Amber provides new insights into the evolution of Earth's atmosphere: Low oxygen levels for dinosaurs
Monday, November 18, 2013 - 10:30
in Paleontology & Archaeology
Scientists have reconstructed the composition of the Earth's atmosphere of the last 220 million years by analyzing modern and fossil plant resins. The results suggest that atmospheric oxygen was considerably lower in the Earth's geological past than previously assumed. This new study questions some of the current theories about the evolution of climate and life, including the causes for the gigantism of dinosaurs.