'Supercontinent' could make Earth uninhabitable in 250m years, study predicts

[discocrisco01]

Source: The Guardian

The formation of a supercontinent on Earth could wipe out humans and any other mammals that are still around in 250m years, according to a study.

The mass extinction would be caused primarily by heat stress as a result of greater volcanic activity that would put twice as much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as current levels, an older sun that would emit more radiation and the extent of inland deserts in the tropics.

The supercontinent Pangea Ultima is expected to take shape when all the current continents merge together in the distant future. The paper, which was published on Monday in Nature Geoscience, is the first attempt to model how extreme the climate might become from that geological rearrangement.

Using a UK Met Office climate model and the University of Bristol supercomputer, the simulation also provided tectonic clues to past extinction events and data that could be of use to astronomers looking for other habitable planets.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/sep/25/supercontinent-could-make-earth-uninhabitable-in-250m-years-study-predicts?utm_source=ground.news&utm_medium=referral

[marble falls]

1. It was habitable the last time this happened.

[NickB79]

20. Technically, there weren't any mammals around the last time Pangea formed

Mammal-like reptiles, yes, but not mammals.

And 250 million years ago, the Sun was emitting less solar radiation, so despite a higher percentage of CO2, the planet didn't go all Venus and exterminate life.

But yes, the headline is pretty misleading. Life on Earth will exist until the Sun devours it. There's more biomass underground than on the surface, ranging from extremophile bacteria to eukaryotes like nematodes, all cut off from the surface by up to a mile or two of rock.

The surface of Earth could be utterly barren and life will still exist a mile down, living in cracked rock and using chemosynthesis to eat rock and water. Once life evolves and makes it into the deep biosphere, as long as the planet has an active core, there's not much you can do to extinguish it short of destroying the entire planet.

[Chakaconcarne]

2. Ok, I'll keep that in mind.

[Marthe48]

3. Hold our beer

Humans are making regular sized continents uninhabitable faster than Mother Nature ever could.

[BlueTsunami2018]

4. I don't think any of us have to worry about that.

I have yet to figure out a way to become immortal.

[ret5hd]

9. Send me 10 percent/week of your income...

and I will tell you how.

(may cause rotting of the brain, drop in IQ, pigeon-toes, abnormal dreams, fears of sexuality, extreme boorishness, anal fixations, and loss of weekend time. Do not use if you are allergic to religion or the ingredients of religion. If you cannot afford religion, contact a local pastor for advice on obtaining religion at a reduced price)

[BlueTsunami2018]

15. Haha!

Nicely done. 🤣

[dalton99a]

5. We are so fucked.

[swong19104]

6. 250 million years from now?

250 million years ago, there weren't any dinosaurs or even mammals. I'm not even sure whether there were land animals (maybe some insects).

[Nasruddin]

8. Definitely

Amphibians, reptiles, & the reptilian precursors to dinosaurs & mammals like dimetrodon
(one of the coolest)

[EarnestPutz]

7. Really interesting. Read "The Guardian" article, then the the "Nature Geoscience" article mentioned.

the second is especially interesting.

[EarthFirst]

10. 250m years?

I’m betting it becomes uninhabitable far sooner than that…

[Basic LA]

11. What a relief !

I thought they said 250 THOUSAND years from now.

[sl8]

16. LOL. nt

[Turbineguy]

12. Republicans will do it faster than that.

[bluedigger]

13. Move, adapt, or die.

Same as it ever was.

[Renew Deal]

14. What has Biden done to stop this?

[yardwork]

24. That gave me a chuckle!

[moose65]

31. Biden Schmiden!

This has to be the work of Hillary...

[keithbvadu2]

17. weather forecast back in the days of the dinosaurs::::::

weather forecast back in the days of the dinosaurs::::::

tv comedy show with earl and francine.

and in the tigris/euphrates valley, we're going to see tornados, floods, hurricanes, volcanos and earthquakes.

so, if you have friends and family there,,,,,,, kiss 'em goodby!

[tclambert]

18. I was planning on moving to a new planet before then enyway.

[ArkansasDemocrat1]

19. Might be an answer to the Drake equation

Even if an intelligent civilization develops, stellar evolution will kill it. Our Sun will be 2.5% hotter and 1/8th closer to becoming a red giant with a diameter of 93 million miles or one AU.

On cosmic terms of billions of years, life on planets may be as snowflakes. The only possible survival mechanism is space travel.

[LudwigPastorius]

21. Humans won't be around to worry about that.

There will be an extinction level asteroid or comet impact before that which will kill most life on Earth.

[Polybius]

25. Depends when it hits

If it hits in 50 years or less, then I agree with you. If it's coming in 1,500 years, meh. We'll have the tech to knock it off course.

[LudwigPastorius]

29. Maybe, if we see it in time.

If an asteroid comes from the direction of the Sun, it's very hard to see. (Like the Chelyabinsk meteor)

We also need to worry about comets, because they move much faster. If we detected a bruiser like Bernardinelli-Bernstein (75 to 80 miles in diameter) coming toward us, we might only have months to a couple of years to do anything about it.

[tavernier]

22. Oh, I better stock up on popsicles.

I’ll have lots of grand babies running in and out by then.

[Seeking Serenity]

23. Well, crap. There goes my vacation plans.

It's always something

[Polybius]

26. Whatever beings are around then will have better than Star Wars technology

It won't matter.

[LiberalFighter]

27. It will happen sooner.

Unless population is controlled.

[TeamProg]

28. As long as I can still buy "Lunchables" then everything will be okay. nt

[kevink077]

30. Humans will make it uninhabitable in 250

At the rate we are going 250 may be optimistic.

[Duppers]

34. Tend to agree.

But heaven help those of us who discuss over-population.

[Omaha Steve]

32. kick

[prodigitalson]

33. I'll have to change my plans...only sharks, cockroaches and Elon Musk will be around for that

[Kennah]

35. That's a Tuesday, right?

[Jansen]

38. I could never get the hang of Tuesday.

[SomewhereInTheMiddle]

36. Early Breaking News?

I'm not sure a quarter of a billion years forewarning counts as "latest breaking".

[roamer65]

37. Not my worry.

I’ll be well dissolved by then.

[Snooper9]

39. Thanks Obama!

[LeftInTX]

40. This is breaking news?

[Shanti Shanti Shanti]

41. Yeah, this is why I believe the Reptilians left Earth 100M years ago and be just now breeding us

What goes around comes around

[onetexan]

42. 250m as in million?