In the Mesozoic, the time of the dinosaurs, from 252 to 66 million years ago, marine reptiles such as ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs were top predators in the oceans. But their origins and early rise to dominance have been ...
Archaeology
May 20, 2016
0
54
A new study suggests that volcanic eruptions did not lead to the extinction of the dinosaurs, and also demonstrates that Earth's oceans are capable of absorbing large amounts of carbon dioxide—provided it is released gradually ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 26, 2016
0
134
Just over 200 million years ago, long before the demise of the dinosaurs, a cataclysm killed off a significant chunk of the planet's animal life. The leading theory implicates massive volcanic eruptions, triggered when the ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 15, 2016
5
98
Two hundred and fifty-two million years ago, a series of Siberian volcanoes erupted and sent the Earth into the greatest mass extinction of all time. As a result of this mass extinction, known as the Permo-Triassic Mass Extinction, ...
Archaeology
Apr 5, 2016
0
364
Marine turtles experienced an evolutionary windfall thanks to a mass extinction of crocodyliforms around 145 million years ago, say researchers.
Archaeology
Mar 9, 2016
0
198
Long before the dinosaurs, hefty herbivores called pareiasaurs ruled the Earth. Now, for the first time, a detailed investigation of all Chinese specimens of these creatures – often described as the 'ugliest fossil reptiles' ...
Archaeology
Feb 19, 2016
0
721
Stanford scientists have found that chronically low levels of oxygen throughout the oceans hampered the recovery of life after the Permian-Triassic extinction, the most catastrophic die-off in our planet's history. Also known ...
Earth Sciences
Feb 17, 2016
2
73
Mammals with large brains tend to be smarter but they also face a greater chance today of going extinct, according to a study published Wednesday.
Ecology
Feb 17, 2016
0
139
A Yale-led study urges scientists to move their focus from species extinction to species rarity in order to recognize, and avoid, a mass extinction in the modern world.
Ecology
Dec 16, 2015
1
177
Periods of high extinction on Earth, rather than evolutionary adaptations, may have been a key driver in the diversification of amniotes (today's dominant land vertebrates, including reptiles, birds, and mammals), according ...
Evolution
Nov 24, 2015
0
33
