Elementary new theory on mass extinctions that wiped out life

Throughout the past 600 million years there have been five major mass extinction events that devastated life on Earth. While some of these events are very well studied, such as the killer asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs ...

First plants caused ice ages: research

New research reveals how the arrival of the first plants 470 million years ago triggered a series of ice ages. Led by the Universities of Exeter and Oxford, the study is published today (February 1, 2012) in Nature Geoscience.

Taking the temperature of the ancient earth

(PhysOrg.com) -- A new technique has allowed scientists to pin down the timing of ancient glaciations, linking them more firmly to two bursts of extinction.

Rare 450-million-year-old 'cone-shaped' fossil discovery

Researchers from the University of Leicester, working with an international team of geologists, have discovered an enigmatic fossil of a 450 million year-old creature resembling a tiny ice-cream cone.

Fossil find fills in picture of ancient marine life

Paleontologists have discovered a rich array of exceptionally preserved fossils of marine animals that lived between 480 million and 472 million years ago, during the early part of a period known as the Ordovician. The specimens ...

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