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Methane-producing microbes blamed for biggest ever mass extinction
Methanosarcina churned out vast quantities of the greenhouse gas methane 252m years ago, sending temperatures soaring
Methane-producing microbes blamed for biggest ever mass extinction | Science | theguardian.com
Methanosarcina churned out vast quantities of the greenhouse gas methane 252m years ago, sending temperatures soaring
Climate-changing microbes may have caused the biggest mass extinction in history 252m years ago, scientists believe.
Volcanic eruptions had previously been blamed for the sudden loss of 90% of all species on Earth at the end of the Permian era. But new research suggests volcanoes only played a bit part in the catastrophe.
The chief perpetrators appear to have been a microscopic methane-producing life form called Methanosarcina that bloomed explosively in the oceans. The enormous quantities of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, generated by the single-celled organism are thought to have sent temperatures soaring and acidified the seas. Unable to adapt quickly enough, countless species vanished from the Earth.
Analysis of geological carbon deposits reveals a significant boost in levels of carbon-containing gases either carbon dioxide or methane at the time of the mass extinction. But volcanic eruptions alone could never have produced the amount of carbon laid down in rock sediments during this period, the researchers claim.
Methane-producing microbes blamed for biggest ever mass extinction | Science | theguardian.com