By: Adam Barr

Once upon a time...

Long long ago...

Once upon a time... Long long ago... Right here...

ON EARTH!!!!

We suffered a major tragedy. :’(

There was much sadness, death and destruction.

The scariest part of it

The scariest part of it, is that it could happen again.

It could happen again.

It could happen again.

It could happen again.

And if it did happen again...

Even the lolrus would be lost forever...

And a world without lolrus is a world without love.

[A moment of silence for the lolrus]

But enough about lolrus.

Let’s examine some myths, facts and theories surrounding Mass Extinction.

Permian Era This era stretched from 290 to 248 Million Years Ago Last period of the Paleozoic Era

Permian Era This era stretched from 290 to 248 Million Years Ago (MILLION YEARS!!!!) Last period of the Paleozoic Era (The era just before the dinosaurs)

Permian Era 95% of all ocean animals died 70% of all land animals died Many insects and plans also died out

BUT WHAT CAUSED THE MASS EXTINCTION?!

Reasons? Because we cannot travel back in time, it is very difficult to accurately know what really happened.

Reasons? Possible reasons include: Volcanic eruptions Asteroid impacts Changes in atmospheric conditions

Volcanic Eruptions If there were enough volcanic eruptions, the sky could have been covered in a dark cloud, therefore limiting the sunlight reaching the surface and causing a chain reaction of plant and animal extinction up the food chain.

Asteroid Impacts If a large enough asteroid impacted with Earth, the resulting force could be larger than an atomic bomb. The force could create tsunamis and earthquakes and release a dark cloud covering the Earth.

Atmospheric Conditions With both the volcano and impact theories there is the potential for gases to be released into the atmosphere leading to a change in the oxygen levels and killing off animals.

Cretaceous-Tertiary Era Also known as the K-T Extinction, the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction is the famous one that killed off the dinosaurs about 65 million years ago

Cretaceous-Tertiary Era Much like the Permian Era extinction, there is no exact way of knowing what caused the extinction to happen.

Cretaceous-Tertiary Era A long-standing theory is that the atmosphere changed and slowly killed off the plants because of a lack of photosynthesis. Without plants, plant eaters couldn’t survive and without plant eaters, meat eaters would have nothing to eat either.

Humans Too?! Mass extinction isn’t simply an idea from the past; it is very possible to experience another episode of it again.

Humans Too?! With the rising levels of greenhouse gases and melting ice caps, it is possible that we might face some of the same conditions that killed off the dinosaurs.

Humans Too?! In addition to the factors that lead to the previous mass extinctions, we also have hazards that are being created by humans.

Preventable Causes Atomic bombs Pollution New viruses Unknown impacts of genetically modified foods Rain forest clear cutting

BUT... Don’t be sad! This is why it is amazing to be who we are. Unlike the dinosaurs or other animals that are extinct now, we have a chance to correct some of our potential problems.

BUT... Don’t be sad! This is why it is amazing to be who we are. Unlike the dinosaurs or other animals that are extinct now, we have a chance to correct some of our potential problems. And even if we can’t fix it, we can at least appreciate what we have before it is gone. That is awesome in itself.

Love.