About 250 million years ago, long before the first hominids walked the Earth, all the continents formed a single enormous supercontinent, Pangea, surrounded by an extensive global ocean, Panthalassa. The breakup of Pangea led to the current configuration of the Earth's surface, divided into different continents that, since then, have not stopped moving and will end up uniting, once again, into a single land mass. However, when that happens in another 250 million years, the next supercontinent, which researchers call 'Pangea Ultima', will no longer be suitable for humans, nor for the rest of the mammals, which will disappear without remedy in the future. which, according to a study published today in 'Nature Geoscience', will be the largest mass extinction suffered by our planet since the one that wiped out the dinosaurs. Led by scientists at the University of Bristol, the research presents the first climate model yet for the distant future, and describes how extreme weather will intensify dramatically when the world's continents come together again to give rise to Pangea Last. . A supercontinent that will be hot, dry and mostly uninhabitable for us. Related News standard No Every 36 million years, a hitherto unknown geological cycle causes an 'explosion of biodiversity' on Earth José Manuel Nieves Researchers claim that the cycle has been repeating for at least 250 million years More volcanoes and a hotter Sun According to the study, high temperatures will increase further as the Sun becomes increasingly brighter, emitting more energy and overheating the Earth. On the other hand, the tectonic processes of the Earth's crust that form and break up supercontinents over time will lead to increasingly frequent volcanic eruptions, which will release huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which will further warm the planet. The result will be a world very different from the current one and one that, although life will continue to exist, we will no longer be able to consider as our own. Historically, mammals, including humans, have managed to survive almost everything thanks to their great ability to adapt to extreme climatic conditions, but according to the authors of the study, that ability has a limit, and that limit will be greatly exceeded in the future. In the words of Alexander Farnsworth, lead author of the article, "the newly emerged supercontinent will be a triple whammy, involving the continentality effect, a hotter Sun and more CO2 in the atmosphere, with the consequent increase in heat in much of the world." . "The result will be a largely hostile environment, devoid of food and water sources for mammals." According to the researcher, at those times there will be “widespread temperatures between 40 and 50 degrees, with even greater daily extreme peaks that, ultimately, will seal our fate. "Humans, along with many other species, would die due to their inability to eliminate this heat by cooling their bodies through sweat." For Farnsworth “the prospects in the distant future seem very bleak. Carbon dioxide levels could double current levels. “Given that the Sun is also expected to emit around 2.5% more radiation and that the supercontinent is mainly located in the warm, humid tropics, much of the planet could face temperatures of between 40 and 70°C.” Learning from climate change Although current human-induced climate change and global warming is likely to be a growing cause of heat stress and mortality in some regions, researchers suggest that the planet should largely remain habitable. But in the distant future, when the new supercontinent forms, the researchers' data indicate that only between 8% and 16% on Earth would still be habitable for mammals. According to Eunice Lo, co-author of the study, “it is vitally important not to lose sight of our current climate crisis, which is the result of human greenhouse gas emissions. While we predict an uninhabitable planet within 250 million years, today we are already experiencing extreme heat that is detrimental to human health. “That is why it is crucial to achieve net zero emissions as soon as possible.” "This work - notes Farnsworth for his part - also highlights that a world within the so-called 'habitable zone' of a solar system may not be the most hospitable for humans depending on whether the continents are spread out, as we are today, or united in a great supercontinent. MORE INFORMATION news No An ancient manuscript from more than 800 years ago records a stellar explosion that will be repeated in 2024 news No The Jesuit astronomer from the Vatican who helps NASA: "I have taken a vow of poverty, I do not do Science for money" By This research therefore illustrates the importance of tectonics and continental layout when conducting research on planets beyond our Solar System. Although the Earth will still be within the habitable zone in 250 million years, for mammals the formation of a supercontinent with elevated levels of carbon dioxide will make most of the world uninhabitable. The findings suggest that the distribution of a distant world's land mass could be a key factor in determining whether, despite being habitable, it will also be habitable for humans.
