Welcome to my Metazoic site! This site discusses the existence of the creatures to come along after humans will be extinct. I first became interested in a world after man when I acquired my first copy of Dougal Dixon's After Man: A Zoology of the Future in 1992. However, I unwittingly created creatures that did not exist from the time I was about 8 years old. But it was after I obtained a copy of that book (now a collector's item) that I decided to take these same creatures I created as a child and make them more realistic in an evolutionary sense. Though it may be hard for a lot of us to grasp, humans will soon become extinct. One of the biggest factors of how this will happen is the current overpopulation rate. Which is why I don't contribute to the population. I created this world with little more than mammals fulfilling all ecological niches with the help of some friends. I even gave the era of the age after man a name, I called it the Metazoic, derived from the words for "After-era" (Meta, meaning after, and zoic meaning era). We are now in the Cenozoic era. To view all the animals I have created since I began this project, you can go to the "Meet the Mammals" section of this site. To discuss your own ideas about what you think will happen in the future world, and share your ideas with others, please feel free to leave a comment.
One more thing, some of you may find this site quite offensive, and you have a right to your own opinion. But please respect my right to have an opinion too. I'm not saying there is no GOD, I believe it was HIM who got the ball rolling. But I believe after that, evolution took over. There is so much more evidence of evolution than there is of creation. Even that going on right under our noses. Other than that, enjoy yourself and visit our many links.

Thursday, October 24, 2024

Asteroid impact 3 billion years ago sparked early life on Earth

 The same object that is said to have wiped out life throughout history may also have been the one event that brought life to this planet. Of course, that has been a theory for quite some time now. I used to hear about it back in the 90s. When I was a kid, my ma used to threaten me when she couldn't handle me with "I brought you into this world, and I'll take you out!" This theory brings a whole new meaning to that phrase. This article I found this morning believes that an asteroid is responsible for bringing life to Earth. That would mean that we are not originally earthlings. Also that there must be other forms of life out there living their lives on another planet. Maybe more advanced than we are? Who knows?

What could these other forms look like? Could they be creatures with 9 legs and tentacles growing out of their head? Are 9 legs possible in any life form anywhere? I guess that would depend on it's surroundings. The reason we retained the formula of having 4 limbs, a head and tail, is because it works for us. Insects have 6 legs, and arthropods have 8. But their bodies are also close to the ground and the legs are splayed out in a crouched position. Plus most insects have wings and can fly. Most creatures with more than 4 limbs are very close to the ground. I think it's gravity though that plays a role in that.

This is why I believe land-based walking squids would be impossible. They may inherit niches left by fish and take over the waters of the world. But it's unlikely they will walk on land. And even less likely they will swing through trees like monkeys or apes. If they do, they would have to take on a completely different body form. A form where they would not even remotely resemble squids

Anyway, here's the article

Asteroid impact 3 billion years ago sparked early life on Earth

Story by EWS

New geological research suggests that a gigantic asteroid impact over 3 billion years ago, despite creating extreme conditions on our planet, may have created a conducive environment for the flourishing of early bacterial life forms.

Harvard University scientists, led by geologist Nadja Drabon, analyzed rocks from the Barberton Greenstone Belt in South Africa to reconstruct events from 3.26 billion years ago. Geological evidence points to an asteroid impact known as S2, estimated to be up to 200 times larger than the object that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs.

The powerful collision triggered a tsunami, mixing ocean waters and transferring dust from land to coastal areas. The heat generated by the impact caused the surface layers of the oceans to boil and the atmosphere to heat up. A dense dust cloud rose into the air, blocking sunlight and preventing photosynthesis.

The first traces of bacterial life on Earth didn't last long

Despite these drastic changes, bacterial life not only survived but quickly rebounded. According to Drabon's team analysis, there was a rapid increase in populations of unicellular organisms utilizing iron and phosphorus. Iron was likely moved from the ocean depths to shallower areas, while phosphorus came from both the meteorite and increased land erosion.

"We think of impacts as catastrophic for life. But this research shows that they also provided benefits to life, and particularly in the early stages, they could actually allow it to thrive," believes Drabon, as quoted by the Polish Press Agency.

This short-term shift of the ecosystem towards iron-using bacteria is an important element in understanding the beginnings of life on our planet.

Research conducted in the Barberton Greenstone Belt on the eastern edge of the Kaapvaal craton—considered to be the Earth's original crust from 3.5 to 2.5 billion years ago—revealed evidence of at least eight similar meteorite impacts. The results were published in the journal "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences," and scientists plan to continue their work to further explore the impact of these ancient events on the evolution of life on Earth.

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