Scientists identifies duration of mass extinction 252 million years ago
A Chinese-led research group found that it took less than 30,000 years and perhaps only thousands for a massacre of over 90 percent of...
Most severe mass extinction on Earth occurred with no early warning signs
End-Permian extinction, which wiped out most of Earth’s species, was instantaneous in geological time.
The most severe mass extinction in Earth’s history occurred with almost...
How phytoplankton survive in ocean gyres with low nutrient supplies
Subtropical gyres are huge, sustained currents spanning thousands of kilometers across the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, where very little grows.
With nutrients in short supply,...
When mammal ancestors evolved flexible shoulders, their backbones changed too
Ancient changes to the backbone paved the way for modern mammal diversity
Shrug your shoulders. If you're not in public, shimmy a little.
You can do...
558 million-year-old fat reveals earliest known animal
Scientists have discovered molecules of fat in an ancient fossil to reveal the earliest confirmed animal in the geological record that lived on Earth...
Mass extinction happened in geological ‘instant’
It took less than 30,000 years and maybe only thousands, to kill more than 90% of sea creatures and most land species, according to...
DNA analysis reveals distinct lineage of ancient panda in south China
Chinese scientists have found an ancient panda, belonging to a distinct group not found today, separated from present-day pandas 144,000 to 227,000 years ago.
In...
A single gene mutation may have helped humans become optimal long-distance runners
Two to three million years ago, the functional loss of a single gene triggered a series of significant changes in what would eventually become...
This dinosaur-killer meteoroid metal can kill cancer cells
In a recent study, researchers find that cancer cells can be killed with metal from the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs.
The results show that...
Why there is so much water on planet Earth
Watery Earth mystery solved by star dust
Scientists at the University of St Andrews may have helped solve the mystery of why there is so...