Life recovered faster than thought after KT extinction

[Matteo]

Interesting article in Science:

Science | AAAS

www.sciencemag.org

And, surprisingly, the full paper is available also.

 

[Pemry Janes]

Maybe not so surprising. In more modern times we have examples of animals and plants entering a new territory where they can grow unopposed and they spread like wildfire.

 

[J Riff]

Don't believe one word of it. Life still hasn't returned. Someone should write a book about it.

 

[hitmouse]

Maybe not so surprising. In more modern times we have examples of animals and plants entering a new territory where they can grow unopposed and they spread like wildfire.

This is not a description of colonisation of a new territory. More like evolution of a complex ecosystem over 700, 000 years. Which is quick in evolutionary terms, but a bit ponderous if ine is thinking purely in terms of colonisation.

 

[Matteo]

Actually, my surprise was at the paper being available (i.e. not behind a firewall).

But the discovery does go against previous thinking.

 

[Brian G Turner]

Actually, my surprise was at the paper being available (i.e. not behind a firewall).

Open access publications are a lot more common these days - ever since the government realized it was spending public money for scientists to do research that ended up behind big publisher paywalls, instead of being available to the public.