The Great Dying

Catastrophe - The Permian Extinction

The Permian--Triassic extinction event, informally known as the Great Dying, was an extinction event that occurred 252 million years ago, forming the boundary between the Permian and Triassic geologic periods, as well as the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras. It is the Earth's most severe known extinction event, with up to 96% of all marine species and 70% of terrestrial vertebrate species becoming extinct. It is the only known mass extinction of insects. Some 57% of all families and 83% of all genera became extinct. Because so much biodiversity was lost, the recovery of life on Earth took significantly longer than after any other extinction event, possibly up to 10 million years.

Presented by Tony Robinson.

Originally published in 2008 by Channel 4

When a huge comet struck earth 13.000 years ago, it was stretched out into a chain of fragments by the gravitational pull of the Earth, making it look like a fiery serpent flying through the sky. Is this disaster the origin of all the myths and legends about a fire-breathing dragon or winged serpent?http://www.spaceandintelligence.com/i...