Studies of ancient geological events show that our planet has a slow and steady "heartbeat" of geological activity every 270,000 years or so.

This intense geological event, which includes volcanism, species extinctions, plate reorganization, and sea level rise, is a very slow, catastrophic ebb and flow that occurs every 275,000 years.

But fortunately, researchers believe we have another 20 million years before the next "pulse" occurs.

In a study published in November 2021 in Geoscience Frontiers, researchers from New York and California helped determine an important fact about our planet that has huge implications for us: the Earth has a "pulse," or regular spike in geological activity.

They determined the pulse by observing mass extinctions, which is something we want to know since this is the only planet our species currently calls home.

Researchers at New York University found that over 260 million years, global geologic events typically clustered at 10 different points in time, grouped by peaks or pulses spaced about 27.5 million years apart.

While it is certainly fascinating that there is another data point that suggests a consistent rhythm of activity and life cycles on Earth, the researchers in this study are no closer to understanding why the Earth has a pulse.

Some suggest that internal forces within and on Earth (magmatism, tectonic activity, and climate change) could explain this cyclical pattern.

Other ideas point to the ongoing changes in our planet's orbital cycle, as well as the fact that our solar system also has a cyclical motion in the Milky Way about every 30 million years.

Whatever the reason, this study shows that the data is decisive: every 27.5 million years, we can expect an increase in geological activity, which usually leads to mass extinctions.

But fear not, because 27.5 million years is a long time for humans.

We are now in between the pulses: research suggests that the next pulse will be about 20 million years in the future.

For context, while the dinosaurs went extinct, modern animals such as bears, crows, and whales, which were recognized about 65 million years ago, are only just appearing on the evolutionary timeline of 20 million years ago.

One theory to explain the Earth's pulsations suggests that it may be related to dark matter in the universe.

Several researchers have suggested that an increase in dark matter could increase astronomical activity cause meteors and asteroids, and increase volcanic activity on Earth. These could lead to mass extinction events, as measured in the study - although scientists still have a lot to learn about the dark matter before they can determine if this is a viable cause of the pulses on our planet.