...different periods. The four periods are: Permian Period (250 million years ago), Triassic Period (200 million years ago), Jurassic Period (145 million years ago), and Cretaceous Period (65 million years ago). During these periods the continents were at different stages. The Permian Period was the era when Pangaea existed. Pangaea was one continent but during the Triassic Period it split into two. These two new continents were called Laurasia and Gondwanaland. In the Jurassic and Cretaceous Period the separation of the continents continued. But, even though they were breaking apart, they didn’t have official names. Alfred Wegener is the person who suggested the theory of Pangaea. He was the one who suggested the theory of continental drift and plate tectonics. He noticed the continents looked like a puzzle. It was referred to as “ A geographic jigsaw puzzle.” (Pangaea.org). He was not the first person to notice the puzzle look, but he spent a great amount of time and effort trying to prove his theory. The first time he spoke about continental drift was on January of 1912. He got a job offer to be a professor in meteorology in 1926. However, shortly after his fiftieth birthday on November 1, 1930 he was lost in a blizzard, while on an expedition. After the team realized he was missing, they found his dead body between his two camps. II. Into the Stages of Pangaea The first stage was the Permian Period. The Permian Period was the last period of the Paleozoic Era. This period was...
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...Noah Young English 1302 Ms. Ryan April 23, 2015 Dinosaurs, Volcanoes, and Meteors, Oh my! The dinosaurs, the dominant forms of life on land for 300 million years, went extinct 65 million years ago in an event known as the End-Cretaceous Mass Extinction. The event was caused by many devastating events coinciding with each other. A mass extinction is an event where many species of life go extinct at the same time from, presumably, the same causes. There have been five major mass extinctions in Earth’s history, the most devastating being the one that occurred at the end of the Permian when 80% of all life on Earth went extinct. Each of these extinctions coincided with drastic changes in Earth’s ecology. For example, the Permian extinction possibly...
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...generation regards the possibility of a forthcoming, human-induced mass extinction event and what it’s effects would be upon the evolution rate of species. In the search for understanding this possibility and its effects, scientists must look to the past where it is widely accepted that there have been 5 previous periods of mass extinction. The term ‘mass extinction event’ is defined as any period when abnormally large numbers of species die out simultaneously or within a limited time frame. Such occurrences have been observed at 5 places in history- the Ordovician-Silurian, Late Devonian, Permian, Triassic Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. What was the cause of these extinction periods? Well... no one can say for sure. Although there are a number of plausible hypotheses, the sheer amount of time and space between today and the events in question makes it very difficult to place a theory as anything more than conjecture. In saying this, it is known that these cataclysms were random occurrences and not caused by the actions of any one single species. The extinction of species is not normally considered an important element of Neodarwinian theory, in contrast to the opposite phenomenon, speciation. In the wake of mass extinction periods, the fossil records provide an accurate and reliable source of information invaluable to the study of evolution. Today, there is evidence mounting to suggest that the sixth mass extinction may be beginning- but the apocalypse this time is us. Human activities...
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...covered with mucus that prevents their skin from drying out and also helps to respire, reptiles had a rough dry skin without any hair, it was divided with squama, their jaw is quite developed. Mammals are the most developed group, about 98% of their body is covered in hair to keep warm because they are warm-blooded, they feed their offsprings with milk (they have nipples on their body for that) 2. Describe two very different environmental conditions on Earth during two different times. Include things like relative temperature, atmospheric composition and major plant and animal life forms present., include the time (MYA) and period of each time period. Snowball Earth describes a theory that for millions of years the Earth was almost entirely or wholly covered in ice. This freezing happened over 650 million years ago in the Pre-Cambrian. This period includes the origin of the Earth and the explosion of the first multicelled organisms first one-celled organisms. During the Cambrian( 540 to 490 million...
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...Are Homo Sapiens really the smartest species on Earth, and if so, is this sufficient to ensure its long‐ term survival? Submitted by: Andrew Jara Submitted to: Heidi White Course: AST 251H1 Due Date: March 12, 2013 1 As time passes, the Earth and all its inhabitants grow older, one must ask that as the number of inhabitants are increasing and the amount of resources decreasing, whether or not the human race will be able to withstand extinction. The parameters of human intelligence can be used to define and determine the possibility of this outcome. Humans are believed to have the title of being the most dominant and intelligent species on the face of the Earth, but there is much competition for that title today and arguments arise within the scientific community. Humans believe that they are separated from all other species based on the concept of intelligence and how they have used intelligence to their advantage to create language, technology and many other things to ultimately establish themselves as a successful species. In order to actually prove that humans rightfully deserve that title, one must delve into the debate of intelligence to clarify the meaning and understanding of intelligence. This will provide evidence to the argument on whether or not the human species will be viable in the long-term. In the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, intelligence is defined as the ability to collect and apply certain knowledge and information from the external environment...
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... with one large piece detonating about 34 km above the surface, and a second, much larger piece detonating at an altitude of approximately 21 km” (Tagliaferri, 1998). Scientists were lucky to record this data via satellite to study the force an asteroid can have when impacting firsthand. There is evidence of asteroid impacts covering the surface of the earth and other surrounding planets in space. There are also many theories involving asteroid impacts causing mass extinctions on Earth, the most common being the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago (deGrasse Tyson, 2005). Most of the impact evidence shows that the earth has been attacked by these asteroids since its formation billions of years ago. Evidence all around us tells us that the Earth will be struck, and another major asteroid impact will occur. The most common and highly argued impact event is the one that may have wiped out the dinosaurs. This event in itself has many theories, but the one common element in most sound dinosaur extinction theories is that a major impact event occurred around the same time the dinosaurs stopped roaming the Earth. Most of the scientific community agrees that an asteroid impact did destroy the dinosaurs. Some scientists; however, claim that the dinosaurs were dying off well before the asteroid strike, due to climate changes, and that the impact only “finished them off” (Archibald, 2005). This very well could be...
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...GEOLOGIC TIME Go to http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/help/timeform.html to fill in the following table: ERA | PERIOD | INDEX FOSSILS USED TO IDENTIFY ROCKS OF THIS AGE (DESCRIBE WHAT THESE FOSSILS ARE AS WELL) | ABSOLUTE AGE RANGE (MYA) | MAJOR GEOLOGIC EVENTS | CENOZOIC | Quaternary | Evidence of Homo Sapiens Sapiens and early types of plants.Pleistocene conifers, mosses, flowering plants, insects, mollusks, birds, mammals (sloths, bison, sabre-toothed cats, mammoths, early human hunters). Diatoms, foraminifera, and plant pollen. | 1.8 MYA to today. | Yet the Holocene has witnessed all of humanity's recorded history and the rise and fall of all its civilizations. It was during the Pleistocene that the most recent episodes of global cooling, or ice ages, took place. Temperate zones were alternately covered by glaciers during cool periods. The Pleistocene also saw the evolution and expansion of our own species, Homo sapiens. | | Tertiary | Grazing mammals, such as members of the perissodactyl and artiodactyls diversified in the Miocene and Pliocene.Long legged grazers.Chalicotherium , perissodactyls. artiodactylsHyaenodon horridus, elephants, horses, various grassesUngulates such as Artiodactyla and Perissodactyla, Vivveravus | 65 to 1.8 MYA. | The cooling and drying of the global environment may have contributed to the enormous spread of grasslands in this time. The change in vegetation undoubtedly was a major factor in the rise of long-legged grazers who came to live...
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...In the last five hundred and forty million years, the Earth has been the host to five mass extinctions (AccessScience Editors, 2014). Mass extinctions are defined as a global event during which at least fifty percent of all species die out in a geological period of time that is too short to allow adaptation (Mass Extinction, n.d.). It is important to note that species are always going extinct, just at a much slower rate than that of a mass extinction. This slow but constant extinction is known as background extinction, and is a normal part of the Earth’s cycle which has much less of an effect on biodiversity (Kohrs, 2018). Biodiversity is an invaluable resource to humans, which makes the recent changes in the Earth system alarming because many...
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...Wilson Cycle, as evidenced in the following pages. Geologic Background: PALEOZOIC: The Paleozoic era was is the earliest of the three geologic eras and spans from about 542 to 251 million years ago. Numerous events that significantly impacted the overall structure of the earth took place during this time period. The Paleozoic Era is divided into six different subcategories which include: the Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous, and Permian. Early in the Paleozoic the continents were far apart but moving tectonic plates caused continents to move together into one large continent called Pangaea. Some of the significant geologic events that occurred during the Paleozoic era includes the evolution of a large number of animals, some of which are distant ancestors to modern organisms, between 530 and 520 million years ago. Also during this time period, there was an introduction to animals without backbones (invertebrates). Organisms such as corals, brachiopods, mollusks, and arthropods populated the early and middle parts of the Paleozoic era. A massive extinction event known as “The Great Dying” marked the end of the Paleozoic era. During this mass extinction, as many...
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...Dinosaur extinction is still a major mystery of earth history. In this review article, extinctions in the geological record will be briefly mentioned. Many of the imaginative theories for the extinction of the dinosaurs will also be presented. Within the uniformitarian paradigm, the meteorite impact theory, once considered ‘outrageous’, now is the dominant theory. However, the volcanic theory is still believed by a majority of paleontologists. Both theories have their strengths and weaknesses. The unscientific behavior of those involved in the meteorite paradigm change will be briefly explored. Evidence that the dinosaurs died in a cataclysm of global proportions will be presented, such as the huge water-laid dinosaur graveyards found over the earth. Occasional nonspecific bone-beds and the rarity of fossils of very young dinosaurs suggest a catastrophic death and burial. The billions of dinosaur tracks recently discovered provide testimony to unusual, stressful conditions. Nests, eggs, and babies are a challenge to a Flood model, but there are enough unknowns associated with the data that solid conclusions are difficult to draw. The part that impacts and volcanism play in a Flood paradigm will be briefly discussed. The question of whether the K/T boundary and the extinction of the dinosaurs should be considered a synchronous event within the Flood will be considered. Introduction Dinosaurs bring wonder to children and adults alike. That such great beasts once roamed the earth...
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...• English/US • Answers • Store • Outreach • Media • Kids • Education • Donate • Answers in Genesis • Answers • Animals • Dinosaurs • Dinosaur Extinction • The Extinction of the Dinosaurs The Extinction of the Dinosaurs by Michael J. Oard on August 1, 1997 Share: • • • • Originally published in Journal of Creation 11, no 2 (August 1997): 137-154. Shop Now First published: TJ (now Journal of Creation) 11(2):137–154 August 1997 by Michael J. Oard Dinosaur extinction is still a major enigma of earth history. In this review article, extinctions in the geological record will be briefly mentioned. Many of the imaginative theories for the extinction of the dinosaurs will also be presented. Within the uniformitarian paradigm, the meteorite impact theory, once considered ‘outrageous’, now is the dominant theory. However, the volcanic theory is still believed by a majority of palaeontologists. Both theories have their strengths and weaknesses. The unscientific behaviour of those involved in the meteorite paradigm change will be briefly explored. Evidence that the dinosaurs died in a cataclysm of global proportions will be presented, such as the huge water-laid dinosaur graveyards found over the earth. Occasional monospecific bone-beds and the rarity of fossils of very young dinosaurs suggest a catastrophic death and burial. The billions of dinosaur tracks recently discovered provide testimony to unusual, stressful conditions. Nests, eggs, and babies...
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...BROCK UNIVERSITY Final Examination Course: ERSC 1F90 Date of Examination: April 21, 2011 Time of Examination: 19:00-22:00 Number of Pages: 7 Number of Students: 468 Examination Time: 3 hours Instructor: Hess No examination aids other than those specified on the examination script are permitted. NO TEXTING!!! Use or possession of unauthorized materials or use of any device other than those specified will automatically result in the award of a ZERO GRADE for this examination. This means you should not have your mobile device out for ANY REASON!!! 1. 2. Answer ALL questions on the provided SCANTRON sheet. Please use a pencil. Turn in the question sheet AND SCANTRON sheet at the end of the examination. ######### Name ________________________ -P~.d. MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. as + 1. The positive feedback mechanism in which a population falls below a threshold level, mutations proliferate due to reduced genetic diversity, and the population is further reduced is called: A) inbreeding depression B) toxic genetics C) environmental resistance D) dieback 2. About how much solar radiation is reflected back by the atmosphere of our planet? A) 25% B) 85% C)3% D) 5% 3. The correct order for layers of the atmosphere, from the top to the ground surface, is as follows: A) thermosphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, troposphere B) troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere C)...
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...Lecture 1 Yellow stone hot spot Great Valley Questions to consider throughout the course: Boundary layer of clay Will California fall into the sea? What regulates climate? etc. (see lecture notes) THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD Observe Generalize and/ make a hypothesis Test the hypothesis Revise hypothesis if necessary - hypothesis has to be falsify able, com Lecture 2 Electromagnetic between positive charges of the nucleus and negative charges of the electrons FUNDAMENTAL FORCES REVIEW Gravity - depends on mass and distance Electromagnetic - depends on charge, distance Strong Force - between hadrons Weak Force - between hadrons and some leptons Protons and neutrons (hardrons) are made out of smaller particles called quarks Leptons: includes electrons (mass & charge), neutrinos (mass, no charge) and their antiparticles Field particles: transmit fundamental forces Conservation Laws - Quantities conserved Energy-Mass Momentum (oriented) *Angular momentum (oriented) Charge Spin (oriented) # of Hadrons (number conserved) # of Leptons (number conserved) FORMS OF ENERGY Kinetic Potential Heat Chemical Mass Electromagnetic radiation Changes in volume When a thing is dropped and stopped by an object, electromagnetic force is overcoming the gravity force overlap of electron clouds of two objects First law of Thermodynamics Energy may be converted from one form to another, but the total must be conceived in any interactions. (Energy...
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...evidence for this hypothesis was published in Darwin’s Origin of Species one year later, the appearance of which provoked other leading scientists like August Weismann to adopt and amplify Darwin’s perspective. Weismann’s neo-Darwinian theory of evolution was further elaborated, most notably in a series of books by Theodosius Dobzhansky, Ernst Mayr, Julian Huxley and others. In this article we first summarize the history of life on Earth and provide recent evidence demonstrating that Darwin’s dilemma (the apparent missing Precambrian record of life) has been resolved. Next, the historical development and structure of the “modern synthesis” is described within the context of the following topics: paleobiology and rates of evolution, mass extinctions and species selection, macroevolution and punctuated equilibrium, sexual reproduction and recombination, sexual selection and altruism, endosymbiosis and eukaryotic cell evolution, evolutionary developmental biology, phenotypic plasticity, epigenetic inheritance and molecular evolution, experimental bacterial evolution, and computer simulations (in silico evolution of digital organisms). In addition, we discuss the expansion of the modern synthesis, embracing all branches of scientific disciplines. It is concluded that the basic tenets Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Dr. hc mult. Ernst Mayr on the occasion of his 100th birthday U. Kutschera ()) Institut für...
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...Earth's Climate 5. Testing the Thermostat: Snowball Earth 6. Atmospheric Oxygen 7. Early Life: Single-Celled Organisms 8. The Cambrian Explosion and the Diversification of Animals 9. The Age of Mammals 10. Further Reading Unit 1 : Many Planets, One Earth -1- www.learner.org 1. Introduction Earth's long history tells a story of constant environmental change and of close connections between physical and biological environments. It also demonstrates the robustness of life. Simple organisms first appeared on Earth some 3.8 billion years ago, and complex life forms emerged approximately 2 billion years ago. Life on Earth has endured through many intense stresses, including ice ages, warm episodes, high and low oxygen levels, mass extinctions, huge volcanic eruptions, and meteorite impacts. Untold numbers of species have come and gone, but life has survived even the most extreme fluxes. To understand why Earth has been so conducive to life, we need to identify key conditions that make it habitable and ask why they exist here but not on neighboring planets. This unit describes how Earth's carbon cycle regulates its climate and keeps surface temperatures within a habitable range. It also examines another central factor: the rise of free oxygen in the atmosphere starting more than 2...
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