A little more about The Next Species: The Future of Evolution in the Aftermath of Man, Michael Tennesen’s new book about the end of us. In a episode of The Point of Interest podcast hosted by Lindsay Beyerstein, the environmental journalist says this near the show’s end:

What we’ve created is the false promise that we don’t need the environment anymore, we’ve come to the conclusion that we don’t need nature anymore, that these ecosystem services are not critical. That’s basically what’s happening. And as we lose these species and they disappear, we learn the importance of them, how disease spreads…We’re getting into a world that’s a depauperate world…We have an inflated ego of who we are, and we think we’re going to last forever. Homo sapiens has a limited lifespan, and we should try to coexist and try to stop thinking we’re the be all and end all and that we’re the dominant member of the natural society and start playing a part of that society. Maybe we could last longer and enjoy it more.• Listen here.