Senior Project Advisor
James Cooper
Document Type
Project
Publication Date
Spring 2023
Keywords
Biology, Speculative Biology, Animals, Plants, Organisms, The Future, Evolution, Naturalist Journal, Scientific Illustration, Taxonomy, Morphology and Behavior, Etymology, Creative Writing
Abstract
Speculative Biology is the practice of examining hypothetical scenarios about the potential evolution of life. This project explores one such perspective timeline, utilizing scientific illustration, scientific information, and creative writing to estimate what the organisms of Earth might look like 250 million years into the future. Basic parameters were established, examining our current knowledge about geology and the environment to determine how the Earth itself might look. This included examining factors such as tectonic movement, adjusted ocean currents, and planetary heat cycles. Then, I studied mass extinctions and the animals which survived them, creating a baseline of ancestors the future organisms would be descended from. From these ancestral modern organisms, I derived 18 new organisms, divided equally into 6 different lowland habitat types. I assigned these organisms taxonomic ranks, etymological information, behavioral habits, and morphological traits. The information was compiled in the format and style of an old 1800s naturalist journal, from the perspective of an intelligent alien source.
Department
Biology
Recommended Citation
Ruf, Aidyn, "The Foreign Earth: An Exercise in Speculative Biology" (2023). WWU Honors College Senior Projects. 679.
https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwu_honors/679
Type
Text
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.
Language
English
Format
application/pdf