Chapter 167: The Sixth Mass Extinction of Life

"Do you know about the five mass extinctions of life on Earth?"

After being busy for most of the day, Dean Liu invited Yang Yi into his office for tea and rest.

Placing a cup of clear tea before Yang Yi, Dean Liu suddenly asked this.

Yang Yi's heart stirred. "I've read some popular science on the subject, but only know the surface details."

Dean Liu showed no trace of mockery and explained patiently: "The first Ordovician mass extinction occurred 440 million years ago; at that time, 85% of Earth's species vanished, such as large nautiloids and trilobites;

The second was the Devonian mass extinction, about 360 million years ago. The Devonian is called the 'Age of Fishes,' and the earliest amphibians crawled onto land. In this mass extinction, 82% of Earth's species vanished;

The third was the Permian mass extinction, 250 million years ago. It was the last period of the Paleozoic Era, the age of reptiles. By then, the land had merged into a single continent, and the ocean area was compressed to its minimum. In this extinction, 95% of Earth's species vanished—mostly fish, amphibians, and reptiles. It was the largest extinction in scale;

The fourth was the Triassic mass extinction, about 200 million years ago. In this extinction, reptiles were mainly affected, and 76% of Earth's species vanished;

The fifth was the Cretaceous mass extinction, about 66 million years ago. This mass extinction ended the 'Age of Dinosaurs,' and 80% of Earth's species vanished."

After briefly explaining, Dean Liu took a sip of tea to moisten his throat.

"The intervals between these five mass extinctions are not equal. I see no pattern in them," Yang Yi said.

Dean Liu looked at her with approval. "Your ability to grasp the key points is excellent. Yes, the time intervals between the five mass extinctions are 63 million years, 26 million years, 51 million years, 135 million years, and 65 million years. They seem to have no pattern, but there is a critical issue: species mass extinctions caused by environmental changes are not completed overnight; sometimes they continue for millions of years. Moreover, mass extinctions are merely the more obvious manifestations. According to our research, there are also some periodic small-scale extinction events on Earth, with a cycle of about 30 million years."

"30 million years?" Yang Yi felt this number was somewhat familiar.

"Yes, does that sound familiar?" Dean Liu prompted. "In 1990, scientists studied a 100-mile-diameter impact crater discovered on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. Most scientists believe this impact crater is related to the dinosaur extinction because its formation time matches the dinosaur extinction timeline. At the same time, scientists also analyzed impact craters discovered in the past and found a hidden 'unwritten rule': large impact craters appear roughly every 30 million years, triggering a series of biological extinctions on Earth."

Yang Yi's heart gave a jolt; she understood what Dean Liu wanted to say.

"Cosmologists have linked impact craters to the solar system's position. Researchers believe this 30-million-year cycle is related to the solar system's revolution around the center of the Milky Way. According to astronomical observations, the solar system takes about 250 million years to complete one revolution around the center of the Milky Way, but the orbit is not 'unobstructed.' At regular intervals, it must pass through the middle of the galactic disk, and this time is exactly 30 million years.

"Once the solar system enters a denser region of the galactic disk, it will be affected by external gravity, such as interference from certain dark matter, which can disturb comets and asteroids in the outer regions of the solar system, causing them to deviate from their original orbits and enter the inner solar system.

"The scientific community has also discovered that not only does the solar system's revolution follow a 30-million-year cycle law, but major environmental changes on Earth, such as volcanic eruptions, magnetic pole reversals, and rising climate and sea levels, also exhibit a similar 30-million-year cycle law."

"Are you saying that the dark matter on Earth is because, when the solar system revolves around the Milky Way, it passes through the middle of the galactic disk and encounters a dark matter region?" Yang Yi listened intently and finally couldn't help but ask.

"That is quite possible, isn't it?" Dean Liu said with a smile. "After all, it took humans only about 2 million years to evolve from apes to modern humans. In 30 million years, human civilization could re-evolve 15 times."

Yang Yi was stunned by the possibility in Dean Liu's words and was momentarily speechless.

"Moreover, our space agency, after detection and calculation, finally completed the measurements last month. Dark matter fluctuations exist on the Moon, Venus, Mercury, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.

"And five or six years ago, Earth already experienced frequent volcanic eruptions, frequent earthquakes, rising sea levels, and an increase in extreme weather.

"In September this year, the World Wildlife Fund issued a report. Scientists conducted statistical data on 4,360 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish, and finally established a model to calculate that the average population decreased by 68%. Regional differences were even greater: in Latin America, the maximum loss of species populations reached 94%; in Africa, the maximum loss reached 65%; in Asia, the maximum decrease reached 45%; in North America, 33%; and in Europe, 24%.

"It can be said that before dark matter was truly made public, Earth was already experiencing the sixth mass extinction of life..."

Yang Yi murmured, "The third mass extinction of life 250 million years ago was the largest biological extinction in history; 95% of Earth's species vanished... The solar system takes exactly 250 million years to revolve around the Milky Way..."

"Scary, isn't it?" Dean Liu asked, still smiling.

Yang Yi came to her senses. "Do you mean that now is merely the prelude to the sixth mass extinction of life? And it might be like the third mass extinction of life, or even more catastrophic..."

"This is a relatively popular view in the scientific community," Dean Liu said calmly.

Yang Yi felt extremely ashamed. Previously, as an ordinary corporate slave, she rarely paid attention to cutting-edge scientific news. Life had suddenly turned upside down in these two months, leaving almost no time to follow these matters. If she had known this news earlier, she might have gained new inspiration from it.

Fortunately, Professor Liu's next words pulled her out of her shame. "The strange creatures that suddenly appeared on Earth, besides those mutated by dark matter stimulating native Earth species, others may have entered Earth through cracks formed when unstable alien dimensions were torn apart as the solar system revolved around the Milky Way and passed through the dark matter region."

"What about the Evil Gods?" Yang Yi blurted out almost instinctively.

Dean Liu did not answer; instead, he asked her a strange question: "Have you heard of the 'Death Star'? Or 'Doomsday Omen'? Or 'Annihilation Star'?"

Yang Yi's heart pounded wildly.