Life on the earth grows by colliding with meteorites

Scientists still believe that meteorites are the main cause of the extinction of most marine species 250 million years ago and dinosaurs 65 million years ago. However, another theory is that meteorite collisions are related to the explosion of biological diversity 470 million years ago, during the Ordovician period. Within a few million years, the number of seabirds and other species has increased three to four times.

Birger Schmitz, a geologist at Lund University, Sweden, who pursued this hypothesis for 10 years, declared the evidence his team found to be very unique.'It seems that many people will think this is ridiculous, but everyone should remember to assume that the dinosaurs are extinct because meteorites also face opposition when they are first introduced.'

Just before the Ordovician period, two celestial bodies in the asteroid belt collided and were broken into meteorite sized sizes of Manhattan Island and superfine dust in the solar system. Schmitz adds, about 20% of the meteor that people see today comes from the collision. L-chondrite meteorite is also born from this collision and is the most common type falling to Earth.

(Artwork: Endoftime2012.com) These meteorites contain a unique form of chromium radioactivity, so the team of Schmitz can determine exactly when, frequency, and number of these fragments collided with Earth. Schmitz said: 'We found that the physical form of meteor greatly increased, about 100 times, close to the time when biodiversity increased. This is a remarkable event that we should not ignore. "

Although these two events happen strangely in succession, scientists still have to learn more evidence about each of the implications of the collision and biodiversity.

Schmitz and his colleagues took up to 15 years to collect data as a basis for this finding, including the use of acid to corrode, nearly a ton of rock found from all over Earth to filter out each sample. chromium one. The researchers compared meteorological data with plant and animal fossils and discovered events that occurred before biodiversity exploded in a short time.

Schmitz is uncertain about the level of impact needed for meteorites to make life on Earth develop, but he thinks this facilitates the evolution of organisms to adapt to the new environment. Biology has documented many cases of primitive organisms that must be modified to adapt to the environment, according to Schmitz, the creature living on the earth during that period of time has formed the skill to survive the collision. He also explained that evolution is a two-sided process, which makes some species extinct but also promotes new species to flourish .

Assuming that life on Earth grew leaps and bounds 470 million years ago due to the collision with the celestial body, it is still not valid, but the connection between important events on the earth and in the universe is still attractive. immensely with scientists. Schmitz believes that the history of the earth has many mysteries and the relationship of life on earth to the universe is similar to that of science at the beginning.