The day after us

How Earth would reset itself in 11 brutal steps

Image: Peter Herrmann

What if every human vanished right now? For the sake of this thought experiment, let’s assume that there was no big war, no virus—just poof, gone. Nature wouldn’t hesitate to reclaim what we built. From silent cities to nuclear disasters, the world would start changing immediately. Here’s what would actually happen, and how fast, if people disappeared from Earth.

Image: Andriy Nestruiev

Power plants need constant maintenance. Without humans, fossil fuel stations would shut down within just a few hours. Backup generators at nuclear and hydro plants might last a couple more days, but without human oversight, even they’d fail.

Eventually, power grids would collapse worldwide, and complete darkness would fall on cities within a day or two.

Image: Nenad Spasojevic

Pumps in underground transit systems like NYC’s run nonstop to keep out water. Without maintenance (and more importantly, power), those pumps would stop working in just a couple of days.

By the end of the first week, tunnels would begin flooding, damaging infrastructure, and washing out entire underground networks.

Image: Praswin Prakashan

Most domestic animals rely entirely on humans for food, water, and shelter. Dogs might form feral packs, but millions—especially indoor pets—would eventually die of starvation.

Livestock like cows and chickens would perish or become easy prey, disrupting rural food chains. However, within a few generations, some could revert to free-roaming behavior, similar to their wild ancestors.

Image: Lukáš Lehotský

Without humans, nuclear power plants would quickly become major hazards to all surviving life. Most reactors would automatically enter into safe mode and shut down within hours, as automated systems detect the loss of the electrical grid.

However, cooling systems require active maintenance. Within a short time, without intervention, reactor cores would begin to overheat. Multiple Fukushima-style meltdowns could occur, releasing radioactive material into the air, soil, and water across entire regions.

Image: Juan Manuel Núñez Méndez

Salt, moisture, and wind would destroy most human-made bridges within decades. Without protective coatings, steel corrodes and load-bearing cables weaken over time.

Even iconic structures like the Golden Gate Bridge would likely collapse within 100 years. In contrast, ancient Roman structures and other archaeological remains that have already endured for millennia could survive for many centuries more, barring major seismic events or other natural disasters.

Image: Erik Mclean

Many animal populations would thrive without humans suppressing them. Species once hunted or crowded out would reclaim territory.

Wolves, bears, deer, and even predators like big cats could return to their former ranges, reshaping ecosystems quickly.

Image: Miikka Luotio

Plants would break through pavement and reclaim roadways within a few years—something nature wastes no time doing, as we can see in any abandoned roads or areas today.

Tree roots and erosion would be the first to crack and crumble concrete and asphalt. And without vehicles to maintain wear patterns, roads would soon disappear under grasses, shrubs, and eventually forest.

Image: Tejj

Like many human-made structures, dams require active monitoring to prevent erosion, cracking, and overflow. Within a few decades, silt buildup and unchecked water flow would cause many to breach or collapse.

The resulting floods would be catastrophic, reshaping river valleys and floodplains across entire continents.

Image: Nik

What would happen to our cultural legacy? Without us, it won’t last long. Books, paintings, and digital media would begin to degrade quickly.

Even in semi-protected conditions, paper would yellow and crumble. Museums without climate control would suffer from mold and temperature damage. Hard drives and servers would corrode and become unreadable within decades.

Image: Cédric Dhaenens

Despite the chaos our disappearance would bring to most ecosystems, there’s a silver lining: greenhouse gases would decline over time, gradually cooling the planet. Oceans and plants would absorb the excess CO₂.

Within a few hundred years, global temperatures could return to pre-industrial levels, though damage like ice sheet loss would take millennia to undo.

Image: jean wimmerlin

Most recognizable evidence of human civilization would vanish over a few thousand years. Materials like plastic, glass, and some metals might persist for over 500,000 years, but nature would slowly break them down.

Concrete crumbles, buildings collapse, and corrosion eats metal. After 10,000 years, only massive stone structures like Mount Rushmore or the Pyramids might remain—weathered and barely recognizable. Even our radio signals would eventually fade into cosmic background noise.

VENTURE BEYOND THE MICROWAVE

"To broil or not to broil": 10 cooking verbs and their meanings

Image: Annie Spratt

From the ancient technique of holding a food item with a stick over an open flame to the intricate ways of modern cuisine, the art of cooking has many forms. And while some of us are happy sticking to a couple of those techniques, the most experienced or adventurous cooks can use a whole lot more of these methods for their preparations. Take a look at some of the most used cooking methods and see which ones you use!

Image: Nima Naseri

If you have ever eaten poached eggs, then you know what we are talking about. Poaching is a gentle cooking method that submerges food in hot liquid between 140 and 180 degrees Fahrenheit. The low heat works well for delicate items, preserving moisture and flavor without needing fat or oil.

Poaching is a common method of cooking eggs that results in a soft, tender egg white and creamy yolk. It's more health-conscious than pan frying since you don't need oil. You can use broth, wine, or aromatics as the poaching liquid, which adds flavor to boneless, skinless chicken breasts. The finished product is tender chicken that can be cubed, sliced, or shredded.

Image: Krystal Black

A more intense variant than poaching, simmering is a gentle method of cooking food that utilizes higher temperatures than poaching, usually between 180 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature range lies below the boiling point and produces tiny bubbles.

To achieve a simmer, bring water to the boiling point and lower the temperature. Simmering produces cooked rice with a light, fluffy texture. You can also choose tough cuts of meat that will release fat and collagen as they simmer, like chuck roast.

Image: Thom Milkovic

In case you didn’t know it, steam can cook food. To steam food, boil water continuously to produce a steady steam cloud. The steam surrounds food and cooks it evenly while retaining moisture. You can also use a pot and steamer basket, a microwave, or wrap food in foil and cook it in the oven.

You can steam most vegetables with excellent results. Sturdy vegetables like beets, carrots, and potatoes take a bit longer than delicate foods like leafy greens. As for fish and seafood, you can cook a more flavorful fish by adding broth or wine instead of water.

Image: Frank Zhang

Boiling simply involves submerging food in water heated to the boiling point of 212 degrees Fahrenheit. The boiling water produces large bubbles, which keeps food in motion while they cook. The expression "slow boil" means that the water has just started to bubble slowly but is not quite heated to the boiling temperature. A full boil occurs at the boiling point, appearing as fast-moving, rolling bubbles.

Pasta is one of the most commonly boiled foods. The hot water cooks the pasta quickly, allowing chefs to remove it from the water before starches break down to prevent a mushy texture.

Image: Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦

A somewhat similar cooking method to roasting, baking uses indirect heat to surround foods and cook from all sides. However, roasting refers to cooking meats or vegetables, and baking indicates making bread, rolls, and cakes. Additionally, baking usually uses lower temperatures than roasting.

Baking transforms wet dough or batter into a final product with a firm texture. You can also bake pizzas in a hot oven to form the crust, harden the dough, and melt the cheese.

Image: Pam Menegakis

The cooking method of choice for outdoor barbecues, grilling is similar to broiling because grills use radiant heat to cook food quickly. Most grilling equipment features an open grate with a heat source beneath the food.

Flip food items to cook on both sides and adjust the grill's temperature to get grill marks from the hot grate or rack. A grilling favorite, hamburger meat is moist and cooks well on a hot grate. The high heat sears the outside of the burger for a delicious charred flavor.

Image: Ashim D’Silva

The meatier cousin of baking, roasting is performed inside an oven and uses indirect heat that cooks from all sides for even browning. Choose low temperatures of 200 degrees to 350 degrees Fahrenheit to roast tough cuts of meat, or higher temperatures that reach up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit for more tender cuts.

Roasting cooks large cuts of meat slowly and evenly. Prime rib, beef tenderloin, pork butt or shoulder, and pork loin all benefit from roasting.

Image: Joshua Hoehne

Possibly not the healthiest cooking method on this list, frying is a popular technique that involves immersing food in hot oil or fat. The hot oil cooks the food quickly, creating a crisp exterior while retaining moisture.

There are different types of frying techniques, including shallow frying, deep frying, and stir-frying. Pan-frying cooks food in a shallow layer of oil, while deep-frying cooks food by completely submerging it in hot oil. For the best final product, use the right oil, maintain the proper temperature, and avoid overcrowding the pan.

Image: Markus Spiske

Similarly to grilling, broiling cooks food by transferring extremely high heat onto food items, usually directed from a radiant above the food that cooks on one side at a time. Browning can occur quickly in this process, sealing juices and flavor inside and leaving a crisp exterior.

Because this cooking method is fast, use a timer and check food frequently so it doesn't become burnt or overcooked. In commercial kitchens, you can broil items using a salamander or broiler oven.

Image: Artur Kornakov

Stewing completely submerges food in hot liquid. Use small cuts of meat in a stew, which are slow-cooked at low heat. As the stew cooks, fibrous vegetables break down while the meat's fat and collagen melt away. This leads to a thick, flavorful gravy filled with tender meat and soft vegetables.

Meats that are rich in collagen and fat do well in a stew pot. Vegetables add depth to stews. Onions, carrots, potatoes, and celery are commonly used ingredients.