Paleontological mystery: New study reveals ammonites thrived until their sudden extinction

SciTechDaily

A new study challenges the view that ammonites declined before their extinction 66 million years ago, showing instead that they remained globally diverse and robust. The research highlights that their extinction was influenced by a range of geographic and environmental factors, rather than an inevitable outcome. Ammonites bask in the Late Cretaceous sun. Credit: Artwork … Read more

The Last Stand of the Woolly Mammoths: Secrets of Survival and Mysterious Extinction on Wrangel Island

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The woolly mammoths on Wrangel Island, from a tiny original population, persisted for 6,000 years despite genetic obstacles. Their sudden extinction remains a mystery, offering lessons for modern conservation efforts. Credit: Beth Zaiken Genetic analysis of the last woolly mammoths on Wrangel Island has revealed a population that managed to survive for 6,000 years despite … Read more

Carbon catastrophe: Scientists shed new light on ancient apocalypse that hit the entire planet

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A quarry with bands of layered limestone from the ancient seabed in what is now Mercato San Severino, Italy. Credit: Mariano Remírez, George Mason University Approximately 183 million years ago, during the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE), volcanic eruptions in what is now South Africa released approximately 20,500 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the … Read more

Major Megafauna Mystery Solved? Humans Really Did Drive Ancient Giants to Extinction

Prehistoric humans hunt a woolly mammoth. A growing body of research shows that this species—and at least 46 other megaherbivores—were driven to extinction by humans. (Source: Engraving by Ernest Grise, photographed by William Henry Jackson. Courtesy Getty’s Open Content Program) AARHUS, Denmark — Imagine a world where elephants roamed Europe, giant ground sloths lumbered across … Read more

Enjoying a glass of wine? Thanks to the extinction of the dinosaurs, claims study

By Xantha Leatham Deputy Science Editor for The Daily Mail 15:09 01 Jul 2024, updated 15:14 01 Jul 2024 Without dinosaurs trampling on trees, vines like grapes flourished READ MORE: Asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago The next time you open a bottle of wine, raise a glass to the dinosaurs. That’s … Read more

Mass extinction 183 million years ago offers a dire warning for modern oceans

Earth has undergone multiple mass extinctions during its existence; for example, the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE) has decimated the planet’s marine ecosystems. But according to a new study by international researchers from Caltech, George Mason University, the University of Naples and elsewhere, the destructive effects of the T-OAE over a period of 300,000 to … Read more

Nature’s Warning: Early Signs in Marine Life That Predict the Next Mass Extinction

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Researchers have used a detailed global dataset of foraminifera fossils to study shifts in marine community structures before mass extinctions, providing an early warning system for future biodiversity losses due to climate change. Led by Anshuman Swain and Adam Woodhouse, the study highlights the importance of monitoring ecological changes to predict future extinctions, potentially shaping … Read more

Solving an age-old mystery: paleontologists shed new light on the extinction of the woolly rhinoceros

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Woolly rhinos were once widely distributed across northern and central Eurasia before becoming extinct about 10,000 years ago. Credit: Mauricio Anton Advanced computer modeling shows that persistent human hunting contributed to the extinction of the woolly rhino by blocking their migration to new habitats during post-ice age warming. This underlines the continued impact of human … Read more

The Megafauna Mystery: Scientists Uncover New Clues to What Happened to North America’s Largest Animals

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Fifty thousand years ago, North America was home to megafauna such as mammoths and sabre-tooth tigers. Their extinction, possibly due to the arrival of humans or climate change, remains unsolved. Using ZooMS technology, researchers analyzed ancient bones from the Smithsonian Museum, highlighting the importance of preserving archaeological collections for future discoveries. USNM 23792, Mammuthus primigenius … Read more