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Life

Ancient life thrived after supercontinents trapped nutrient-rich soil

There is a surprisingly close link between the flow of nutrient-rich soil around the ancient world and growing biodiversity - which could be a problem now, as human activity is disrupting and degrading soil

By James Woodford

29 November 2023

Supercontinents like Pangaea, which formed around 300 million years ago, played a key role in biodiversity

MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

The changing flow of nutrient-rich soil across the planet as the continents shifted was a key driver of evolution and biodiversity, researchers have found – suggesting that the human-driven soil degradation we see today may be having a larger impact on ecosystems than previously considered.

Tristan Salles at the University of Sydney, Australia, and his colleagues made the discovery with a computer model that recreates the movement of Earth’s landmasses, using data on ancient precipitation,…

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