300 million years ago: Forest collapse boosted reptiles

The loss of tropical rainforests some 300 million years ago led to evolutionary changes in reptiles that ultimately resulted in the rise of the dinosaurs, claims a new study recently published in Geology, a journal of the Geological Society of America (GSA).According to scientists, the event which gave rise to the dinosaurs occurred during the Carboniferous Period. At that time, they say, Europe and North America were one continent and covered by tropical rainforests. As the Earth's climate began to become hotter and drier, the rainforests began to fade away, and reptiles were forced to adapt to survive... Read More