Transcription
About 252 million years ago, Earth experienced the deadliest event in its history, the Great Dying, when nearly 96% of all life vanished. Oceans turned toxic, forests collapsed, and entire species disappeared forever, making it far worse than the extinction that killed the dinosaurs.
Scientists once blamed massive volcanic eruptions in Siberia that spewed fire, ash, and poisonous gases for thousands of years. But volcanoes alone don't explain everything. Oxygen levels dropped so low that animals slowly suffocated. Oceans became acidic and lifeless. And evidence suggests huge methane releases from the seafloor may have rapidly overheated the planet.
Even more disturbing, life didn't recover quickly. It took nearly 10 million years for ecosystems to return, as if something continued killing life long after the disaster began. The Great Dying wasn't just an extinction event. It was Earth almost pressing reset.