(Phys.org) —The world's reefs are hotbeds of biological diversity, including over 4,500 species of fish. A new study shows that the ancestors of these fish colonized reefs in two distinct waves, before and after the mass ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 10, 2014
0
3
The sizes of organisms following mass extinction events may vary more than previously thought, which may be inconsistent with the predictions of the so-called 'Lilliput effect,' according to a study published in PLOS ONE ...
Ecology
Feb 5, 2014
0
0
An international research team has analysed two of the earth's mass extinction events, finding markedly similar conditions between the two.
Earth Sciences
Dec 10, 2013
12
0
The fossilised remains of a reptile closely related to lizards are the oldest yet to be discovered. Two new fossil jaws discovered in Vellberg, Germany provide the first direct evidence that the ancestors of lizards, snakes ...
Archaeology
Sep 24, 2013
1
0
(Phys.org) —A pair of researchers from Germany's Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität have published a paper in the journal Biology Letters, suggesting that the mass extinction of pseudosuchians approximately 201 million years ...
(Phys.org) —A new University of Florida study of nearly 5,000 Haiti bird fossils shows contrary to a commonly held theory, human arrival 6,000 years ago didn't cause the island's birds to die simultaneously.
Archaeology
Mar 21, 2013
0
0
The cataclysmic events that marked the end of the Permian Period some 252 million years ago were a watershed moment in the history of life on Earth. As much as 90 percent of ocean organisms were extinguished, ushering in ...
Earth Sciences
Oct 26, 2011
1
0
Earth's largest mass extinction event, the end-Permian mass extinction, occurred some 252 million years ago. An estimated 90 percent of Earth's marine life was eradicated. To better understand the cause of this "mother of ...
Earth Sciences
Oct 11, 2011
0
2
Danger looms from out of space: asteroids and comets are a threat to our planet. The history of Earth has always been punctuated by cosmic catastrophes. Several studies have claimed to have found periodic variations, with ...
Space Exploration
Aug 1, 2011
6
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- New research by Macquarie University palaeobiologist, Dr John Alroy, predicts major changes to the rules of evolution as we understand them now. Those changes will have serious consequences for future biodiversity ...
Evolution
Sep 3, 2010
74
0
