Evolution didn’t wait long after the dinosaurs died

What’s Happening

So get this: New plankton arrived just a few millennia — maybe even decades — after the Chicxulub asteroid, forcing a rethink of evolution’s catastrophe response speed.

News Oceans Evolution didn’t wait long after the dinosaurs died Marine ecosystems began recovering within just a few thousand years after the asteroid strike This artist’s rendition depicts three forms of new plankton species (top left) and algae (middle left) that arose within a few thousand years after the Chicxulub asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs, represented bones. The University of Texas at Austin Jackson School of Geosciences/John Maisano By Elie Dolgin 2 hours ago this: via email (Opens in new window) Email Click to on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Click to on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit Click to on X (Opens in new window) X Click to print (Opens in new window) Print In the long shadow of the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs , life appears to have bounced back with surprising speed. (let that sink in)

A new analysis of sedimentation rates suggests that the first wave of marine species emerged within a few thousand years of the mass extinction event, many millennia quicker than many scientists assumed.

The Details

The findings, reported January 21 in Geology , invite a rethink of how rapidly evolution can rebuild biological diversity — not just as it did after the Chicxulub asteroid struck Earth 66 million years ago, but perhaps also today and into the future as climate change and other human pressures accelerate the pace of ecological upheaval. For our We summarize the week’s scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

“This fr helps us understand how quickly species can evolve,” says Christopher Lowery, a paleoceanographer at the University of Texas at Austin, adding that it provides a rare “opportunity in the geological past to understand how ecosystems can recover from these quick, severe changes. ” The evidence comes from marine fossils known as planktonic foraminifera, microscopic single-celled denizens of the ancient oceans encased in tiny mineral shells.

Why This Matters

This could have implications for future research in this area.

The scientific community tends to find developments like this significant.

The Bottom Line

This story is still developing, and we’ll keep you updated as more info drops.

Is this a W or an L? You decide.