Researchers report multimillion-year rhythms in the species evolution and extinction rates of graptoloids, a major animal plankton group during the early Paleozoic Era, about 480-420 million years ago, that are associated with periodic oscillations in Earth's motion through space, suggesting that astronomical processes influenced the evolution of early complex life on Earth.
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Article #17-14342: "Pacing of Paleozoic macroevolutionary rates by Milankovitch grand cycles," by James S. Crampton et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: James S. Crampton, GNS Science, Lower Hutt, NEW ZEALAND; tel: +64-27-264-4306; e-mail: <j.crampton@gns.cri.nz>
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences