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Global cooling may have spawned complex life on Earth mongabay.com February 13, 2007
Writing in the peer-reviewed, open-access, online publication, a team of Finnish scientists propose "a new climate-biosphere interaction mechanism" for explaining the rise of multicellular animals about 540 million years ago. According to their theory, cold conditions during the Neoproterozoic period 600-800 million years ago, were "due to low carbon dioxide concentration brought about by strong algal growth in the oceans," as stated in a news release from the Public Library of Science. "The algal growth was maintained by the lack of grazing animals and the ability of cold seawater to mix and transport nutrients efficiently. A moderately high seawater oxygen concentration developed as a byproduct of the algal growth. This enabled diffusive breathing of primitive multicellulars which were larger than their unicellular counterparts. The ability of cold water to contain more dissolved oxygen also helped the multicellulars to thrive."
Citation: Janhunen P, Kaartokallio H, Oksanen I, Lehto K, Lehton H (2007) Biological Feedbacks as Cause and Demise of Neoproterozoic Icehouse: Astrobiological Prospects for Faster Evolution and Importance of Cold Conditions. PLoS ONE 2(2): e214. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000214 This article uses quotes and information from a PLOS news release. Comments? News options SHARE THIS ARTICLE:
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