Ozone depletion may have sparked prehistoric extinction event: study

A study published in Science Advances suggests that UV ray exposure 358 million years ago may have triggered a mass extinction of ancient fish and plants. Researchers analyzed a 6-meter-long mudstone core from Greenland, finding fossilized spores that transitioned from healthy to malformed, indicating DNA damage from UV-B rays. This event marked the second mass extinction in the Devonian period, leading to the disappearance of many species, including giant armored sharks. The extinction also wiped out early land-venturing fish, paving the way for five-toed tetrapods to become the precursors of modern land animals.

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