Could mankind destroy all natural life if they tried?

Question

even if they made the most concentrated and valiant effort they couldn't burn every living bacteria, which would, given a billion years return a myriad of life to the earth due to the fertile synchronization of the earth with the sun.

Answer 1

No way, at least not yet. Who knows what types of weapons mankind will invent in the future.

Answer 2

No.  There are plenty of environment that Humans can't reach.  The Late Stephan J. Gould estimated that there are more bacteria and they make up more biomass than all other living things combined.

We would make the earth uninhabitable for us long before we would make any serious inroads into bacteria diversity.

wl

Answer 3

DUH...We're doing it anyway without even trying!

The over-population of humans on earth, requires an exponential amount of natural resources to be consumed!

Later, the earth will heat up, resulting in a landscape similar to Mars...Devoid of even any microbiological life!

Answer 4

Probably not. Some microbes and insects could probably handle a nuclear holocaust plus whatever else you could throw at them.

Answer 5

yeah but by then the sun will be burned out and earth would be swallowed up in the blast. this could happen. ever watch terminator?

Answer 6

NO

Answer 7

No it is not within our power. What a vain and arrogant race we must be to suppose we could destroy some thing we had no part in creating. The Destruction of the earth will be accomplished by a being greater than you can imagine.

Answer 8

There are microbes on this planet that can survive in volcanoes or the depths of outer space, so currently I would say we're incapable, but give us time...