- published: 05 Oct 2014
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The Miocene (/ˈmaɪəˌsiːn/; symbol MI) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about 23.03 to 5.332 million years ago (Ma). The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words μείων (meiōn, “less”) and καινός (kainos, “new”) and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene Epoch and is followed by the Pliocene Epoch.
The earth went from the Oligocene through the Miocene and into the Pliocene as it cooled into a series of ice ages. The Miocene boundaries are not marked by a single distinct global event but consist rather of regional boundaries between the warmer Oligocene and the cooler Pliocene.
The apes arose and diversified during the Miocene, becoming widespread in the Old World. By the end of this epoch, the ancestors of humans had split away from the ancestors of the chimpanzees to follow their own evolutionary path. As in the Oligocene before it, grasslands continued to expand and forests to dwindle in extent. In the Miocene seas, kelp forests made their first appearance and soon became one of Earth's most productive ecosystems. The plants and animals of the Miocene were fairly modern. Mammals and birds were well-established. Whales, seals, and kelp spread. The Miocene is of particular interest to geologists and palaeoclimatologists as major phases of the Himalayan orogeny had occurred during the Miocene affecting monsoonal patterns in Asia, which were interlinked with glaciations in the northern hemisphere.
This video from the Museum's Florida Fossils exhibit describes the Miocene Epoch, 24 million to 5 million years ago. While much of the Northern Hemisphere was becoming cooler, the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico protected Florida. Still, Florida's climate became increasingly drier and more seasonal, particularly during the late Miocene. Shallow water marine habitats supported thousands of species of marine animals and plants. Life on land was becoming increasingly more abundant. The spread of grassland savannas with mixed woodlands offered a wide range of plant foods for grazing and browsing mammals. Florida had giant tortoises, giant sloths, elephant-like proboscideans, tapirs, camels, horses, rhinos, and, of course, predators, like bear-dogs and saber-toothed false cats. Produced...
To celebrate ten years to the day since Miocene played our final show, I've uploaded some earlier footage from the Kings Head on the 16th June 2001. Show was with headliners One Minute Silence and support from Vacant Stare, the mighty mighty Charger, and Silva. 0:00 - Free Reign 7:30 - Pure 13:20 - Deus Ex Machina 23:54 - Fits Like That
Barbourofelis is an extinct genus of large, predatory, feliform carnivoran mammals of the family Barbourofelidae (false saber-tooth cats). The genus was endemic to North America during the Miocene, living from 13.6—5.3 Ma and existing for approximately 8.3 million years.
Subscribe to Dr. Greger’s free nutrition newsletter at http://www.nutritionfacts.org/subscribe and get a free excerpt from his latest NYT Bestseller HOW NOT TO DIE. (All proceeds Dr. Greger receives from his books, DVDs, and speaking go to charity). DESCRIPTION: Human beings lost the ability to detoxify uric acid millions of years ago. What implications does this have for our health today? HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! This is the first of a three part video series on sugar. What does uric acid have to do with sugar? Stay tuned for Friday's video of the day Flesh and Fructose (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/flesh-and-fructose/). Gout is one of the "diseases of kings" that used to only affect the 1%, the tiny minority eating rich diets. Now we can all dine like royalty three times a day and su...