Triassic Period Archives - Astrobiology

(a) Remote sensing satellite image of Gongzhuco; (b) Remote sensing satellite image of Nare; (c) Remote sensing satellite image of Tarenben; (d) Remote sensing satellite and field photograph (inset) of Nadong; (e) Conglomerate from Gufeng; (f) Conglomerate from Maqiaco; (g) Picritic basalt from Gufeng; (h) Basalt from Gufeng; (i) Tuff from Nadong. Ol, olivine; Px, pyroxene. -- Geology

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extinction events, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report

Key Drivers Of Recurrent Extinction In The Triassic

by Keith CowingJanuary 30, 2026January 30, 2026

Mass extinctions are extremely catastrophic events on Earth. Throughout Earth’s evolutionary history, numerous mass extinctions have occurred, with five major mass extinctions being particularly representative.

Alkaline limited regime (left) leads to slow climate recovery. Reef space collapse (right) stimulates nannoplankton productivity and climate recovery. Credit: Tristan Salles/PNAS/USYD

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Coral Reefs Have Stabilized Earth’s Carbon Cycle For The Past 250 Million Years

by Keith CowingDecember 2, 2025December 2, 2025

Coral reefs have long been celebrated as biodiversity hotspots – but new research shows they have also played a much deeper role: conducting the rhythm of Earth’s carbon and climate […]

A total of 154 genomes were analysed to infer HGs and reconstruct ancestral states. Each bar chart represents one terrestrial event node and its three immediate ancestors. For each node, five categories of HGs are quantified: novel, novel core, expanded, contracted and lost. The y axis indicates the number of HGs in each category of each clade. Organism silhouettes (sourced from phylopic.org and the authors, released under public domain dedication (CC0 1.0 Universal)) represent 11 terrestrial events. -- Nature

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

How Did Earth’s Animal Life Transition From Aquatic To Terrestrial Environments?

by Keith CowingNovember 22, 2025November 22, 2025

The transition from aquatic to terrestrial life has been one of the most significant evolutionary challenges. This decisive process in the evolution of life on Earth required a profound renewal […]

Magnification: 160x, bright field (negative image), stacked image Fundort / Site: Barbados Alter / Age: approx. 32-35 million years (late Eocene - early Oligocene) Präparation / Preparation: Andreas Drews Radiolarians are unicellulars of diameter 0.1–0.2 mm that produce intricate mineral skeletons, typically with a central capsule dividing the cell into the inner and outer portions of endoplasm and ectoplasm.The elaborate mineral skeleton is usually made of silica. They are found as zooplankton throughout the ocean, and their skeletal remains make up a large part of the cover of the ocean floor as siliceous ooze. Due to their rapid turn-over of species, they represent an important diagnostic fossil found from the Cambrian onwards. -- Wikipedia

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report, Stellar Cartography, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Cosmic Radiation Drives Quasi-periodic Changes In The Diversity Of Siliceous Marine Microplankton

by Keith CowingFebruary 15, 2024

Radiolarians are significant contributors to the oceanic primary productivity and the global silica cycle in the last 500 Myr. Their diversity throughout the Phanerozoic shows periodic fluctuations.

A schematic illustrating the cause of the late-Triassic mass extinction. ©Kunio Kaiho et al.

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Extinction events, Fossils & Paleontology, Press Release

Low Volcanic Temperature Ushered In Global Cooling And The Thriving Of Dinosaurs

by Keith CowingJanuary 31, 2022November 30, 2023

Researchers in Japan, Sweden, and the US have unearthed evidence that low volcanic temperatures led to the fourth mass extinction, enabling dinosaurs to flourish during the Jurassic period.