A new study by Virginia Tech geobiologists traces the cause of the first known mass extinction of animals to decreased global oxygen availability, leading to the loss of a majority of animals present near the end of the Ediacaran Period some 550 million years ago.
Geobiologists shine new light on Earth s first known mass extinction event 550 million years ago miragenews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from miragenews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The widely accepted hypothesis of how the dinosaurs perished 66 million years ago involves a violent impact between Earth and a meteorite, followed by a global winter during which the atmosphere was clogged by dust and debris.