Scientists have discovered new forces behind mass extinctions in the past

A group of scientists discovered another force that may have contributed to a mass extinction event 250 million years ago

The study, published in the journal "Science Advances", looked at the End of Permian Mass Extinction (EPME), which was the most serious extinction event in the past 500 million years and wiped out 80% to 90% of species on land and sea

"When we look closely at the extinction of the geological record at the time, we found that the global environmental disaster at the end of the Permian may have multiple causes in marine and non-marine species," said Michael Rampino, a professor in the Department of Biology at New York University

For decades, scientists have been studying what caused this global ecological disaster.

The "Science Progress" team consists of more than 20 researchers, including scientists from Nanjing University, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, and Montclair State University.

Specifically, they discovered minerals and related deposits, especially copper and mercury, on the land of South China.

Rampino explained: "Atmospheric sulfuric acid aerosols from volcanic eruptions may have contributed to the rapid global cooling of several degrees, which was before the severe warming that occurred during the mass extinction at the end of the Permian

The research team’s findings indicate that the eruption of the Siberian shield was not the only cause of mass extinctions at the end of the Permian.