violence and war are less common than ever, despite modern militaries with nuclear weapons, or maybe <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Making-Atomic-Bomb-Richard-Rhodes-ebook/dp/B008TRU7SQ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=81PRQTJ0LOPH&keywords=making%20of%20the%20atomic%20bomb&qid=1644311120&s=digital-text&sprefix=making%20of%20the%20atomic%20bom%2Cdigital-text%2C264&sr=1-1">because of them</a>.</li><li>The lions, wolves and cats that hunted us in the dark are endangered or extinct.</li><li>Plagues that killed millions (Black Death, cholera) were tamed by vaccines, antibiotics and clean water.</li></ul>

I. The end of natural selection?

No; other things just drive it now.Evolution isn’t so much about survival of the fittest as reproduction of the fittest. Even if nature is less likely to murder us, we still need to find partners and raise children, so sexual selection now plays a bigger role in our evolution.And if nature doesn’t control our evolution anymore, the unnatural environment we’ve created – culture, technology, cities – produces new selective pressures very unlike those we faced in the ice age.We’re poorly adapted to this modern world; it follows that we’ll have to adapt.

Did Evolution Stop?

As our diets changed to include grains and dairy, we evolved genes to help us <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ng2123">digest starch </a> and <a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev-genom-091416-035340">milk</a>.When dense cities created conditions for disease to spread, mutations for <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/100/25/15276.short">disease resistance spread</a> too.And for some reason, <a href="https://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/519504">our brains have got smaller</a>. Unnatural environments create unnatural selection.

The Process Has Already Started

We’re also facing new selective pressures, such as reduced mortality. Studying the past doesn’t help here, but we can see how other species responded to similar pressures.Evolution in domestic animals may be especially relevant – arguably we’re becoming a kind of domesticated ape, but curiously, <a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/early-humans-domesticated-themselves-new-genetic-evidence-suggests?utm_campaign=SciMag&utm_source=Social&utm_medium=Facebook">one domesticated by ourselves </a>.

New Selective Pressures

Computers also provide an entirely new selective pressure.As <a href="https://www.statista.com/chart/20822/way-of-meeting-partner-heterosexual-us-couples/#:%7E:text=Surveys%20carried%20out%20and%20analyzed,2%20percent%20to%2039%20percent.">more and more matches are made on smartphones</a>, we are delegating decisions about what the next generation looks like to computer algorithms, who recommend our potential matches just like our playlists.This might sound like dark science fiction, but it’s already happening. It’s hard to know where this leads, but I wonder if it’s entirely wise to turn over the future of our species to iPhones, the internet and the companies behind them.

Computers as a Selection Pressure

Humans will almost certainly evolve to live much longer.Life cycles evolve in response to mortality rates; when they are high, animals must reproduce young, or might not reproduce at all.There’s no advantage to evolving mutations that prevent ageing or cancer – you won’t live long enough to use them.When mortality rates are low, the opposite is true.It’s useful to have adaptations that extend lifespan, and fertility, giving you more time to reproduce. That’s why animals with few predators (that live on islands, in the deep ocean, or are simply big) mature late and evolve longer lifespans.

II. Lifespan

Even before civilisation, people were unique among apes in having low mortality and <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/evan.1360010406">long lives</a>.Hunter-gatherers armed with spears and bows could defend against predators; <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090513800000660?casa_token=flfN2IIm4GMAAAAA%3A4wiyTcAbi4_ekhP3nx7AOBVKyWpHM-Yco6uu5x8jCVzhBp-4XhE7TNLbN_JLG29lpvrsp_sw2g">food sharing </a>prevented starvation.So we evolved delayed sexual maturity, and long lifespans – <a href="https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2352-1">up to 70 years </a>.Still, child mortality was high – <a href="https://escholarship.org/content/qt2zb2v4x9/qt2zb2v4x9.pdf">approaching 50% </a>or <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1651-2227.2011.02573.x?casa_token=y-YSz5W2IRIAAAAA%3A4sZ98kY2GLRSs35WMNzJr_WqDQrxDqTuqwyIUYSe9N8Y6fx0XoYSAHCDxyrDqYyYuCl2apKeQErOUSc">more </a>by age 15. Average life expectancy was just <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1651-2227.2011.02573.x?casa_token=y-YSz5W2IRIAAAAA%3A4sZ98kY2GLRSs35WMNzJr_WqDQrxDqTuqwyIUYSe9N8Y6fx0XoYSAHCDxyrDqYyYuCl2apKeQErOUSc">35 years </a>. Even after the rise of civilisation, child mortality stayed high until the 19th century, while life expectancy went down – <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/life-expectancy">to 30 years </a>– due to plagues and famines.

Application of Lifespan To The Human Context

In the past 200 years, better nutrition, medicine and hygiene reduced youth mortality to <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/youth-mortality-rate">under 1% </a> in most developed nations and soared life expectancy to at least <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/life-expectancy#:%7E:text=The%20United%20Nations%20estimate%20a,life%20expectancy%20of%2072.3%20years.">70 years worldwide</a>This is due to improved health, not evolution, but they set the stage for evolution to extend our lifespanNow, there’s little need to reproduce early. If anything, the years of training needed to be a doctor, CEO, or carpenter incentivise putting it offGiven that more people live to <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/life-expectancy#:%7E:text=The%20United%20Nations%20estimate%20a,life%20expectancy%20of%2072.3%20years.">100 </a><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2895458/"> years</a> (<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00070-1">record is 122</a>), there’s reason to think our genes could evolve until the average person routinely lives 100 years or more

Better Medicine and Nutrition

Animals often evolve larger size over time; it’s a trend seen in <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/113/13/3447">tyrannosaurs</a>, whales, <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/paleobiology/article/abs/fossil-horses-from-eohippus-hyracotherium-to-equus-scaling-copes-law-and-the-evolution-of-body-size/9965A8A02408FBECB70D012A54930EA2">horses</a> and primates– including hominins.Early hominins e.g. <a href="https://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-fossils/species/homo-habilis">Homo habilis </a>were small, four to five feet tall.Later hominins e.g. <a href="https://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-fossils/species/homo-erectus">Homo erectus</a> grew taller. Why we got big is unclear- it is partly driven by improved nutrition, but <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2015.0211">genes seem to be evolving too </a>.In part, <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/667694">mortality may drive size evolutio</a>n; growth takes time, so longer lives mean more time to grow. But human females also <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/35003107">prefer</a> <a href="https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/sbp/sbp/1996/00000024/00000002/art00005">tall males </a>. So both lower mortality and sexual preferences will likely cause humans to get taller.

III. Size, and strength

As we’ve grown taller, we’ve become more gracile.Over the past 2 million years, our skeletons became more lightly built as we relied less on brute force, and more on tools and weapons.As farming forced us to settle down, our lives became more sedentary, so our bone density decreased.Modern jobs increasingly require working with people, words and code – they take brains, not muscle.We spend more time behind desks, keyboards and steering wheels, and so these trends will likely continue.

More Gracile Structure

Our ancestors had to slaughter antelopes and dig roots; later they tilled and reaped in the fields. For manual laborers e.g. farmers, fisherman, lumberjacks – machinery such as tractors, hydraulics and chainsaws now shoulder a lot of the work.As physical strength becomes less necessary, our muscles will keep shrinking.

Change in Physical Labour

Our jaws and teeth also got smaller.Early, plant-eating hominins had huge molars and mandibles for grinding fibrous vegetables.As we shifted to meat, then started cooking food, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature16972">jaws and teeth shrank</a>.Modern processed food, e.g. chicken nuggets, Big Macs, and cookie dough ice cream, needs even less chewing, so jaws will keep shrinking, and we’ll likely lose our wisdom teeth.

Jaws and Teeth

After people left Africa 100,000 years ago, humanity’s far-flung tribes became isolated by deserts, oceans, mountains, glaciers and sheer distance.In various parts of the world, different selective pressures – different climates, lifestyles and beauty standards – caused our appearance to evolve in different ways. Tribes evolved distinctive skin colour, eyes, hair and facial features.

IV. Beauty

With civilisation’s rise and new technologies, these populations were linked again.Wars of conquest, empire building, colonisation and trade – including trade of other humans – all shifted populations, which interbred. Today, road, rail and aircraft link us too.Bushmen would walk 40 miles to find a partner; we’ll go 4,000 miles.We’re increasingly one, worldwide population – freely mixing. That will create a world of hybrids – light brown skinned, dark-haired, Afro-Euro-Australo-Americo-Asians, their skin colour and facial features tending toward a global average.

A World of Hybrids

Sexual selection will further accelerate the evolution of our appearance.With most forms of natural selection no longer operating, mate choice will play a larger role.Humans might become more attractive, but more uniform in appearance. Globalised media may also create more uniform standards of beauty, pushing all humans towards a single ideal.Sex differences, however, could be exaggerated if the ideal is masculine-looking men and feminine-looking women.

More Attractive, Uniform Humans

Last, our brains and minds, our most distinctively human feature, will evolve, perhaps dramatically.Over the past 6 million years, hominin <a href="https://humanorigins.si.edu/human-characteristics/brains">brain size roughly tripled</a>, suggesting selection for big brains driven by tool use, complex societies and language.It might seem inevitable that this trend will continue, but it probably won’t.Instead, <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2021.742639/full">our brains are getting smaller</a>. In Europe, brain size peaked <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/41464021">10,000—20,000 years ago, just before we invented farming</a>. Then, brains got smaller.Modern humans have brains smaller than our ancient predecessors, or even medieval people. It’s unclear why.

V. Intelligence 

It could be that fat and protein were scarce once we moved to farming, making it more costly to grow and maintain large brains. Brains are also energetically expensive by burning ~20% of our daily calories.In agricultural tribes with frequent famine, a big brain may be a liability. Maybe hunter life was demanding in ways farming isn’t; in civilisation, you don’t need to outwit lions, etc.Making and using bows and spears also requires fine motor control, coordination, the ability to track animals ; maybe the parts of our brains used for those things got smaller when we stopped hunting.

Why Brain Size Has Decreased?

Or maybe living in a large society of specialists demands less brainpower than living in a tribe of generalists.Stone-age people mastered many skills – hunting, tracking, foraging for plants, making herbal medicines and poisons, crafting tools, waging war, making music and magic.Modern humans perform fewer, more specialised roles as part of vast social networks, exploiting division of labour. In a civilisation, we specialise on a trade, <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3300">then rely on others for everything else</a>.

Specialists Demand Less Skills and Brainpower

No: <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnana.2014.00046/full">elephants</a> and <a href="https://phys.org/news/2010-03-smart-killer-whales-orcas-2nd-biggest.html">orcas</a> have bigger brains than us, and Einstein’s brain was <a href="https://phys.org/news/2005-01-einsteins-brain.html">smaller than average</a>.Neanderthals had brains comparable to ours, but <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2013.0168">more of the brain was devoted to sight and control of the body</a>, suggesting less capacity for things like language and tool use.So how much the loss of brain mass affects overall intelligence is unclear. Maybe we lost certain abilities, while enhancing others that are more relevant to modern life.It’s possible that we’ve maintained processing power by having fewer, smaller neurons. Still, I worry about what that missing 10% of my grey matter did.

Is Brain Size Everything?

Curiously, domestic animals also <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/23264664">evolved smaller brains </a>. Sheep lost 24% of their brain mass after domestication; for cows, it’s 26%; dogs, 30%.This raises an unsettling possibility. Maybe being more willing to passively go with the flow, even thinking less like a domesticated animal, has been bred into us, like it was for them.

Linking Brain Size to Domesticated Animals...

Changing social patterns will change personalities.Humans live in much larger groups than other apes, but in today’s world people living in vast cities of millions.In the past, our relationships were necessarily few, and often lifelong, but now we inhabit seas of people, moving often for work, and in the process forming thousands of relationships, many fleeting and, increasingly, virtual.This world will push us to become more outgoing, open and tolerant.Yet, navigating such vast social networks may also require we become more willing to adapt ourselves to them – to be more conformist.

VI. Personality

Perhaps because of this, increasing numbers of people suffer from psychological issues such as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/06/health/lonliness-aging-health-effects.html">loneliness</a>, anxiety and depression. Many turn to alcohol and other substances to cope.Selection against vulnerability to these conditions might improve our mental health, and make us happier as a species.But that could come at a price. Many great geniuses had their demons; leaders like Abraham Lincoln fought with depression, as did scientists such as Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. Some, like Vincent Van Gogh, took their own lives. Others, like Jimi Hendrix, were destroyed by substance abuse.

Social Patterns and Mental Health

A disturbing thought is that troubled minds will be removed from the gene pool – but potentially at the cost of eliminating the sort of spark that created visionary leaders, great writers, artists and musicians.Future humans might be better adjusted – but less fun to party with and less likely to launch a scientific revolution — stable, happy and boring.

There were once <a href="https://theconversation.com/were-other-humans-the-first-victims-of-the-sixth-mass-extinction-126638">nine human species</a>, now it’s just us. But could new human species evolve?For that to happen, we’d need isolated populations subject to distinct selective pressures. Distance no longer isolates us, but reproductive isolation could theoretically be achieved by selective mating.If people were culturally segregated – marrying based on religion, class, caste, or even politics – distinct populations, even species, might evolve.

VII. New species?

In the past, religion and lifestyle have sometimes produced genetically distinct groups, as seen in for example in the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3032072">Jewish </a>and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC31389">Gypsy </a>populations.Today, politics also divides us; but could it divide us genetically? Liberals now move to be near other liberals, and <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0225405">conservatives to be near conservatives</a>; many on the left <a href="https://time.com/5896607/dating-political-ideology/">won’t date Trump supporters</a> and vice versa.Could this create two species, with instinctively different views? Probably not. Still, to the extent culture divides us, it could drive evolution in different ways.

It has partially happened already...

So far, I’ve mostly taken a historical perspective, looking back. But in some ways, the future might be radically unlike the past. Evolution itself has evolvedOne of the more extreme possibilities is directed evolution, where we actively control our species’ evolutionWe already breed ourselves when we choose partners with appearances and personalities we like. For thousands of years, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3083418/">hunters arranged marriages</a> to seek good hunters for their daughters, or grooms at least were generally <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12110-004-1014-8">expected to seek approval</a>Similar traditions survive elsewhere today- In other words, we breed our own children

VIII. Strange new possibilities

Going forward, we’ll do this with far more knowledge of what we’re doing and more control over the genes of our descendants.We can already screen ourselves and <a href="https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/embryo-screening-and-the-ethics-of-human-60561/#:%7E:text=Also%20known%20as%20embryo%20screening,forced%20to%20make%20the%20difficult">embryos for genetic diseases</a>.We could potentially choose embryos for desirable genes, as we do with crops.Direct editing of the DNA of a human embryo has been <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-00673-1">proven to be possible </a> — but seems morally abhorrent, effectively turning children into subjects of medical experimentation.And yet, if such technologies were proven safe, I could imagine a future where you’d be a bad parent not  to give your children the best genes possible.

Altering Our Children's Genome

Discussions of human evolution are usually backward looking, as if the greatest triumphs and challenges were in the distant past.But as technology and culture enter a period of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sapiens-Humankind-Yuval-Noah-Harari-ebook/dp/B00ICN066A/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2QHPQXXL0YKXN&keywords=sapiens&qid=1645456786&sprefix=sapiens%2Caps%2C124&sr=8-1">accelerating change</a>, our genes will too.Arguably, the most interesting parts of evolution aren’t life’s origins, dinosaurs, or Neanderthals, but what’s happening right now, our present – and our future.

Conclusion

This has been one of my most favourite long-reads yet! As an A-Level biology student, I really resonated with the explanations and was able to understand how different aspects, some surprising, can possibly tie in to our development as a whole. It is a big question that surprisingly isn't asked enough- instead of our lifestyles, how will we change in the future?

Arguably, the most interesting parts of evolution aren’t dinosaurs or Neanderthals, but what’s happening right now – and our future.

My stuff

Future evolution: from looks to brains and personality, how will humans change in the next 10,000 years?

The most obvious effect can be seen in the ocean tides. The Earth's rotation causes the Moon's gravity to pull the water on the closest side of Earth towards it, creating a bulge. The centrifugal force caused by the Earth's rotation makes the sea bulge on the other side too. These bulges of water are high tides. Every 18.6 years, there is a lunar nodal cycle, where the lunar plane tilts away from the equatorial plane, causing tides to grow smaller. When the Moon's orbit is more in line with the Earth equator, the tides are bigger.

The Moon affects the Earth's climate

According to Nasa, the rising sea levels combined with the influence of the nodal cycle can increase the number of high tide floods in the 2030s. These floods could damage infrastructure and change coastlines. In addition, it could be an existential threat to wildlife in coastal ecosystems.

Excessive flooding pose a danger

Tides influence the movement of ocean currents. Warm ocean currents bring warmer, wetter weather, while cold currents bring colder, drier weather. The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (Enso) may be affected by the lunar nodal cycle too. Usually, strong winds along the equator blow warm surface water westward from South America towards Indonesia. During an El Niño event, these winds are reduced or even reversed and can affect weather worldwide. Usually, wet regions may experience drought, while dry areas may experience rain. A La Niña event will have the opposite effect.

The Moon play a role in weather systems

<ul><li>The Moon affects polar temperatures on a monthly cycle. Satellite measurements have shown that poles are 0.55C warmer during a full Moon.</li><li>The Moon creates tidal currents and waves in the ocean that can either melt or break up sea ice.</li><li>Atmospheric tides cause changes in atmospheric pressure. These changes are linked with higher air temperatures, which means the air molecules can hold more moisture.</li></ul>

The Moons effect on ice, land and air

For generations, people have watched the Moon for signs of changes in the weather. The Moon does, in fact, affect the Earth's weather patterns in subtle ways.

Stashed ideas

The subtle influence of the Moon on Earth's weather

Most of damage to our environment stems frome consumption : what we consume,how much we consume and how often

12 Ways You Can Protect The Environment 

Curbing consumption can have a huge impact on the environment. The three "R's"—reduce, reuse and recycle— get a lot of attention, but the planet could benefit from some focus on the most important and most underrepresented "R": refuse.When you refuse, you say "no," which is not always easy. Freebies at events, cheap goods on clearance, the hot new children's toys or the latest gadgets that promise to make your life better—none of these are essential. And they almost always end up either in the trash or forgotten in the back of a closet.

1.Consume Less

Next time you’re tempted to purchase or accept a non-essential item, think about whether it would truly improve your life. If not, it's ok to just say, "No, thanks!"Bonu: Refusing to allow unneeded items into your life can save you money and reduce the amount of clutter in your home.

Another“R”that doesn’t get much attention but has important environmental implications is rot. As in,let your food and yard waste rot naturally in the soil instead of sending it to the landfill. In other words: compost.Composting your food scraps and yard waste offers double rewards:it keeps an incredible amount of trash out of the waste stream, and it produces free,rich soil to use in your garden. Some cities now pick up organic waste alongside regular trash and recycling pick up. If your area doesn’t offer this service,no worries-you can set up a low-maintenance compost pile in your backyard

2.Compost

Think about how many people you see each day drinking beverages from disposable cups or disposable bottles, sipping from disposable straws, carrying disposable grocery bags, eating from disposable plates or containers and using disposable utensils. All that single-use plastic has to go somewhere, and it’s had a devastating effect on our soil, oceans and marine life.

3.Choose reusable over single-use

All of the above items (and more) have more environmentally responsible counterparts. Switch to reusable items and make a commitment to use them as often as possible. You’ll have less trash piling up at your curb, and you’ll be helping to protect the environment in a major way.

Get creative with your useless or unwanted items by upcycling—basically, turning trash into treasure. Creating something new such as artwork, toys or jewelry is both satisfying and one of the best ways to protect the environment. Not only does it keep items out of the trash, it can prevent having to purchase new items, which require lots of resources to produce. Children love making things; so instead of heading to the craft store, check out your recycle bin first and let their imaginations soar!

4.Upcycle more.

If you can’t refuse it…and you can’t rot it…and you can’t reduce it…and you can’t upcycle or reuse it…then it’s time to turn to the final “R”—recycling. Educate yourself on what can and cannot be recycled in your bins at home. Throwing the wrong items in the recycle bin can result in an entire load being rejected, which means … back to the landfill.You can also easily find out how to recycle special items such as electronics, batteries and appliances. Check with your local municipality for drop-off sites, and make an effort to get your items to the proper disposal sites.

5.Recycle properly.

Did you know it takes over 700 gallons of water to grow enough cotton to make just one plain t-shirt?Instead of heading to the mall to buy new clothes, consider looking first in a thrift store or vintage shop, or trading clothes with friends. You can breathe new life into your wardrobe without wasting the precious resources needed to produce new clothing.Shopping secondhand also applies for many other categories of consumer goods: children’s games and toys, shoes, appliances, furniture, cars and more.

6.Shop Secondhand.

While we’re on the topic of shopping, it’s important to think about the path your stuff takes just to get to you. All that packaging, combined with the fuel needed for delivery, really takes a toll on the environment. Instead, check out your local farmers market for fresh, package-free food; try eating at a farm-to-table restaurant; and buy from local artists, clothing makers, and retailers before you click for that two-day shipping.

7.Buy local

Want to protect the environment? Use fewer harmful chemicals and you’ll be on the right track. It’s hard to be sure about the long-term negative effects chemicals can have, both on our bodies and on the planet, so it’s best to avoid them if possible. Opt for chemical-free lawn and garden care; all-natural beauty and hygiene items; natural household cleaners; and organic food. The Earth will thank you!

8.Use fewer chemicals

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a typical passenger vehicle emits about 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year.1 Any amount of that we can cut back on will help. For short trips, try walking or biking—you’ll also get a healthy dose of exercise in, without setting foot in a gym. If travelling on foot or two wheels isn’t feasible, try carpooling with a friend, neighbor or coworker to a mutual destination. And if all else fails and you need to drive your car, line up errands in the most efficient route to save time and miles driven.

9.Walk, bike or carpool

Conserving water at home is one of the easiest ways to protect the environment. Think of all the times you consume water, both inside and outside your home; then, make adjustments as you can. For example:*Turn off the tap while you brush your teeth.*Fix leaky faucets.*Make your water use more efficient by aerating faucets, using sprinklers that reduce runoff and installing low-flow toilets and efficient shower heads.

10.Use less water

*Collect and use rainwater for watering plants.*Shorten your shower by a few minutes—or skip it altogether if you don't really need one that day.*Only run your dishwasher or washing machine when it's fullUse less waterThese are just the basics—you can get really creative when it comes to conserving water.

The positive thing about being a consumer is that we have the power to choose where we spend our hard-earned dollars. Think of your money as your voice and your vote for a cleaner planet. Spend it wisely on goods, services and experiences that leave a smaller carbon footprint. Choose to do business with companies that support sustainability efforts, utilize renewable energy sources and walk the walk when it comes to protecting the environment.

11.Use your purchasing power for good

Money talks—if enough people use their purchasing power for the good of the Earth, it will create a demand for sustainable practices. Businesses will either have to comply … or be left behind.

As you can guess, we’re quite fond of this method of protecting the environment! Anytime you can use less electricity, it’s a win for the planet. Try some of these quick ways to conserve energy around your home:*Trade incandescent bulbs for more energy-efficient CFLs or LEDs.*Use smart power strips, which turn off the power to electronics when they’re not being used. (Or, simply unplug power cords from the wall when items aren’t in use.)*Use a programmable or smart thermostat.

12.Conserve electricity

*Maintain your heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system.*When it’s time to buy a new appliance, choose an Energy Star-certified model.*Seal air leaks around doors and windows.*Make sure your home is properly insulated to the recommended level of heat resistance (“R-value”) for where you live.*Use ceiling fans to circulate warm air in the winter and cold air in the summer.

Protect the environment with renewable energy & these other helpful tips to protect the planet and keep it green and healthy for years and generations to come.

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12 Ways You Can Protect the Environment

A large asteroid struck our planet and killed dinosaurs about 66 million years ago, according to archaeological studies. 
This theory is widely accepted, but new research shows that the dinosaur population and the various species were in a state of steep decline many million years before the asteroid hit Mexico.

The Fate Of The Dinosaurs

<ul><li>Crocodiles are lizards are ectothermic(cold-blooded) animals.</li><li>Humans and birds are endothermic(warm-blooded).</li><li>Dinosaurs are somewhere in between these two and are classified as mesothermal.</li></ul>Dinosaurs needed a warm climate to survive, and any sharp temperature decrease could have been fatal for them. Changes in vegetation and climatic deterioration could also be factors in the eventual decline of the dinosaur, paving the way for primates and humans.

Dinosaurs: Mammals Or Reptiles

The arrival of a cataclysmic asteroid strike helped quicken the end of the dinosaurs. But might they have been on the decline anyway?

Geologic time scale - Wikipedia

Future evolution: from looks to brains and personality, how will humans change in the next 10,000 years?

The subtle influence of the Moon on Earth's weather

12 Ways You Can Protect the Environment

Were dinosaurs doomed before the asteroid hit?

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