A team of scientists, including Department of Earth Sciences researcher Megan Mueller, have a new explanation for how mammals originally from Asia were able to colonize Europe around 34 million years ago. In a new Earth Science Reviews article, the team documents several lines of evidence for an ancient continent, named Balkanatolia, between Europe, Africa, and Asia. A combination of tectonic and climatic changes between 40 and 34 million years ago allowed for the dispersal of mammal from Asia to Balkanatolia to Europe.
Link to the UConn press release
