A diverse set of fossils from China shows that a complex marine ecosystem existed 251 million years ago, shortly after a mass extinction wiped out most complex life on Earth.
An exceptional assemblage of marine fossils from China seems to show that life in the oceans recovered surprisingly quickly after the biggest mass extinction in Earth’s history.
The so-called Great Dying at the end of the Permian Period around 252 million years ago is thought to have been brought about by unusually high volcanic activity that led to ocean acidification and global warming. The disaster was particularly hard on marine life, wiping out more than 80 per cent of life in the oceans. Read more in New Scientist.