If the Sun died, how long would it take for humans (and other living things) on earth to die out?

I'm going to Kepler 22b. Who's with me!

Humans wouldn't die out, and neither would most species of animals because their DNA would be preserved in ice.

Small bands of intelligent humans, basically white people and a few asians, led by men, would rebuild communities that ran on coal/nuclear power.

Food, vitamins, clean air and water all would be provided for from laboratories powered by nuclear, coal, natural gas, and geothermal energy.

The world would be a cold, mostly dark crappy place.

Humans had this technology back in the 50's and 60's. The result would have been the same, in several generations we'd launch space ships to other stars with settlers and animals. Well some humans.

One way to think about how to answer this question is to consider what life is like on the space shuttle.

They don't need plants to breathe, they can convert CO2 to O2 on their own.

They can heat the shuttle as long as it has power. Spacewalks are technologically challenging but not impossible.

I think we could make a number of large domed colonies. Buckminster Fuller had the idea a while ago -- these things are pretty heating efficient because one large dome has less surface area than a large number of smaller structures:

http://cache.wists.com/thumbnails/5/86/586be035e031f1d6fb1a2721321a9517-orig

I think the biggest long-problem would be maintaining a stable food source. Obviously we'd stick to a mostly vegetarian diet (grown with artificial light). The problem would be maintaining genetic diversity with a smaller number of crops and bees and birds to pollinate things. Diseases could much more easily wipe out entire crops (google banana diseases if you'd like to read up on current issues).

Another problem would be clean drinking water. The world's oceans and rivers will be frozen, so it won't be easy to transport new water to the colonies. We already have some great filtration systems, but how can we prevent water from running off into the ground?

Dr. James Thiutus wrote:

the majority of life would enjoy only a brief post-sun existence.

They would not enjoy it. They may survive, but definitely not enjoy it.

I hope the sun doesn't die. I like the sun. It makes me happy and warm. I like it on my face and I like to kill ants with a magnifying glass. Could I still do that if the sun died?

Living things would very quickly die out, but the stupidity on this thread would endure forever.

If the sun died off, human beings would dig deep down into the earth using a drill similar to the one in the movie "the core". At the depths of the earth's crust we would form a new, single nation called "zion". There we would live for many thousands of years, slowly losing both our hair and pigmentation of our skin. We would end up looking very much like the mole people in the movie "the descent". Eventually, we would create machines that would travel out into the freezing temperatures of the outside world and dig up ice from the frozen lakes in order to help our water supply. These machines will eventually develop self consciousness and begin an assault on all of molemanity, resulting in our extinction. One man, however, will manage to survive and through a series of complicated, painful, self inflicted surgeries, he will link his mind with the vast computer network that runs the city. No longer in need of a body, this mole-cyborg will hack into the city's robot manufacturing plant to build new robots programed to wipe out the old machines. Then, using the DNA from his now useless human body, the cyborg will clone millions of human beings and build ships for them to ride to other planets. In short, humanity would never die, so the OP's question is fvcking stupid.

Since you sound real smart;... How would children/adults absord vitamin D? Could this be accomplished with artificial light? Would there be any earthqaukes associated with no more atmoshphere? How about gravity, would the earth be mostly under water, then ice after it froze? I imagine you could find frozen fish and shrimp or steak and after dethawing would make a nice meal?

(Of course our orbit would be screwed if the Sun was gone and we would be screwed anyhow.)

Thank you

Titan wrote:

Since you sound real smart;... How would children/adults absord vitamin D? Could this be accomplished with artificial light? Would there be any earthqaukes associated with no more atmoshphere? How about gravity, would the earth be mostly under water, then ice after it froze? I imagine you could find frozen fish and shrimp or steak and after dethawing would make a nice meal?

(Of course our orbit would be screwed if the Sun was gone and we would be screwed anyhow.)

Thank you

This is one of the more remarkable trolling efforts that I have witnessed here on LRC. Notice the natural language use, the relentless stream of absurd reasoning all couched in a near perfect hillbilly flow of stupidity. It is almost enough to make one think that you believe what you write.

Very well done, sir! Kudos.

Dear I'm impressed

I really did think that guy sounded very smart (you are probly him/her) My questions were honest and real, except for the food part

chuck norris from total gym wrote:

It would take 8 minutes, thats how long it takes sunlight/ heat from the sun to hit the earth you retarded f*%ks.

You mad, bro?

-cr wrote:

and we'd spend our last moments listening to nut jobs say the changing climate was our fault

They would be drowned out by the nutjobs who would still see God in the misfortune somehow.

If people were organized into a dome food would be no issue. Greater than 6 billion people would be dead from the cold and frozen in deep freeze, plenty of food for the survivors.