Our Solar System Is Terminally Unstable and Will Be Completely Destroyed, Study Finds
A new scientific study suggests that the first animals on Earth appeared approximately 800 million years ago, significantly earlier than previously thought. The article also touches on broader scientific discussions regarding the stability of the solar system and the evolution of life.
Why it matters
Refining the timeline of animal evolution helps scientists better understand the history of life on Earth and the environmental conditions that allowed complex organisms to emerge.
Welcome back to the Abstract! These are the studies this week that searched for the ur-animals, wandered the poles, rained on Mars, and destroyed the solar system.
First, scientists present new evidence that the first animals appeared more than 800 million years ago, a truly ancient origin that suggests our metazoan ancestors survived a period known as Snowball Earth, when our planet is thought to have been nearly completely frozen. Then: Earth’s poles won’t sit still, the sepulchral stuff of life, and a dramatically shortened lifespan for our solar neighborhood.
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Durbin, Orin Lole et al. “Re-evaluating molecular clock maximum age calibrations revives pre-Ediacaran divergence estimates for animals.” Science Advances.
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