View Full Version : NEWS: Ancient oceans were half-dead?
Interesting reading:
Report: Ancient oceans were half dead (http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/science/06/12/ancient.oceans.ap/index.html)
I'm sure there's much more to this story than what's here... Interesting to think of our oceans as being so "lifeless" so long ago... the image of Darwin's fish crawling up on land always left me with the impression of vibrant life deep in the ancient oceans... Not to mention the strange, ancient-looking species that reside there today.
Fujisawas Sake
Jun 12, '03, 3:00pm
Tony,
Make sense, but you're right; ancient oceans had HUGE amounts of biodiversity. This article deals with the world billions of years ago, so don't down your imagination just yet... 8) . It does point to an interesting link between biodiversity and the amount of oxygen in the surrounding environs.
My take is this: If you think about it, the colonization of the deep by life occurred with relative ease and speed afterward. The niche opened, and we took it. Life found a way, as it always does.
I don't think the deep was so lifeless back then though. I have a feeling that there may be some findings dealing with extremophiles that are yet to be found. NASA's doing interesting work with those. Problem is, when dealing with billions of years the chemical traces tend to... well, vanish. Darn.
I am anxious to read Phil's take on this artice 8) .
Very cool article. Also, archaeologists believe they have found the tomb of Queen Nefertiri. Just thought that I should throw that in for all us Egyptologists.
Sushi and Sake,
John
Architeuthoceras
Jun 12, '03, 4:01pm
Some think they have evidence that life evolved around hydro-thermal vents, and then spread to the rest of the ocean, possibly as the oxygen level increased.
ANCIENT SEEPS IN THE MIDDLE CAMBRIAN BURGESS SHALE: PALEOECOLOGICAL AND EVOLUTIONARY IMPLICATIONS (http://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2001ESP/finalprogram/abstract_7622.htm)
:ammonite:
I promise I'll have a look at these....got a very busy couple of days coming up for once.
That's an interesting take on the Burgess Shale animals by the way. Perhaps life evolved on the suface (e.g stromatolites) and at deep water vents. Have to have a look at this one.