Mass extinction: our collision course

[The Mad Monk]

Originally posted by Oerdin


The Permian was so long ago that much of the geologic formations don't exist any more (we're talking WAAAAAAAAYYY before the dinosaurs; around 250 million compared to 65 million years ago) so it is hard to say 100% what happened. There are lots of competing theories about what happened but one thing is certain 90% of all marine life ceased to exist at the end of the Paleozoic.

Still it's an important period because all of the known living animal phyla appeared within a few millions of years and roughly halfway in to the Permian animals, fungi, and plants all colonized the land and the insects became the first flying life on Earth.

Oh I know, I know...which is why I feel free to make fun of the oh-so-detailed extinction theories (like the one up there) that "prove" that global warming is a Very Bad Thing.

[Az]

Global warming CAN be a good thing locally. I am not sure of the bad thing globally, but It will have some major consequences.

For Israel, so far, it has been somewhat of a blessing, with increasing rainfalls, so I am not crying.

[CerberusIV]

I feel proud to be part of the magnificent experiment currently running to determine whether humans can actually trigger a global catastrophe. It is wonderful that we are thinking of so many ways in which this planet could be rendered uninhabitable for us. [/sarcasm]

[uh Clem]

The ACLU's gotta take a lot of blame for this.

The pagans and the abortionists and the feminists and the gays and the lesbians, the ACLU, People for the American way, I point the finger in their face and say, "You helped this happen."