Desert Glass Runner

Using data from NASA, global temperatures have increased about 1.2-1.3°C above the 1951-1980 average, with warming occurring at roughly 0.2°C per decade. At this rate, it could take 50-100 years for temperatures to rise another 1-2°C, potentially creating harsher desert environments similar to the future habitat imagined for the Desert Glass Runner. However, evolution usually occurs across hundreds or thousands of generations, while a desert snake such as the Sidewinder Rattlesnake may live about 5-13 years and reproduce every few years. This means only a few dozen generations would occur within a century, likely allowing small behavioral or physiological changes, but not dramatic adaptations like translucent skin or long legs, which would probably require thousands of years.