first plants cooled the planet so much it triggered a series of ice ages...

The arrival of the first plants 470 million years ago triggered a series of ice ages, according to a study.

The plants caused a dramatic reduction in atmospheric carbon, which lowered temperatures by up to eight degrees centigrade.

A team from Oxford University set out to identify the effects that the first primitive mosses had on the climate during the Ordovician Period, which ended 444 million years ago.

During this period the climate gradually cooled, leading to a series of 'ice ages'.

The researchers analysed the effects of primitive mosses growing on rocks to simulate the conditions.

They found that the way mosses reacted with the rocks they clung to led to drastic climate change.

Professor Liam Dolan, one of the lead researchers, said: ‘For me the most important take-home message is that the invasion of the land by plants – a pivotal time in the history of the planet – brought about huge climate changes.......

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