Articles tagged with Mass Extinctions
A new study provides evidence for a previously unknown mass ocean extinction event that nearly wiped out shark species 19 million years ago. The study found that sharks declined in abundance by over 90% and in morphological diversity by more than 70% during this period.
A new study reveals that the End-Permian extinction event, also known as the 'Great Dying', was caused by a rapid spike in global temperatures due to volcanic activity. The researchers found that the region experienced abrupt aridification and changed climate patterns, with high-southern latitudes serving as refugia for moisture-loving...
A three-year $591,000 NSF grant will help geoscientist Ben Gill solve the riddle of the Triassic mass-extinction event. The study aims to determine the longer-term timeline of changes in life and environment before and after the extinction, as well as assess the role of oxygen content changes in the oceans.
A new article validates the paradigm of multigenerational attritional loss of reproductive fitness (MALF) as a complete explanation for extinction. This shift from 'extinction' to 'evanescence' provides a clearer understanding of cause and effect, allowing for intervention in ongoing extinction events.
A team of researchers has found direct evidence that massive coal burning in Siberia led to the Permo-Triassic Extinction, resulting in up to 96% marine species and 70% terrestrial vertebrate extinctions. The study suggests that catastrophic global warming devastated life on Earth.
Researchers found corals exhibiting dynamic survival responses akin to the last big extinction event, including increased deep-water residing and solitary colonies. This study highlights how human-driven climate change is rapidly increasing stressors on coral communities, threatening 75% of species with extinction.
A 420 million-year-old mass extinction event, one of the most dramatic ever recorded, was caused by rapid and widespread depletion of oxygen in global oceans. The study provides a mechanism for the step-wise extinction event, driven in part by sulfidic ocean conditions.
A new study reveals that Antarctic marine life took over 320,000 years to recover after the mass extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs. It wasn't until up to one million years later that the number of species on the sea floor returned to pre-extinction levels.
A new study maps historical biodiversity in unprecedented detail, showing that a cooler climate is crucial for conserving biodiversity. The researchers also debunk the notion of a brief ice age causing a major extinction event, pointing instead to volcanic activity as the primary cause.
A Florida State University team has uncovered conclusive evidence linking sea level rise and ocean oxygen depletion to the Ireviken extinction event. The study reveals that reduced oxygen conditions played a central role in the mass extinction, with only about 8% of global oceans experiencing significant reductions.
Researchers used high-precision dating methods to study the timing and impact of Deccan Traps volcanism on dinosaur extinction. The studies suggest that massive volcanic eruptions could have dramatically altered Earth's climate, triggering mass extinctions before the Chicxulub asteroid impact.
A new study has found that the mass extinction event that wiped out dinosaurs simultaneously led to the evolution of three major lineages of modern frogs, which make up about 88% of living species. This finding suggests that the survivors filled up new ecological niches after the extinction event, resulting in the rapid diversification...
The discovery of ancient buckthorn fossils in Argentina sheds light on plant recovery after the asteroid extinction event. The fossils date back to the early Paleocene epoch and provide evidence for a Gondwanan origin of the Rhamnaceae family.
The study found two distinct extinction events linked to climate change, which slowed the world's recovery after the 'Great Dying'. The evidence suggests that modern ocean life evolved during this recovery period, and may respond similarly to current climate change.
Researchers used time-reversed convection modeling to reconstruct ancient mantle structure, finding a second upwelling contributing to the Deccan Traps eruption. A currently active hotspot, Réunion, was also active 65 million years ago.
New study discovers higher latitude ecosystems recovered rapidly after the Permian-Triassic boundary, which marked the World's most cataclysmic extinction event. The finding sheds light on the global extinction process and ecosystem recovery at higher latitudes.
Researchers have found datable volcanic ash deposits in the Karoo Basin that suggest two phases of the extinction event occurred at least 1 million years apart, rather than concurrently. The study provides new insights into the timing and impact of the Great Dying, one of Earth's largest mass extinctions.
Researchers found malformed fossil plankton with high concentrations of toxic metals, linked to ocean anoxia and potential extinction causes. The study suggests that metal poisoning may have contributed to some world's largest extinction events.
Scientists discovered that elemental carbon became a key construction material for certain marine organisms, such as agglutinated foraminifers and worm tubes, after the devastating Permian-Triassic extinction event. The high influx of carbon into the ocean environment was linked to volcanic activity and coal combustion.
New research confirms that massive volcanic eruptions 66 million years ago spewed climate-altering gases into the atmosphere before and during the K-Pg extinction event, which claimed non-avian dinosaurs. The Deccan Traps' eruptions are now considered a key factor in the extinction event.
A mass extinction event played a crucial role in the dominance of ray-finned fish today. Bony fish diversified heavily after the Permian-Triassic boundary extinction event.
A University of Georgia study analyzed over 46,000 fossils from 52 sites, revealing that abundant species did not necessarily persist longer than less abundant ones outside of the Ordovician extinction event. Instead, rarer genera were more likely to be present longer in the fossil record.
Researchers analyzed Caribbean coral extinctions during Plio-Pleistocene era and found strong relationships between past regional extinction events and modern coral vulnerability. The study suggests that extinction events depend on biological characteristics of the coral species, improving the accuracy of extinction-risk assessment.
Researchers solved part of the mystery of where marine organisms recovered after the Permian-Triassic extinction event. The shorelines of ancient Alberta and British Columbia provided a refuge for these organisms, indicating locally well-oxygenated conditions in an ocean otherwise characterized by widespread anoxia.
A study by University of Chicago paleontologist David Jablonski reveals that recoveries from mass extinctions differ significantly across geographical regions. He found varying ratios of surviving local species to foreign invaders and unique patterns of diversification, challenging previous assumptions about extinction intensity.
Scientists from UCLA and the University of Washington found that a combination of factors, including asteroid impacts and sea level changes, contributed to the extinction of 70 percent of species. The impact of meteorites accounts for 50-75% of extinctions, while sea level drop caused 0-25%.