Alan Weisman

Now, here’s fodder for daydreams and late-night speculation: What would happen to the earth—and, more pointedly, to our massive infrastructure of buildings, bridges, subways, and sculptures—if the human race were to disappear? Author and University of Arizona journalism professor Alan Weisman has asked the question of everyone from geologists and paleontologists to art conservators and the Dalai Lama, and the answers are utterly fascinating.

This month he discusses the well-researched thesis put forth in his new book, The World Without Us. Come prepared for an ecology lesson, as well as some delightful trivia. For example: Without us, mosquitoes would thrive, domesticated cattle would die out (of course), and a plastic bottle cap would likely outlive your house.