Charles Darwin's Experiment - in Terraforming

[Malthus]

Literally!

Charles Darwin's ecological experiment on Ascension isle

In effect, what Darwin, Hooker and the Royal Navy achieved was the world’s first experiment in “terra-forming”. They created a self-sustaining and self-reproducing ecosystem in order to make Ascension Island more habitable.

To my mind, this is beyond bizzare.

[garygnu]

A fascinating article, read it via reddit.

BUT

Hooker should get more of the credit; Darwin got the headline because he’s famous. Also, humans have been terraforming this planet to suit their own needs for thousands of years. It’s not like this was unprecedented.

[Malthus]

@garygnu

A fascinating article, read it via reddit.

BUT

Hooker should get more of the credit; Darwin got the headline because he’s famous. Also, humans have been terraforming this planet to suit their own needs for thousands of years. It’s not like this was unprecedented.

Certainly, Darwin’s the attention-grabber. Seems he merely made the suggestion and Hooker (and the navy) did all the work.

We’ve been terraforming since forever - this appears to be the first deliberate attempt to do so, purely for the sake of experiment, from scratch.

[Ogre]

Siiiigh. Terraforming schmerraforming. All we have really done with Ascension is nearly destroy its native flora. And yes, Ascension had a lot of native flora, some of which was found nowhere else on the face of the earth. Now all of it is dramatically reduced in range, and is in imminent danger of extinction.

And this:

“It’s a terrible waste that no one is studying it,” remarked Wilkinson at the end of the interview.

Ascension Island’s secret is safe for years to come, it seems."

…is poppycock. Ascension is just another natural landscape ruined by invasive species. It’s well-documented, and has been for decades.

[Malthus]

@Ogre

Siiiigh. Terraforming schmerraforming. All we have really done with Ascension is nearly destroy its native flora. And yes, Ascension had a lot of native flora, some of which was found nowhere else on the face of the earth. Now all of it is dramatically reduced in range, and is in imminent danger of extinction.

And this:

“It’s a terrible waste that no one is studying it,” remarked Wilkinson at the end of the interview.

Ascension Island’s secret is safe for years to come, it seems."

…is poppycock. Ascension is just another natural landscape ruined by invasive species. It’s well-documented, and has been for decades.

Granted everything you say is true, that the outcome has been to wipe out indigenous flora - how is it not an experiment in terraforming?

[Ogre]

@Malthus

@Ogre

Siiiigh. Terraforming schmerraforming. All we have really done with Ascension is nearly destroy its native flora. And yes, Ascension had a lot of native flora, some of which was found nowhere else on the face of the earth. Now all of it is dramatically reduced in range, and is in imminent danger of extinction.

And this:

…is poppycock. Ascension is just another natural landscape ruined by invasive species. It’s well-documented, and has been for decades.

Granted everything you say is true, that the outcome has been to wipe out indigenous flora - how is it not an experiment in terraforming?

It may be. I’m not saying otherwise. I’m saying that it’s 1) not a good thing, 2) is not necessarily applicable to, say, Mars, and 3) that the “boo hoo, it’s not being studied” contention is misleading.

[Malthus]

@Ogre

It may be. I’m not saying otherwise. I’m saying that it’s 1) not a good thing, 2) is not necessarily applicable to, say, Mars, and 3) that the “boo hoo, it’s not being studied” contention is misleading.

It may not be a good thing for the flora of Ascension - but it may at least be an interesting thing, in terms of the outcome of the attempt to deliberately fiddle with that flora.

As to whether it’s being studied of not, of couse I can’t say, as I know nothing about it - I suspect that, like many persons riding a pet project, it isn’t being studied enough for the liking of the persons interviewed!