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Life has been around on earth for a long time, but there have been many extinction events that have wiped out large numbers of species. This week we find out how scientists peel back the layers of rock to uncover what caused these extinction events. Plus we find out about current extinction events and what we can learn from the past to protect species today.
Scientists are trying to solve the puzzles of the numerous past mass extinction events, which can help us protect species in the present. What can the Tohuko 2011 earthquake and a Norwegian Fjord teach us about the extinction of the dinosaurs? There are plenty of extinction events in the past, but knowing their causes can help protect species today. An invasive species is causing a mass extinction of amphibians across Australia and the Americas. Its not a cat or a fox, but rather a fungus. Asteroid impacts, tektites raining from the sky and massive ways, all helped create a one of a kind fossil graveyard. A loss of oxygen in the water from melting ice caps led to mass extinctions 430 million years ago. What can we learn from this to help protect species today? An asteroid impact at Chicxulub led to massive standing waves flooding many parts of the world, and capturing fish, dinosaurs and plants in a fossil graveyard. De oxygenation of water can lead to mass extinctions of species, but how do you measure the oxygen in a 430 million year old ocean? From asteroid impacts, to oxygen loss and even fungual diseases - we find out about extinction events from the past and the present. References:
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March 2020
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