New AI research shows that a major cornerstone of evolutionary theory could be totally wrong. By analyzing species data, the algorithm found die-outs and flourishing aren't usually linked. There are way more "top 5 percent" population events than we might have realized. Scientists have new evidence that Earth’s many periodic mass extinctions follow a cycle of about 27 million years, connecting the five major mass extinctions with more minor ones occurring throughout Earth’s life-fostering timespan. The artificial intelligence analysis could also shift how evolutionary scientists think about the aftermath of mass extinctions. Get unlimited access to the weird world of Pop Mech.