Science Project on the World Without Humans?

Question

For an extra credit assignment in my Chemistry class, I had to read a book called "The World Without Us" by Alan Weisman and essentially it's about what will happen to the planet if humans just randommly disappear, but everything is still here that we leave behind- such as plastics, buildings, bridges, etc.

I'm trying to figure out a project that would be a good reflection of the book. Because it's a science class, it'd be good if it could involve an experiment of some type. Making an experiment about a world we have no idea what'll be like is difficult, so I can't think of a good experiment.

You don't need to have the book to give me an answer. Things he focuses on are the deterioration of human objects such as buildings and infrastructure and how some things such as the chunnel will last a long time. He also talks about pollution in the ocean and how plastics in it will likely never biodegrade until microbes evolve to decompose it.

Please help! I appreciate it.

Answer 1

If there are any run-down areas in your area, you might look for old photos of them and take new photos of them as they appear today. Dates for the photos would be necessary and any indications of what happened. Town records might be able to help you with that. Most places have somthing like this. Old roads and abandoned buildings that noone has looked after in years. Itemizing what lives and grows there today would be a reasonable tack to take.

Experiments might include exposing sample materials to weathering conditions like dripping water, excess sunshine, gnawing mice, temperature extremes etc. Old bricks, planks of wood and chunks of concrete would be good materials as would papers of various sorts, fabrics, and some metal objects.

Answer 2

That's a great book, isn't it?  I was surprised to see that among the first things to disappear would be the streets and roads, then the skyscrapers.  Who'd have thought?  And things made of brass like statues will last the longest!

I don't know how much time you have, but it would be really cool if you could show some different materials, as they are when new, and after some exposure to the environment.