Juana Summers

So this study is only looking at two populations of squirrels in a regional park in the Bay Area in California. They actually saw this during the 12th year of a long-term study.

No.

No.

No.

So Jennifer says that squirrels are actually like raccoons, bears, coyotes. They're just really flexible animals. And this vole population had a huge increase this year, you know, five to six times higher than normal. So the squirrels just took advantage of that.

So Jennifer says that squirrels are actually like raccoons, bears, coyotes. They're just really flexible animals. And this vole population had a huge increase this year, you know, five to six times higher than normal. So the squirrels just took advantage of that.

So Jennifer says that squirrels are actually like raccoons, bears, coyotes. They're just really flexible animals. And this vole population had a huge increase this year, you know, five to six times higher than normal. So the squirrels just took advantage of that.

Okay, so first, just for context, if you look back at all the fossil evidence we have of life on Earth, we have an abundance of fossils starting around 540 million years ago. It's called the Cambrian Explosion, which is when suddenly there are fossils of ancient mollusks and stuff. But before that, things are really more of a mystery.

Okay, so first, just for context, if you look back at all the fossil evidence we have of life on Earth, we have an abundance of fossils starting around 540 million years ago. It's called the Cambrian Explosion, which is when suddenly there are fossils of ancient mollusks and stuff. But before that, things are really more of a mystery.

Okay, so first, just for context, if you look back at all the fossil evidence we have of life on Earth, we have an abundance of fossils starting around 540 million years ago. It's called the Cambrian Explosion, which is when suddenly there are fossils of ancient mollusks and stuff. But before that, things are really more of a mystery.

Okay, that is Xu Haixiao, a geologist from Virginia Tech. He's tried to find and study new fossils from this period, and now he's trying to make sense of it all and draw lessons about how biodiversity has changed throughout Earth's history, including in that early period.

Okay, that is Xu Haixiao, a geologist from Virginia Tech. He's tried to find and study new fossils from this period, and now he's trying to make sense of it all and draw lessons about how biodiversity has changed throughout Earth's history, including in that early period.

Okay, that is Xu Haixiao, a geologist from Virginia Tech. He's tried to find and study new fossils from this period, and now he's trying to make sense of it all and draw lessons about how biodiversity has changed throughout Earth's history, including in that early period.

So their data published this month in the journal Science has finally provided quantitative confirmation of some hunches scientists have already had. For example, there's this period called the Boring Billion.

So their data published this month in the journal Science has finally provided quantitative confirmation of some hunches scientists have already had. For example, there's this period called the Boring Billion.

So their data published this month in the journal Science has finally provided quantitative confirmation of some hunches scientists have already had. For example, there's this period called the Boring Billion.

This is a time span of a billion years, starting around 1.8 billion years ago, in which paleontologists have guessed that there was probably very little diversity of life and pretty low turnover of species. And according to the paper's data, that's true.

This is a time span of a billion years, starting around 1.8 billion years ago, in which paleontologists have guessed that there was probably very little diversity of life and pretty low turnover of species. And according to the paper's data, that's true.

This is a time span of a billion years, starting around 1.8 billion years ago, in which paleontologists have guessed that there was probably very little diversity of life and pretty low turnover of species. And according to the paper's data, that's true.

And that's definitely one thing he wants to look into. And other researchers I talked to also told me that they just want more research in fossil data about the Boring Billion era in general. Because honestly, like this kind of work on early life is just really important to understand not only how life started, but how life adapts to environmental changes, like thinking about climate change now.