Discoveries

Study finds PETM was marked by a widespread browning of Earth's landscapes—against a backdrop of elevated atmospheric CO₂, global warming, and reduced rainfall triggered by volcanically driven carbon release—and trees are at the root of these drastic changes.

Along with the first description of an extinct species of amphibian from Rancho La Brea, the paper also identifies the first record of the Mexican burrowing toad at the Tar Pits, 2,500 km north of its current distribution, shedding light on the impacts of climate change on species distributions past, present, and future.