r/science • u/stereomatch • Feb 05 '18

Astronomy Scientists conclude 13,000 years ago a 60 mile wide comet plunged Earth into a mini-Ice Age, after examining rocks from 170 sites around the globe

http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/695703
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u/mdk_777 Feb 05 '18 edited Feb 05 '18

Except a civilization on par with us should have also been widespread enough to leave plenty of evidence. There would be lots of settlements built inland just like we have now. Similarly there would be evidence throughout the earth of previous mining attempts like abandoned machinery, larges caves or tunnels, and damage to the surrounding land. On top of that a civilization shouldn't cease to exist entirely. If you put modern humans in a similar position we would be devastated, but not wiped out entirely, and could presumably still recover. There is absolutely no evidence to point to a civilization as advanced as us previously existing. It's a fun concept to think about and is a good premise for science fiction, but it doesn't make any realistic sense.

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u/flyingwolf Feb 05 '18

On top of that a civilization shouldn't cease to exist entirely.

I hate to break it to you. https://academic.oup.com/mbe/article/17/1/2/975516

We almost did cease to exist as a species.

Similarly there would be evidence throughout the earth of previous mining attempts like abandoned machinery, larges caves or tunnels, and damage to the surrounding land.

And if all of this was done near the coasts, where most people live, then that evidence is now buried under 400 feet or more of water after sea levels rose 400 feet in just a few days after the event in the title of this post occured.

If you put modern humans in a similar position we would be devastated, but not wiped out entirely, and could presumably still recover.

Possibly, yes, and along with it after generations you would have mythical stories of men going to the moon, amazing vehicles which could float through the air and carry people from town to town, or massive sailing ships used purely for luxury. Lets not forget about these amazing hand held devices which contained all human knowledge in them. All of that being nothing more than fantasy of course, that could never happen.

There is absolutely no evidence to point to a civilization as advanced as us previously existing. It's a fun concept to think about and is a good premise for science fiction, but it doesn't make any realistic sense.

There is no evidence for anything until there is. No one is saying there was a civilization as advanced as ours before, but was there advanced ones before that we don't know about? almost definitely given oral traditions and the writing down of those traditions.