Evolution (Introduction)

by dhw, Monday, January 03, 2011, 22:54 (5071 days ago) @ David Turell

DAVID: Evolution occurred, but how is now becoming a major question.-An article in The Guardian while I was away reported amazing fossil finds in south-west China dating from after the mass extinction 252 million years ago at the end of the Permian period, when about 96% of marine species and 70% of land vertebrates were wiped out. (I wonder how they get such figures). The following statements leap off the page:-"The loss of so many species at the end of the Permian gave new creatures the chance to thrive."-"Part of it is a rebuilding of the ecosystem from the grim survivors, but there are also opportunities for new groups. There were no marine reptiles before the extinction but this gave them a way in."-My question is: where the heck did these new creatures spring from?