And the earth cooled

2001/03/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Paleontologia
• Arkeologia

So far, for 3.2 million years, scientists have considered that the Earth has cooled 2nd C. However, according to a study conducted on the southwest coast of Africa, the cooling produced during this long period of time has been five times greater than expected, that is, 10ºC.

To reach this result, the research team has analyzed the coastal sediments of Namibia, that is, the molecular fossils of microscopic algae. In addition, the results of the study reinforce the perception that climate change had a great importance in initial human evolution. And it is that the Earth cooled especially quickly 2 million years ago, when the first ancestors of modern man appeared.