the event may have been instigated by microbes .
reuters dan dry university of chicago handout via reuters a microbe that spewed humongous amounts of methane into earth ’s atmosphere triggered a global catastrophe 252 million years ago that wiped out upwards of 90 percent of marine species and 70 percent of land vertebrates .
a rapid initial injection of carbon the worst time to be alive in earth 's history is absolutely the end - permian , about 250 million years ago .
the end - permian extinction , which took place at the same time .
analysis of geological carbon deposits reveals a significant boost in levels of carbon - containing gases – either carbon dioxide or methane – at the time of the mass extinction .
volcanic eruptions had previously been blamed for the sudden loss of 90 % of all species on earth at the end of the permian era .
that ’s the hypothesis offered on monday by researchers aiming to solve one of science ’s enduring mysteries : what happened at the end of the permian period to cause the worst of the five mass extinctions in earth ’s history .
washington ( reuters ) - sometimes bad things come in small packages .