How often do mass extinctions occur?

According to biologists, our planet has survived fivemass extinctions. The reality is that more than 90 percent of all organisms that have ever lived on Earth have become extinct. According to recent research, a cycle of 26 million years linking comet rain and global extinction does exist. Should we worry about this and not make plans for the future?

What happened to the dinosaurs?

The conditions on Earth at the time of the death of the dinosaurs were,to say the least, so-so. Their disappearance has given rise to many theories suggesting that the ancestors of modern birds were bombarded with giant comets, burned with lava, flooded with an incredible tsunami, or that they simply suffered from a supernova explosion, and possibly even froze during the ice age.

However, the prevailing theory of todayThe death of dinosaurs says that 66 million years ago a giant asteroid or comet fell to Earth. And new evidence was discovered in her favor - scientists have found that there is a connection between cyclic rains from comets and mass extinctions of wildlife.

Note to builders: Is it possible to build a city on an asteroid?

Michael Rampino, a geologist from New YorkUniversity, and Ken Caldeira, an atmospheric scientist at the Carnegie Institute of Science, traced the history of mass extinctions over 260 million years and found a familiar picture: comets fall on Earth every 26 million years, and then extinction occurs.

Why is it raining from comets?

According to the theory of Rampino and Caldeira, showersare due to the fact that the sun and planets of the solar system pass through the middle of our galaxy every 26 million years. In the heart of the Milky Way there are many diverse cosmic bodies and dust. When the sun crosses this area, it destroys the huge clouds of cosmic dust. These clouds, in turn, knock comets from orbit, sending them to Earth.

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When will the next rain come from comets?

If Rampio and Caldeira are right, the next rain fromcomets and the subsequent mass extinction will not take long. At least by geological standards. Our small solar system crossed the middle of the galaxy about 2 million years ago, and now we are again moving in the right direction.

Despite the fact that scientists cannot 100percent to predict the next fall of a comet or asteroid, it is still believed that the celestial body that destroyed the dinosaurs was at least outstanding, even by the standards of mass extinction.

Do you think there are ways to protect our planet from the rain of comets and asteroids?