Chinese scientists have found signs of a super rainstorm etched in the shells of snails, in an experiment that could help unlock evidence in the fossil record of ancient “tipping points” in the Earth’s environment.
The scientists, led by climate change researchers from the Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in Xian, conducted the experiment on the shells of four living specimens – two collected in the Zhengzhou area before a devastating rainstorm hit the city in July 2021, and two after the storm had passed.
