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Permian mass extinction triggered by humble microbe
New Scientist ^ | 12-14-2012 | Sara Reardon

Posted on 12/14/2012 1:12:41 PM PST by Renfield

AROUND 251 million years ago, over 90 per cent of the species on Earth suddenly went extinct. Their killer may not have been a devastating meteorite or a catastrophic volcanic eruption, but a humble microbe.

The prevailing theory is that the mass extinction at the end of the Permian period was triggered by volcanic eruptions over a vast area of what is now Siberia. This led, among other things, to a dramatic rise in greenhouse gas emissions.

But the scenario just doesn't fit the facts, says Daniel Rothman of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. From his analysis of an end-Permian sediment sample from China, Rothman says carbon levels surged much too quickly for geological processes to be at work....

(Excerpt) Read more at newscientist.com ...


TOPICS: History; Science
KEYWORDS: catastrophism; extinctions; godsgravesglyphs; paleontology; permian
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To: EEGator; stormer; US Navy Vet
He/she thinks the Earth is 6000 years old.

Not because it is true right? B$ Millions of years ago automatically calls anything that follows into question, whether you like it or not. Like saying two million years from now ......

21 posted on 12/14/2012 2:10:29 PM PST by itsahoot (Any enemy, that is allowed to have a King's X line, is undefeatable. (USS Taluga AO-62))
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To: Renfield

22 posted on 12/14/2012 2:13:15 PM PST by American in Israel (A wise man's heart directs him to the right, but the foolish mans heart directs him toward the left.)
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To: Renfield

Science ain’t what it used to be.

There’s just too much (grant/tax) money, and too many scientists that should have been laborers.


23 posted on 12/14/2012 2:14:19 PM PST by Born to Conserve
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To: itsahoot

Do you think the Earth is 6000 years old?


24 posted on 12/14/2012 2:14:31 PM PST by EEGator
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To: Renfield

And then the article ends with the money quote: “Today’s mass extinction of biodiversity is similar, says Barnosky, because it is largely driven by our species”.

Yes, humankind is the modern-day microbe. We should all be sterilized for the Greater Good of Gaia.


25 posted on 12/14/2012 3:00:44 PM PST by steerpike100
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To: EEGator

do we need to ask Marco?

/s


26 posted on 12/14/2012 6:48:30 PM PST by Rodamala
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To: Renfield; 75thOVI; agrace; aimhigh; Alice in Wonderland; AndrewC; aragorn; aristotleman; ...

Wow, something surged so quickly, it couldn't be caused by a singular, sudden, random, rare event? Great thinkin'! ;') Thanks Renfield.


27 posted on 12/15/2012 11:31:47 AM PST by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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 GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach
Wow, something surged so quickly, it couldn't be caused by a singular, sudden, random, rare event? Great thinkin'! ;') Thanks Renfield.

Just adding to the catalog, not sending a general distribution.

To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.


28 posted on 12/15/2012 11:32:51 AM PST by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: Cicero; Renfield; SunkenCiv; All

Actually this was the big event that enabled the dinosaurs to outcompete the well developed proto-mammalian Therapsids, most of whom died out at that time.

How do we know a huge meteor didn’t plow into Siberia, do its damage, and start the huge magma outpouring? Then a bacteria could have attacked the weakened life forms on earth. Perhaps it was more lethal to the therapsid branch than the dinosaur branch.


29 posted on 12/15/2012 2:52:01 PM PST by gleeaikin
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To: gleeaikin

There was no huge magma outpouring — what is seen is the evidence of a long series of small magma outpourings that took place over millions of years, and had absolutely zero to do with mass extinctions.

The Hawaiian Islands are of volcanic origin, but the eruptions have mostly been of the slightly dangerous tourist-attraction variety. That’s the kind that built the Deccan Traps for instance.

The difference between the large impacts and a volcano (even a so-called “super-volcano”) is that anything a mile or more in diameter has a worldwide reach vis a vis extinctions, while a volcano might, at worst, make for pretty sunsets.


30 posted on 12/15/2012 4:45:03 PM PST by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: EEGator
Do you think the Earth is 6000 years old

How MSM like of you.

The issue is whether any quote which begins with, "Millions of years ago" should automatically call into question, any assertion that follows. I am not saying that every assertion is false, just that one should inject a little cynicism.

Your answer is ; Do you think that the earth is only 6000 years old?

31 posted on 12/17/2012 11:08:46 AM PST by itsahoot (Any enemy, that is allowed to have a King's X line, is undefeatable. (USS Taluga AO-62))
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