In last week’s post, concerning the next series of The Modest Proposal Institute, I mentioned the probability of non-carbon based life being the dominant fife form on Earth, had the conditions been only a little different. And how the traveller using a Probability Drive might encounter such an Earth with a large enough change in probability. Another possibility that has been used in books and movies is that of a dominant species in the past, like dinosaurs, evolving to be capable of what we would call ‘thought’, rather than just reacting to stimuli, had they avoided extinction. Asteroids pass by Earth all the time so the probability of one large enough to wipe out almost all existing life is pretty small but very possible.
Dinosaurs have been used in books and films but other possibilities are the mega-fauna that followed the extinction of the dinosaurs. I’m something of a fan of those giant creatures so an Earth where they still lived would be an interesting place for my probability traveler to visit. Similarly, the time before the age of the dinosaurs has plenty of possibilities too, though many of the creatures there look a lot like dinosaurs to everyone but an actual anatomist. Anyhow, if there are any lifeforms from the Earth’s past you particularly like, leave a comment and if I can make it happen, it will appear in one of the next series books.
While you’re waiting for the next series, be sure you’ve read all the first series, which you can find here.
