Hiker Uncovers Pre-Dinosaur Ecosystem in Italian Alps
A hiker in the Italian Alps discovered a 280-million-year-old ecosystem, revealing fossilized tracks of prehistoric reptiles, insects, and amphibians from the Permian era. The site, known as "Rock Zero," has provided a wealth of fossils, including plant fragments and raindrop imprints, preserved in fine-grained sediments. This discovery, exposed by melting ice due to rising temperatures, serves as a reminder of the Permian period's rapid global warming and subsequent mass extinction.