Human civilisation behaving like ancient ‘engineer’ organisms that wiped out life on Earth, scientists warn
Doomsday boffins say the planet's SIXTH mass extinction may already be underway
Scientists have claimed ancient "engineer" organisms wiped out life on Earth and said there's a "powerful analogy" with the effect humans are having on the planet.
Researchers set out to explore what caused the end-Ediacaran extinction, which took place 540 million years ago and changed the course of life on Earth forever.
They found evidence which suggests this prehistoric apocalypse was actually caused by the arrival of a new type of organism.
The academics fear humanity is already having a similarly profound effect on other lifeforms.
Darroch and his team focused their research on a type of organism called Ediacarans, which disappeared with the arrival of very early types of animals.
Simon Darroch, assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences at Vanderbilt University, said: "These new species were 'ecological engineers' who changed the environment in ways that made it more and more difficult for the Ediacarans to survive.
"The end-Ediacaran extinction shows that the evolution of new behaviors can fundamentally change the entire planet, and today we humans are the most powerful 'ecosystems engineers' ever known."
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It is believed modern animals have their roots in the Explosion, but this incredible event spelled doom for the Ediacarans.
The academics have found a brand new site which appears to show the Ediacarans living alongside the primitive animals for a brief period before dying off.
Darroch added: "In general, these new fossil sites reveal a snapshot of a very unusual 'transitional' ecosystem... with the last of the Ediacarans clinging on for grim death, just as modern-looking animals are diversifying and starting to realise their potential."
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