6th Mass Extinction In Progress - 2012 Coming True?

I have recently discovered what I think is pretty important stuff...to all of the human race, I did an ATS search and couldn't seem to find anything similar...weird...has anyone here heard of something like this?

Mass extinction comes every 62 million years, UC physicists discover

With surprising and mysterious regularity, life on Earth has flourished and vanished in cycles of mass extinction every 62 million years, say two UC Berkeley scientists who discovered the pattern after a painstaking computer study of fossil records going back for more than 500 million years.

Their findings are certain to generate a renewed burst of speculation among scientists who study the history and evolution of life. Each period of abundant life and each mass extinction has itself covered at least a few million years -- and the trend of biodiversity has been rising steadily ever since the last mass extinction, when dinosaurs and millions of other life forms went extinct about 65 million years ago.

Earth faces sixth mass extinction

The Earth may be on the brink of a sixth mass extinction on a par with the five others that have punctuated its history, suggests the strongest evidence yet.

Butterflies in Britain are going extinct at an even greater rate than birds, according to the most comprehensive study ever of butterflies, birds, and plants.

There is growing concern over the rate at which species of plants and animals are disappearing around the world. But until now the evidence for such extinctions has mainly come from studies of birds. "The doubters could always turn around and say that there's something peculiar about birds that makes them susceptible to the impact of man on the environment," says Jeremy Greenwood of the British Trust for Ornithology in Norfolk, and one of the research team.

Now there is concrete evidence that insects - which account for more than half the described species on Earth, are disappearing faster than birds.

The Current Mass Extinction

The phrase mass extinction usually brings to mind events sparked by dramatic environmental change, such as the asteroid impact that led to the demise of the dinosaurs and many other species 65 million years ago. In fact, five such large-scale extinctions have been identified in the fossil record, and according to findings presented on Friday at the annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology in Mexico City, another is under way.

Scientists agree world faces mass extinction

(CNN) -- The complex web of life on Earth, what scientists call "biodiversity," is in serious trouble.

Fastest mass extinction in Earth history

Seven out of 10 biologists believe the world is now in the midst of the fastest mass extinction of living things in the 4.5 billion-year history of the planet, according to a poll conducted by the American Museum of Natural History and the Louis Harris survey research firm.

That makes it faster even than the crash which occurred when the dinosaurs died some 65 million years ago.

Scientists warn of mass extinction

Remember the dinosaurs? Kings of the hill for 150 million years, then phttt, gone, poster animals of mass extinction. There have actually been five mass extinctions in the Earth's past — and we're well on our way to number six, says Peter Raven, an expert in plant conservation.

Warning sounded on decline of species

Scientists have produced the first comprehensive evidence that the diversity of butterflies, birds and plants is in decline in the UK. They say their research supports the argument that mass extinction threatens life on Earth.

UNPRECEDENTED EXTINCTION RATE

The world's species face an unprecedented crisis. The rate at which they are being lost is alarming, even when compared with the extinction episode of 70 million years ago when the dinosaurs disappeared. No-one knows exactly what the current extinction rate is, but recent calculations by leading scientists put it at between 1,000 and 10,000 times greater than it would naturally be.

World wildlife warning

A report by two international scientific groups says global wildlife faces the greatest extinction risk since the dinosaurs disappeared.

The Current Mass Extinction

Is the biosphere today on the verge of anything like the mass extinctions of the geological past? Could some equivalent of meteorite impacts or dramatic climate change be underway, as humankind's rapid destruction of natural habitats forces animals and plants out of existence?

Increasingly, researchers are doing the numbers, and saying, yes, if present trends continue, a mass extinction is very likely underway. The evidence is pieced together from details drawn from all over the world, but it adds up to a disturbing picture.

This website contains hundreds of extinction related links, some of which, I have used here: MASS EXTINCTION UNDERWAY

Is everything seeming to slowly come together? Why is there a 65 million year extinction cycle? Why is this being kept so quiet? Is this a sign of 2012, and hard times ahead? What are the thoughts on all this?

[edit on 4/3/09 by CHA0S]

I first learned about the 65 million year extinction cycle at University. We got told that the next one is overdue, but really we're sitting in it right now. The drop in species we're experiencing through our own effects on the earth is more rapid and dramatic than the others. Now that's a scary thought. Scientist spend time figuring out what caused the mass extiction at the time of the dinosaurs, while we're causing one ourselves.

But what if the current drop in biodiversity isn't it? What if there's another phenomenon still to come? We might be talking 90%+ of biodiversity loss and us going the same way as the dinosaurs.

I think the dinosaurs actually got hit with a few small natural disasters, such as volcanic eruptions, and this coupled with the comet, caused such huge extinction levels (I think that's the accepted theory?). But why is there such a prominent 65 million year cycle being seen? We as humans are acting like volcanic eruptions, we are erupting all over the place, and spewing out more and more harmful substances that destroy the ecosystem. I think though, that there is something big every 65 million years, and if you couple this with other things, such as what we are doing to the Earth, absolute devastation of most species will occur.

I personally think there is a 65 million year cycle as to when we pass through the galactic belt, although I'm not sure if scientists have an estimation for how long this takes. I assume that in the galactic belt, where 90% of the galaxy's mass is located, there are extremely high chances of being hit by a comet or meteorite...or what ever you want to call big chunks of rock zipping through space...and I also think all the extra mass around our galaxy creates gravitational disturbances that could lead to Jupiter and other planets becoming not so good shields for Earth. I think scientists are already seeing all sorts of anomalies in the orbits of satellites and planets, although I'm not to sure as to how true this is either.

[edit on 4/3/09 by CHA0S]

[edit on 4/3/09 by CHA0S]

I agree with you about the 65 million year cycle and mass extinctions. The tree ring records and the ice core and sediment core analysis studies do show that catastrophic events affecting the climate and living things on earth have happened in the past. Extinction level events have happened on a regular basis as well, although thousands of years apart, and do seem to be cyclical.

That said, I think the insect, bird, fish, and plant extinctions have more to do with all the pollution that is going on in the world due to the chemicals and heavy metals we are putting into the environment and our atmosphere.

The bee die off has been connected to GM plants and especially to the use of herbicides created by Monsanto. Scientists have recently discovered that chemicals in our water systems are actually changing male aquatic animal's sexuality into something not quite male, and not quite female, which would surely challenge the reproduction of species. (And this is affecting human males as well.)

What it comes down to is MONEY, rather than good stewardship of the planet and it's resources. Of course, the ordinary man and woman is being blamed for this when it is the corporations and industries causing the pollution, and the governments, that allow it to happen.

edited to add: the possibility of something catastrophic happening due to asteroids, comets, pole shift, the galactic alignment, or a super volcano exploding are things we really can't do much about, except pray!!!



[edit on 4-3-2009 by sezsue]

There is a difference between the previous five and the supposed comming one, and that is we have the ability to fathom the dangers, and hopefully try and do something about it.

IMO however, I believe everything that is happening now, is down to Mother Nature, she seems to be a lot pissed that we are destroying her, and her creations, seems like we have been getting warnings for a long time, but have failed miserably, simply because we have all put the wrong people in charge, even now they couldn't agree what to eat in a pizza hut, never mind agree that the World is in trouble, and we don't have time for all the back handers to change hands.

Then we have the politicians trying to convince us all we need to pay a carbon tax, as if that is going to fix anything, also I cant see what benefit they can possibly gain by making lots of money, where are they going to spend it?, do they think building a huge expensive bunker funded by the tax will save them? I doubt it, if Nature don't want you there then your gone, and I cant see her keeping those who ignored it, conned everyone, and then hide away.

We have zero option but to stop what we do now, every single scenario recently, from WW3 to giant meteorite and every thing else, will first get rid of our technology, and we are too reliant on it, myself included, only a very small % of the modern world know how to hunt, kill, and cook food in the wild, so yes I guess we are heading straight down the throat of Extinction.

And all we seem to able to do is talk about it.

Thanks for the replies. It all makes so little sense. How we let something to continue just because of MONEY yet at the same time, continuing on this path will leave us with nothing, it will destroy our species and money along with it. What is the logic behind this? Are we really that stupid?

[edit on 5/3/09 by CHA0S]

I forgot to add that scientists are apparently detecting a rise in cosmic radiation hitting the Earth. Anyway...I just found some good stuff linking our movement through the galaxy to the 62 million year cycle...

Does the Milky Way Influence Earth's Biodiversity Cycles? Research Says "Yes" and QuantcastOut-of-This-World Hypothesis: Cosmic Forces Control Life on Earth

Research has revealed that the rise and fall of species on Earth seems to be driven by the undulating motions of our solar system as it travels through the Milky Way. Some scientists believe that this cosmic force may offer the answer to some of the biggest questions in our Earth’s biological history—especially where evolution has fallen short.

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley found that marine fossil records show that biodiversity increases and decreases based on a 62-million-year cycle. At least two of the Earth's great mass extinctions-the Permian extinction 250 million years ago and the Ordovician extinction about 450 million years ago-correspond with peaks of this cycle, which can't be explained by evolutionary theory.

Early last year, a team of researchers at the University of Kansas came up with an out-of-this-world explanation for the phenomenon. Their idea hinges upon the fact that stars move through space and sometimes rush headlong through galaxies, or approach closely enough to cause a brief cosmic tryst.

Our own star moves toward and away from the Milky Way's center, and also up and down through the galactic plane. One complete up-and-down cycle takes 64 million years- suspiciously close to the Earth's biodiversity cycle.

Once the researchers independently confirmed the biodiversity cycle, they then proposed a novel mechanism whereby which the Sun's galactic travels is causing it.

South side of Milky Way may protect us from cosmic rays and mass extinctions

As the Earth’s solar system travels around the center of the Milky Way galaxy, it also wobbles up and down from the galaxy’s disc. U.S. scientists found that these swings take about 62 million years to complete—thus, may expose the Earth to higher doses of dangerous cosmic ray that may also cause mass extinctions.

[edit on 5/3/09 by CHA0S]

If we can notice that the numbers of birds and other animals are falling, it it scientifically silly to talk about "62 million" years cycle...We should not be able to notice any difference in our lifetime. Obviously, those who believe in evolution theory, always like to use "carbon dating" as a confirmed scientific method, which it IS NOT. "Evolution theory" is just another religion, more widespread than any other.

Still, it is a concern if birds and animals are dissapearing...but nobody mentions wireless communications, chemtrails, packaging industry (people should grow their own food, rather than bying packages filled with chemicals, thus creating a HUGE pollution effect).
They will never mention the true reason for the pollution - capitalistic greed. It is not that "consumers" are driving this, they are pure victims. It is those with huge profits that are causing the pollution in the world.




[edit on 5-3-2009 by greshnik]

Originally posted by greshnik
Obviously, those who believe in evolution theory, always like to use "carbon dating" as a confirmed scientific method, which it IS NOT. "Evolution theory" is just another religion, more widespread than any other.

Although I agree with most of what you say, even though I don't want to get off topic, I have to say that evolution is very provable and testable. We have seen multiple adaptions in different species over the years. You can grow bacteria, and note obvious changes and adaptions they make to their new environment, and any chemicals we might spray them with, in a fairly short time. Why do you think you must complete a full course of antibiotics? Because if you don't, it's possible the infection adapts to the medication, and that medication then becomes useless, it's what happened with AIDS. To claim evolution is a "religion" is absolute blasphemy, it's obvious, it's logical, and it makes perfect sense. It's survival of the fittest.

Good work CHAOS. Flagged and starred.

I started posting on the 6th mass extinction here in 2004. Others have as well.

Here is a selection from the 1st page of my search, with one of my favorite quotes at the end.



Humans Included in the 6th Mass Extinction? (2004)

The Sixth Extinction (2006)

Is Bird Flu Killing All Those Whales?

Biologists baffled as millions of penguins vanish

Bird Flu. Disease? Or Evolutionary Change?


The viruses that make us: a role for endogenous retrovirus in the evolution of placental species

The viruses that make us:
a role for endogenous retrovirus in the evolution of placental species

We currently think of a virus as an agent that necessarily reduce host fitness and generally cause disease, together with other pathogenic microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi. ...viruses can also invent systems of molecular genetic identity and superimpose a new combined identity onto the infected host. In so doing, a virus can allow the host itself to adapt to the environment and evolve quickly, providing a creative force that the host may further develop into systems of identity and immunity that can contribute directly to host evolution.

...the genomes of placental mammals are also highly infected with retroviruses found only in their genomes (endogenous) and because retroviruses are generally immunosuppressive, I examine the possibility that the embryo is acting like an infectious agent that produces virus to suppress the mother's immune system.

...parasitic viral-like genomes may represent one of the primary mechanisms for the evolution of higher order living systems.

Interesting stuff, although I can't say I understand most of it......I think I get the basic gist of it though.

Funny though, you can get onto AOL daily and see a new species they have found somewhere in the world (most times they find several new different ones at once) and they also find some species that they thought were extinct until they found them again. It is very confusing what is going on on BOTH ends of the spectrum....

Hmmmm....I thought you guys on ATS would have a lot more to say about this...is it really that insignificant...or is it just to...real? This is big, we shouldn't ignore it.

[edit on 10/3/09 by CHA0S]

reply to post by CHA0S


I think you're right this is big news, but to be honest I think people need more of a slap in the face to get them to notice something rather than a very long drawn out eventuality.

I can't remember who mentioned about other species still being found and that is something that intrigues me aswell, it may not be that things are being wiped out so to speak but some of the species are moving on to greater things?

Either way definitely significant

Scary stuff. Reminds me of all the talk about bees disappearing I heard about last year. Probably nothing we can do to prevent it now. Maybe if the governments of the world had focused on important things like the condition of our planet, the things living on it, and science for reasons other than war technologies, maybe we could have found away out of this. But instead the world focuses on useless drivel, like war, money, and reality tv.

Originally posted by ItsallCrazy
reply to post by CHA0S

 

I think you're right this is big news, but to be honest I think people need more of a slap in the face to get them to notice something rather than a very long drawn out eventuality.

Originally posted by Winsor
Scary stuff. Reminds me of all the talk about bees disappearing I heard about last year. Probably nothing we can do to prevent it now. Maybe if the governments of the world had focused on important things like the condition of our planet, the things living on it, and science for reasons other than war technologies, maybe we could have found away out of this. But instead the world focuses on useless drivel, like war, money, and reality tv.

Yes, very, very true, but the thing I found most significant about all this, is that there seems to be a 62 Million year cycle related to mass extinctions...and the last was what, 65 million years ago...and we pass through the galactic belt in 2012, which also has around a 64 million up-down cycle, and the Mayan calender ends 2012 (gotta throw that calender in). The pieces of this puzzle seem to fit together perfectly.

I actually had it wrong to start with, I thought one half a cycle took 62 million years, so we would pass through the galactic belt every 62 million years, but I see now that it's the entire up down cycle. This actually makes things a whole lot worse, as it isn't the passing through the galactic belt that we should be worried about...

I actually think, that on one side of the galactic belt, there is something that makes it hard for life to survive...not quite sure what...scientists say that when we go through the galactic belt, there are large amounts of radiation coming from the "shock-waves" that come from the movement of our galaxy, just like the bow shock caused by our solar systems movement through the galaxy.
www.dailygalaxy.com...

Adrian Melott and his colleague Mikhail Medvedev, speculate that as the Milky Way rushes towards the Virgo Cluster, it generates a so-called bow shock in front of it that is similar to the shock wave created by a supersonic jet.

"Our solar system has a shock wave around it, and it produces a good quantity of the cosmic rays that hit the Earth. Why shouldn't the galaxy have a shock wave, too?" Melott asks.

So the side we are on now is safe, but for some reason, the other side isn't, and when we move past the galactic belt, onto the other side, we go from easy living conditions, to hard living conditions, and bam, mass extinction.
www.dailygalaxy.com...

Normally, our galaxy's magnetic field shields our solar system from this "galactic wind." But every 64 million years, the solar system's cyclical travels take it above the galactic plane.

"When we emerge out of the disk, we have less protection, so we become exposed to many more cosmic rays," Melott has said.

Some life adapts and survives, and slowly adapts until we go back through, onto the other side, at which stage, we should see a boom in the development of life as we come back into easy living conditions. I would like to look at some information on mass extinctions, to try and find jumps in the development of life on Earth, theoretically, halfway between every mass extinction.

So anyway, sorry for the gloom and doom scenario, but that's my take on it.


[edit on 13/3/09 by CHA0S]

Here a bunch of links to various scientific journal articles on the correlation of galactic events and mass extinctions.

www.springerlink.com...
www.pnas.org...
journals.cambridge.org...
www.journals.uchicago.edu...
www.journals.uchicago.edu...
www.journals.uchicago.edu...
www.americanscientist.org...
www.thescientificworld.co.uk...

Sorry for the quick dump but I figure people would like to see the science themselves. We can expect more extinctions and climate change over the next several thousand years regardless of human activity.

reply to post by Quest


Yes, this thread was actually more aimed towards mass extinction that isn't the fault of us humans (that's a shock), I was actually more focusing on the relation between our cosmic cycle and these mass extinctions that seem to be happening in a consistent cycle of 62 million years. This is very important stuff, and we are all just sitting around, not even examining what's going on here. Well, scientists are, but I suspect there is very few people who actually know of this, and how significant the data, evidence and facts involved actually are.


[edit on 12/3/09 by CHA0S]

Originally posted by CHA0S
I think the dinosaurs actually got hit with a few small natural disasters, such as volcanic eruptions, and this coupled with the comet, caused such huge extinction levels (I think that's the accepted theory?). But why is there such a prominent 65 million year cycle being seen? We as humans are acting like volcanic eruptions, we are erupting all over the place, and spewing out more and more harmful substances that destroy the ecosystem. I think though, that there is something big every 65 million years, and if you couple this with other things, such as what we are doing to the Earth, absolute devastation of most species will occur.

I personally think there is a 65 million year cycle as to when we pass through the galactic belt, although I'm not sure if scientists have an estimation for how long this takes. I assume that in the galactic belt, where 90% of the galaxy's mass is located, there are extremely high chances of being hit by a comet or meteorite...or what ever you want to call big chunks of rock zipping through space...and I also think all the extra mass around our galaxy creates gravitational disturbances that could lead to Jupiter and other planets becoming not so good shields for Earth. I think scientists are already seeing all sorts of anomalies in the orbits of satellites and planets, although I'm not to sure as to how true this is either.

[edit on 4/3/09 by CHA0S]

[edit on 4/3/09 by CHA0S]

Maybe it is a larger cycle of life that we can't comprehend that just is. Once a species or dominant type of animal is in power for so long they get spread out so much and have been living that way so long that naturally they wipe themselves out.

That along with multiple incidents happening could possibly hasten it.

It's probably something so simple yet so vast of a scale of it that we can't comprehend.

reply to post by LucidDreamer85

Yes, maybe so, I also thought of the scenario you have stated, but it seems highly unlikely that we would see such a consistent 62 million year cycle. Scroll up a bit to read the theory I recently posted if you haven't, I think it begins explains the phenomena fairly well.

[edit on 14/3/09 by CHA0S]