Hot Birth
Mammals from hot magma!
Hot magma deep within Earth may have heated carbon-rich rocks, releasing methane into the atmosphere and leading to an ancient warming event. Photo Source: Live Science
The rise of modern mammals, which came with a dramatic warming of the Earth, may be traced to hot magma, new research suggests. The Eocene epoch, which saw the emergence of the first ancestors of modern mammals such as hoofed animals, began almost 56 million years ago with global temperatures rising 9 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius) on average over a few thousand years. The oldest known members of these species were relatively small, weighing less than 22 pounds (10 kilograms) hinting the heat favored smaller creatures. Larger animals, with their greater body mass, would not be able to handle the excess heat so well.
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