We all know that the fearsome dinosaurs (and a host of other creatures) perished when a large meteor (size of a small city) slammed into Earth some 65 million years ago. The impact crater is widely believed to be the Chicxulub Crater, near the present-day village of Chicxulub on the Yucatan Peninsula. Scientists (Richard Muller and his graduate student, Robert Rohde, from UC Berkeley) are now reporting that such extinctions took place with surprising regularity. A painstaking computer model, going back 500 million years, suggests that (about) 70% of the earth species are destroyed every 62 million years or so.
Chicxulub Crater (Courtesy: UC Berkeley)
The explanations might include quirks of Solar Dynamics (some hidden solar cycle), a companion star to our sun (which might occassionally nudge the asteroids in the Oort Cloud), or even the solar system passing through the Galactic Plane (resulting in a higher chance of comet/asteroid impact). There is also the possibility of a Earth cycle that perhaps triggers volcanoes/earthquakes or other natural disasters.
Are we already due for another major extinction? Scientists do not know yet. It might be a long drawn phenomenon, or a quick culling. Take your pick.
Chicxulub Crater (Courtesy: UC Berkeley)
The explanations might include quirks of Solar Dynamics (some hidden solar cycle), a companion star to our sun (which might occassionally nudge the asteroids in the Oort Cloud), or even the solar system passing through the Galactic Plane (resulting in a higher chance of comet/asteroid impact). There is also the possibility of a Earth cycle that perhaps triggers volcanoes/earthquakes or other natural disasters.
Are we already due for another major extinction? Scientists do not know yet. It might be a long drawn phenomenon, or a quick culling. Take your pick.
Periodic Mass Extinctions
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7 Comments:
Are we going to become extinct?
Q. what's the definition of pain?
A. a fly sliding down a razor blade using his balls as brakes.
Now, crudeness and factual / anatomical inaccuracies aside, the analogy really does come some way towards covering the tenuous and sometimes roller-coaster thrills & spills we as a species have endured over the millennia.
And what a strange ride it has been, don't you think?
I find it ironic that we spend so many countless hours covering/worrying about terrorism, where even a small epidemic can claim millions of lives. Sarcastically, I would say Nature is the biggest terrorist that ever was! And we are her pawns.
During the last thinning of our species, it was certainly something other than our numerical standing that saw us through that period.
Clearly, this could be seen as a good case for our ingenuity being pivotal in our survival...
Wayne, calling nature a terrorist was a tongue-in-cheek comment. Of course nature isnt, since nature does not have any consciousness. But I was just trying to say that nature is capable of doing things/wreak havoc that are beyond any terrorist today.
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