Leukonychia (or leuconychia), also known as white nails or milk spots, is a medical term for white discoloration appearing on nails. It is derived from the Greek words leuko (white) and onux (nail). The most common cause is injury to the base of the nail (the matrix) where the nail is formed.
Extinction Events. 1  There were many small-scale, sporadic extinction events during the Cambrian Period. 2  A large-scale mass extinction event occurred approximately 500 million years ago. 3  Scientists believe was caused by a significant decrease in global temperature. A large-scale mass extinction event occurred approximately 500 million years ago. 2  Scientists believe was caused by a significant decrease in global temperature. 3  Decrease in global temperature created an ice age-further eliminated many of the oceanic species.
An asteroid impact is another possible cause of the extinction, though a telltale crater has yet to be found. Largest Ever Die-Off. The Permian-Triassic extinction event about 250 million years ago was the deadliest: More than 90 percent of all species perished.s new species evolve to fit ever changing ecological niches, older species fade away. But the rate of extinction is far from constant. At least a handful of times in the last 500 million years, 50 to more than 90 percent of all species on Earth have disappeared in a geological blink of the eye.