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| One theory of mass extinction |
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
MIT Researchers Believe Microbes Caused the Earth's Mass Extinction 252 Million Years Ago
Did you know that microbes may have caused the Earth's mass extinction 252 million years ago? Researchers may believe that methane-producing microbes called Methanosarcina were the cause of it. They may have found their way into the atmosphere and influenced a wild and rapid climate change. Previous theories have stated that massive volcanic eruptions caused the die-off, but this may have been because of the rapid changes in climate and weather. The author explains how sudden spikes in carbon dioxide in the oceans have appeared during the time of extinction. He also explains how the Methanosarcina underwent a genetic change beforehand to become the prolific producer of methane than it apparently was. Lastly, sediment samples show an inrease in Nickel throughout this exact timeline. This increase in methane would have influenced of higher carbon dioxide levels in the oceans. The research doesn't exactly prove that microbes were the sole factor of the mass extinction. But it does eliminate other popular theories and also has a lot of evidence proving its way. This article is very clear in terms of how this was researched and the evidence proves this theory.
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Kashif, I think there are many theories and realities about what happened. I also think there is no true way of knowing what really happened because no one was there to tell us what happened. This theory is really interesting because microbes are extremely small, it is hard to think of them causing global destruction. I think that they contributed to the cause, and there were other factors that played a role in the mass extinction. Microbes are part of the reason that humans are here are and that the earth has an abundance of oxygen in our atmosphere. Before I took this course I saw microorganisms as germs and pathogens. Now I have gained respect for all that they do.
ReplyDeleteThis was a really interesting article Kashif. I had been taught that it was a giant asteroid that impacted earth and caused ash clouds to cover most of the earth which led to the dinosaur extinction. But now I don’t know what to believe, because of this new evidence of microbes and how they might have been the ones responsible for the mass extinction. I think this theory is really interesting because microbes are always underestimated about how capable they really are, people usually dismiss them and think they can’t do much since they are so small. These microbes are actually more capable than humans, because the Methanosarcina microbe underwent genetic change to be able to produce methane like you said. With this in mind it makes me wonder if the same microbe or one similar might be able to undergo the same genetic change and cause another mass extinction.
ReplyDeleteI saw that Diana emailed us about this, but I never got around to reading it. I'm sure there are TONS of theories out there related to this, but many do not have any evidence to support the theories. I also think that microbes could have helped contribute to the mass extinction, but I dont think that they are the key factor. Its insane to me that this can be researched back to something so small 252 million years ago. Nice article, Kashif.
ReplyDeleteWhat does the increase in nickel relate to?
ReplyDeleteGlad you tackled this article as it's a really new way to think about this extinction event and will generate lots of new science and debate.