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From: ajs@hpfcla.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: Re: Nuclear exchange. - (nf)
Message-ID: <2588@hp-pcd.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 28-Nov-83 03:04:21 EST
Article-I.D.: hp-pcd.2588
Posted: Mon Nov 28 03:04:21 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 1-Dec-83 03:07:41 EST
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#R:shark:-12200:hpfcla:14800003:000:829
hpfcla!ajs    Nov 26 14:04:00 1983

Here's a crazy idea:  Maybe the dinosaurs did develop  intelligence  and
blew themselves to kingdom come with nuclear weapons.  How could we tell
the difference  between that and a large  meteorite  strike?  Both would
produce a lot of dust and haze,  both  would kill off a lot of  species,
and both  might  result in a  worldwide  deposition  of a thin  layer of
material containing unusual elements.

Enough time has passed to  completely  wipe out the traces of such a war
and  "replenish"  the  minerals  near  the  earth's  surface.  I know we
haven't  found any  artifacts,  but then,  would we expect to?  The time
needed  for a  nuclear  civilization  to  arise  is  vanishingly  small,
geologically.

A sobering  proposition:  If we kill  ourselves  off that way, what will
remain to tell the tale in 70 million years?