Around 252 million years ago, the world suddenly heated up. Over a geologically brief period of tens of thousands of years, 90% of species were wiped out. Even insects, which are rarely touched by such events,

A new study links the largest mass extinction, which occurred 252 million years ago during the Permian-Triassic period, to climate warming resulting in extreme weather events.

New research reveals that mega ocean warming El Niño events played a pivotal role in the largest extinction event on Earth, which occurred around 252 million years ago. The findings, published in Science by a team co-led by the University of Bristol and China University of Geosciences (Wuhan),

Mega ocean warming El Niño events were key in driving the largest extinction of life on planet Earth some 252 million years ago, according to new research.

Researchers have determined that the Great Dying, the mass extinction event that occurred 252 million years ago was likely accentuated by catastrophic “mega El Niños” that devastated ecosystems. These extreme weather events caused significant swings in the climate that killed off vast amounts of life.