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New Theory Explains Periodic Mass Extinctions
i_like_spam writes "The theory that the dinosaurs were wiped out by an asteroid impact, the K-T extinction, is well known and supported by fossil and geological evidence. Asteroid impact theory does not apply to the other fluctuations in biodiversity, however, which follow an approximate 62 million-year cycle. As reported in Science, a new theory seems to explain periodic mass extinctions. The new theory found that oscillations in the Sun relative to the plane of the Milky Way correlate with changes in biodiversity on Earth. The researchers suggest that an increase in the exposure of Earth to extragalactic cosmic rays causes mass extinctions. The original paper describing the findings is available online."
How about 'new hypothesis may explain...'
A couple of 30-somethings embark on the ultimate roadtrip
It's not every species that lasts 7 million years. It's just as likely we won't be here at all, and this event will only bother the emerging rat civilization.
I'd be surprised if we haven't shot our bolt one way or the other in the next ten thousand years, and that's a conservative estimate.
ad logicam Claiming a proposition is false because it was presented as the conclusion of a fallacious argument.
The researchers suggest that an increase in the exposure of Earth to extragalactic cosmic rays causes mass extinctions.
Or maybe, the increased radiation merely causes some periods of increased mutations... extinctions follow as species are outcompeted for resources.
Patrick Doyle
I mod down every jackass who puts his moderation policy in his sig. Oh, wait a sec....
you say: "A truth is a fact,"
Indiana Jones says, "Archaeology is the search for fact... not truth. If it's truth you're looking for, Dr. Tyree's philosophy class is right down the hall."
"If still these truths be held to be
Self evident."
-Edna St. Vincent Millay
Radiation doesn't kill things off that well. Look at Chernobyl or the Savannah river plant...Both shut down, both radioactive, both experiencing a resurgence of pretty healthy wildlife across the board.
Lot of the things we assumed about radiation back in the day (e.g. mutants and Godzilla) have turned out to not really happen so much. DNA isn't as fragile as we assumed, and while the extra rads may kill you quicker (only live to 60 instead of 80), it's not quick enough to keep you from reproducing.
We're not talking some kind of galactic nuke here...It's just a significant upswing in radiation. Hell, the fact that we've had these historically is maybe why the ecosystem tolerates increases in radiation so well.
ad logicam Claiming a proposition is false because it was presented as the conclusion of a fallacious argument.
Only if you leave it to the government to figure out space flight.
The human race's problem right now is that we have all our eggs in one basket; namely, Earth. If something terrible were to happen to our planet, the entire human race could be wiped out, forever.
It seems obvious to me that we need to spread out. In an age where a nation (or even a well-funded doomsday cult) could conceivably make the planet humanly uninhabitable through the use of nuclear weapons, the settlement of other worlds seems paramount. And it's only going to get easier to destroy the planet; as technology progresses and procedures get simplified, costs invariably come down for building any piece of technology.
I seriously believe that the fate of the human race will depend on one question: can we get colonies on other planets before we destroy our own?
I have no idea.
However, whom is accusative, you should have said whoever. People get confused about this a lot, in part due to the lack of proper grammar being taught in English lessons.
Here's a little guide: at the point in the sentence where one would write I, one uses who, and where one would write me, one uses whom.
Do I score bonus points for pedantry? Please?
How dare you be so modest!! You conceited bastard!!
Given the benefit of current technology, including technology developed for the US space program, catching up with the US government is more a question of funding than time. With insufficient funding, it could take much longer than 50 years to catch up; if somehow enough money became available, it could be done much more quickly.
In any case, commercial applications for interstellar probes seem unlikely, so you might never get that wakeup call.
Never been to a landfill, huh?
The world you experience is only a close approximation of reality.