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I was wondering, what, if anything could survive a full scale nuclear war? I keep hearing that only cockroaches could survive, but what about anything else? How would it affect Earth (or any other habitable planet) in the long run (in the scale of thousands to millions of years)? And how would it affect the species waging the nuclear war?

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john Van Vliet wrote:

I was wondering, what, if anything could survive a full scale nuclear war?

scorpions , as I recall a live one was found under the "glass" at the "trinity " site

the Cockroach would and so would most insects

ME however . once the sirens go off i will be taking a bag of unpopped microwave popcorn and a lawn chair to the roof . Put on a pair of sunglasses and wait for the corn to pop .Then eat it for as long as i can .

dose this question have anything with the moving of the doomsday clock's hand ( 6min to midnight is it )

No. I simply recalled reading the history of a planet in either Orion's arm or Arcbuilders, where a global conflict "escalated to the nuclear scale three times," setting society back technologically each time.

The doomsday clock still exists? Why did the hand move?

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PlutonianEmpire wrote:I was wondering, what, if anything could survive a full scale nuclear war? I keep hearing that only cockroaches could survive, but what about anything else? How would it affect Earth (or any other habitable planet) in the long run (in the scale of thousands to millions of years)? And how would it affect the species waging the nuclear war?

Contrary to popular notions, a full-scale nuclear war would not be an Extinction-Level Event. Even if the deaths resulting from the secondary effects of a global thermonuclear exchange are included, the survivors would number about half of the pre-war global population. For an admittedly speculative (but well-documented) worst-case scenario, you might want to peruse the following:

http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/nuclear ... rwar1.html

Even though such a conflict is "survivable" with respect to the warring species as a whole, the survivors would have a tough time in the first few decades after the war (which might, to paraphrase the late Dr. Carl Sagan, last the length of a lazy summer afternoon). A less-than-glorious time is guaranteed for all.

Radtech

Damn censorship!If we can?t talk anything we want in this part of the forum,what?s the use of this?

Gentle folk,

Please remember that political commentary is not acceptable on the Celestia forum.

Deniel, please remove all such comments from your posts.
I would not like to have to apply sanctions.

PlutonianEmpire wrote:No. I simply recalled reading the history of a planet in either Orion's arm or Arcbuilders, where a global conflict "escalated to the nuclear scale three times," setting society back technologically each time.

That reminds me of the theme of Walter R. Miller's classic science fiction novel - A Canticle for Leibowitz . . .