Post 1
The video on the time the Mediterranean Sea disappeared is an interesting and informative take on the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC). Geologists trying to understand the unique event came up with few plausible hypotheses on the event. A likely hypothesis of climatic and geodynamic drivers was postulated to explain the event (Roveri et al., 2014). This hypothesis explains how the changes in weather conditions and shifting earth's crust led to the fluctuations of the Mediterranean's hydrology. It is interesting to note that the MSC event was gradual, as evidenced by the sediments near the River Nile (PBS Eons, 2020). This showed repeated erosional events that occurred over time. It is interesting to note that the two major salts deposited in the Mediterranean Sea floor were Gypsum and Halite (The Messinian Salinity Crisis, n.d). As the Mediterranean Sea continued to evaporate, it became more saline, killing marine life, which explains why there is no deep marine life unique to the Mediterranean Sea.
Post 2
When wales walked is another informative video that explains the evolution of wales. Indeed, it is interesting to note that the evolution of the wales took such a short period (20 million years) (PBS Eons, 2017). When one considers the size of a whale and liken it to the animal that it evolved from, one cannot help but wonder how such a seafaring giant could have one day been as small as a house cat. The walking whale was known as the Ambulocetus natans, the Eocene cetacean that lived in the shallow waters (Understanding Evolution, n.d). The animal was both a land and sea creature that was well adapted for both habitats. Learning about the evolution of the whale led me to understand that seemingly minor features can be the critical evidence needed to link animals (Understanding Evolution, n.d). This is because the involucrum, a tiny specialized ear bone only found in whales, was found in the remains of a 47-million-year old hoofed mammal (Indohyus) (PBS Eons, 2017). This helped to trace the evolution of whales better since the Indohyus was found to have other specialized adaptations for life in the water!
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References
PBS Eons. (2017). When whales walked. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OSRKtT_9vw
PBS Eons. (2020). That Time the Mediterranean Sea Disappeared. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HooZ84rpovQ
Roveri, M., Flecker, R., Krijgsman, W., Lofi, J., Lugli, S., Manzi, V., ... & Govers, R. (2014). The Messinian Salinity Crisis: past and future of a great challenge for marine sciences. Marine Geology, 352, 25-58. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0025322714000358
The Messinian Salinity Crisis. (n.d). https://www2.atmos.umd.edu/~dankd/MessinianWeb/_private/HOME.htm
Understanding Evolution (n.d). The evolution of whales. https://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/evograms_03
