Choice quote from Dr. Pinsky in this NYTimes.com article reporting on broad studies evaluating just how fast we puny humans are destroying the vast oceans, from coral reefs destroyed by climate change to whales killed by collisions with container ships and seabed mining wiping out ecosystems. It’s really frightening, especially the scale by which destruction has accelerated just over the last few decades.

It really seems like what sets humans apart form other mammals is not empathy or the opposable thumbs, but the capability to be a global predator.