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In 2007, journalist Alan Weisman published The World Without Us. It was an international bestseller. The book tries to answer what is ultimately a simple question: What happens to the Earth if human beings disappear? Here's how Weisman puts it in the book: "Say a Homo sapiens-specific virus -- natural or diabolically nano-engineered -- picks us off but leaves everything else intact." Then what?

And over these last few months, we've gotten maybe a fraction of a percentage point there. Temporarily. Maybe not directly because of coronavirus, but indirectly because of our absence and scarceness due to stay-at-home orders and the like. And so... then what?

Well, goats "took over" a town in Wales. Wild boar "invaded" a town near Barcelona. Salamanders "own the road" in Maine. And the air got cleaner and the night sky got clearer.

And so it follows: Now what?

GUESTS:
Beth Gardiner - Author of Choked: Life and Breath in the Age of Air Pollution
Brandon Keim - A freelance journalist specializing in animals, nature, and science
Alan Weisman - The author of six books including The World Without Us

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.

In 2007, journalist Alan Weisman published&nbsp;The World Without Us. It was an international bestseller. The book tries to answer what is ultimately a simple question: What happens to the Earth if human beings disappear? Here's how Weisman puts it in the book: "Say a&nbsp;Homo sapiens-specific virus -- natural or diabolically nano-engineered -- picks us off but leaves everything else intact." Then what?
And over these last few months, we've gotten maybe a fraction of a percentage point there. Temporarily. Maybe not directly because of coronavirus, but indirectly because of our absence and scarceness due to stay-at-home orders and the like. And so... then what?
Well, goats "<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/video/2020/mar/31/goats-take-over-empty-welsh-streets-llandudno-coronavirus-lockdown-video">took over</a>" a town in Wales. Wild boar "<a href="https://news.yahoo.com/wild-boars-descend-upon-locked-180527666.html">invaded</a>" a town near Barcelona. Salamanders "<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/18/science/salamanders-amphibians-wildlife-migration.html">own the road</a>" in Maine. And&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/04/pollution-made-the-pandemic-worse-but-lockdowns-clean-the-sky/">the air got cleaner</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news/does-coronavirus-lockdown-mean-clearer-skies-for-astronomers/">the night sky got clearer</a>.
And so it follows: Now what?
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>Beth Gardiner&nbsp;- Author of&nbsp;Choked: Life and Breath in the Age of Air Pollution</li>
<li>Brandon Keim&nbsp;- A freelance journalist specializing in animals, nature, and science</li>
<li>Alan Weisman&nbsp;- The author of six books including&nbsp;The World Without Us</li>
</ul>
Join the conversation on&nbsp;<a href="https://facebook.com/ColinMcShow">Facebook</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/wnprcolin">Twitter</a>.
Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.

The Colin McEnroe Show is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called The Nose for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/the-colin-mcenroe-show/about">The Colin McEnroe Show</a> is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/tags/the-nose">The Nose</a> for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

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