Tuesday, February 3, 2015

IN the NEWS - Vanilla Flavored Flood

"During the worst mass extinction in Earth's history, acid rain may have at times made the ground as acidic as lemon juice, new research shows.
The mass extinction at the end of the Permian period, about 250 million years ago, was the most extreme die-off in Earth's history. The catastrophe killed as much as 95 percent of ocean species.
The highly level of acidity in the soil at the time of the extinction was revealed in the new study when researchers looked at levels of a compound called vanillin in rocks that date to that time. The chemical is the main ingredient in natural vanilla extract and is also produced when wood decomposes. Normally, bacteria in the soil convert vanillin into vanillic acid, but acidic conditions hinder this process.
The researchers found that the ratios of vanillic acid to vanillin in the rocks show that the level of acidity of the soil at the end of the Permian could have been close to that of vinegar or lemon juice."
LiveScience
And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh,
wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
Genesis 6:17
"Vanillic acid is a phenolic acid found in some forms of vanilla and many other plant extracts."
wiki