Mammals' Lucky Space Impact

BBC ^ | 6-19-2003 | Paul Rincon

[AntiGuv]

Ping!

[Dog Gone]

I always thought that the demise of the dinosaurs left a vaccuum that mammals filled.

[Eaker]

It is known from the composition of rocks and marine sediments laid down at the Palaeocene-Eocene boundary that global temperatures at the time rose by around 6 degrees Celsius in less than 1,000 years - an event known as the thermal maximum.

If the temperature during Minnisota's winter went up 11 degrees F., wouldn't it still be kinda cold?

Eaker

[PatrickHenry]

Another impact thread. [This ping list is for the evolution side of evolution threads, and sometimes for other science topics. FReepmail me to be added or dropped.]

[onedoug]

No conflict with Torah, here.

[RightWhale]

the demise of the dinosaurs left a vaccuum that mammals filled

There were mammals at the time of the dinosaurs, but they were small and hardly dominant and were inadvertently eaten along with leaves and berries. Apparently they adapted to whatever conditions wiped out most of the dinosaurs, and not being snacked upon nearly as often provided them great happiness and they thrived.

[Dog Gone]

they were small and hardly dominant and were inadvertently eaten along with leaves and berries

Not to mention, stepped upon.

[blam]

"I always thought that the demise of the dinosaurs left a vaccuum that mammals filled."

I did too. But, apparently it was a little later, like 10 million years.

[Aric2000]

and not being snacked upon nearly as often provided them great happiness and they thrived.


LOL, that was too good!!

[Dog Gone]

That's what's cool about early earth history. 10 million years is "a little bit later."

George W Bush was elected in 2000 A.D. A little bit later in 10,000,000 A.D., a Democrat finally won the Presidency...

[Focault's Pendulum]

Once again thanks for the ping.....but none of this explains why my Black Lab is as smart as a bag of rocks.

[donh]

Whose happier? You or your black lab? Brains ain't all their cracked up to be. Can you spot a pheasant dead on in a bunch of reeds at 200 feet, and point at it dead still in freezing water for 10 minutes or more?

[Alas Babylon!]

Good find! I've heard that during this time there were no ice caps on the poles except in winter. Mammals could have migrated across the North America-Greenland--Europe land bridge as well as the Asia-North America land bridge. Palms grew as far North as 55 Degrees.

[blam]

120 million years ago Africa and South America were connected. I wonder what things looked like 55 million years ago. I'll be a lot more things were 'connected' then.

[Grut]

Not to mention, stepped upon.

Good practice for evolving into woodchucks and armadillos, though.

[Mike Darancette]

If the temperature during Minnisota's winter went up 11 degrees F., wouldn't it still be kinda cold?

Yes but how many more days a year would the temperature rise above the freezing level? How much later in the year would the freeze begin and how much earlier the thaw?

[Eaker]

Yes but how many more days a year would the temperature rise above the freezing level? How much later in the year would the freeze begin and how much earlier the thaw?

The increase also took a thousand years.

Are you going to move to an extremely cold place and then wait a thousand years for it to warm up?

Eaker

[stanz]

...and not being snacked upon nearly as often provided them great happiness and they thrived.

Not to mention overtook the planet when they were no longer dino delectables.

[Mike Darancette]

Are you going to move to an extremely cold place and then wait a thousand years for it to warm up?

No, but your descendants would. Every generation could move a little farthur North.

A little historical fact is that the Inuits and Europeans made it to Greenland at just about the same time, during a warm period in earth's history.