# Mountain growth spurts may have sparked complex life on Earth

Source: [Earth News - Earth Science News, Earth Science, Climate Change](https://phys.org/news/2026-11-mountain-growth-spurts-complex-life.html) · 2026-11-13 · Earth & Climate
Page: https://themorning.science/story/mountain-growth-spurts-may-have-sparked-complex-life-on-earth-5eeb3360fdeff688
Kind: research · Impact: medium

## In brief

- Research published in Science Advances reports that mountain ranges grew higher during Earth's history in two distinct spurts.
- The spurts correlated with periods of flourishing biological diversity.
- The study suggests mountains may have played a key role in the emergence of complex life.

## Why it matters

It proposes a link between tectonic mountain building and biodiversity, offering a geological driver to consider when interpreting evolutionary diversification.

## Timeline

- 2026-11-13: Study on mountain growth spurts and biodiversity published in Science Advances

## Coverage

- [Mountain growth spurts may have sparked complex life on Earth](https://phys.org/news/2026-11-mountain-growth-spurts-complex-life.html) — Earth News - Earth Science News, Earth Science, Climate Change, 2026-11-13

Tags: mountain building, biodiversity, evolution, geology, earth history

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Brief generated by AI (claude-haiku-5-5) from the reporting listed under Coverage. Headlines belong to their publishers. The Morning Science – https://themorning.science