Financial Times reporter Clive Cookson highlights the work of MIT researchers in identifying a new culprit for the Earth’s largest mass extinction. While volcanic activity did contribute to the extinction, Cookson reports, MIT researchers found the main cause was methane-producing microbes.
The Huffington Post reports on new research from MIT that indicates microbes may have been responsible for Earth’s largest mass extinction. The “Great Dying,” which took place 252 million years ago, wiped out 90 percent of all species.
“These microbes of death were so small, that 1 billion of them could fit in a thimble-full of ocean sediment, and yet, they were almost responsible for killing off all the life on our planet,” writes Los Angeles Times reporter Deborah Netburn about new research from MIT that indicates microbes may be responsible for the end-Permian mass extinction.
“A microbial feeding frenzy may have fueled the biggest mass extinction in Earth's history,” writes Tia Ghose for CBS News about new research by Professor Daniel Rothman and Gregory Fournier that suggests microbes may be responsible for the Earth’s largest mass extinction.
Washington Post reporter Fred Barbash highlights new MIT research that shows that a microbe called “Methanosarcina” triggered the largest mass extinction in Earth’s history.
Reporting for NPR’s Morning Edition, Christopher Joyce features new work by Professor Daniel Rothman that indicates the world’s largest mass extinction may have been caused by microbes.
MIT researchers have found evidence that methane-producing microbes may have triggered the largest mass extinction in Earth’s history, reports Will Dunham for Reuters.
Nature reporter Chelsea Ward reports that a team from MIT led by Professor Daniel Rothman has found that, “Methane-belching microbes may have been behind the 'Great Dying', a mass-extinction event that wiped out some 90% of all species on Earth about 252 million years ago.”
The Guardian highlights new research by Professor Daniel Rothman that suggests microbes may be responsible for the end-Permian extinction. As reported by The Guardian, “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.”