There's often talk of who will be the next president, or the next superpower.  My questions is who will be the next species?  There will probably come a day when humans are no longer top dog, which means something will take our place.  It probably won't be something like elephants or whales because their caloric requirements are too high.  They say a termite can survive a nuclear bomb, and rats seem to be able to survive things like plagues, so both are good possibilities.  My guess is that it'll either be bears or cats.  Adult bears in Yosemite National Park have been known to teach their cubs to climb trees to get the food bags people hang up there on overnight camping trips, leading the park to require that people carry airtight canisters for food storage.  And cats ... are curious creatures.  Accidentally leave a dog home alone, and it'll bark itself to death.  Leave a cat home alone and you'll have no more bug problems.  Also, cats can open jars and other containers.  And cats with thumbs?  We must fear cats with thumbs. #nature