University of Wisconsin-Madison, December 30, 2016
For the development of animals, nothing — with the exception of DNA — may be more important than oxygen in the atmosphere. A study now links the rise in oxygen to a rapid increase in the burial of sediment containing large amounts of carbon-rich organic matter.
Also J.M. Husson and S.E. Peters, February 15, 2017
Atmospheric oxygenation driven by unsteady growth of the continental sedimentary reservoir. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 2017; 460: 68 DOI: 10.1016/j.epsl.2016.12.012
One branch on the tree of life is heavier as a team of scientists has determined what a bizarre group of extinct cone-shaped animals actually are. Known as hyoliths, these marine creatures evolved over 530 million years ago and are among the first known to have external skeletons. Long believed to be molluscs, a new study shows a stronger relationship to brachiopods — a group with a rich fossil record though few species living today.
Source : Paleontologists classify mysterious ancient cone-shaped sea creatures
La géologie, une science plus que passionnante … et diverse
