Shell-rich rocks trace a mostly upward climb in ocean life, with each mass extinction slashing both diversity and biomass ...

In a first-of-its-kind study, Stanford researchers have measured how the abundance of ocean life has changed over the past ...

Jellyfish are among Earth’s most ancient and resilient inhabitants, silently drifting through our oceans for over 650 million years. While dinosaurs, trilobites, and countless other species have ...

Jellyfish are among Earth’s most ancient and resilient inhabitants, silently drifting through our oceans for over 650 million years. While dinosaurs, trilobites, and countless other species have ...

Earth’s largest mass extinction, often referred to as the “Great Dying,” occurred about 252 million years ago. Massive volcanic eruptions triggered catastrophic climate changes that altered ...

“One of my favorite examples is that the Late Devonian extinction of massive reef systems removed the physical reef structures from shallow environments along coasts,” Cole says, “changing ...

I call the Late Devonian my favorite mass extinction primarily because it shows that humans are far from the only organism to remake the Earth. Before the Late Devonian mass extinction, life on ...

They died out towards the end of the Permian Period. Our own species has only been around 0.1% as long as trilobites lasted. The age of trilobites How trilobites actually evolved remains a mystery.

More information: Matthew S. Smart et al, The expansion of land plants during the Late Devonian contributed to the marine mass extinction, Communications Earth & Environment (2023).

Trilobites are "an extinct group of arthropods, animals with a hard shell and jointed legs," McCoy explained. Some trilobites were swimmers, but most crawled around on the sea floor.

Trilobites are "an extinct group of arthropods, animals with a hard shell and jointed legs," McCoy explained. Some trilobites were swimmers, but most crawled around on the sea floor.