re: #82 Nojay UK

Harry Harrison’s “West of Eden” books posited a descendant species of the dinosaurs (no Chicxulub impactor 65 million years ago) which used purely biological engineering to maintain their civilisation for millions of years without resource extraction. A predecessor species like that would have left little in the way of a record in geological strata and possibly no record in the fossil history.

Perhaps but harnessing life for tools would seem so much harder than having a rock. The primitive forms of any such species would likely find early success using natural resources than trying to modify living organisms. That is, the efforts to modify a living organism to make it a tool would fall victim to a hard rock, or a bronze arrowhead. Living things are complex. A rock is simple.

Reversing entropy is hard enough for extractive processes of living organisms. Relying on life in order to survive would seem to be even harder and a less eficient use of the external energy hitting the planet.

But I guess it could happen ;-) If life is going to reverse entropy who knows what is possible.

Great series and looking for a good TV version. Deathworld is a favorite also (although the fourth season of The Expanse comes close.).