A quarry illustrating bands of layered limestone from the ancient seabed in what is now Mercato San Severino in Italy. Credit: F. Tissot About 183 million years ago, volcanic activity in modern South Africa unleashed an estimated 20,500 gigatons of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the ocean-atmosphere system over a period of 300 to 500 thousand … Read more
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
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