Are We In the Midst of a Silent Mass Extinction?
Are We In the Midst of a Silent Mass Extinction?
A new modeling technique aims to help scientists and policymakers detect declines in genetic diversity based on habitat loss.
A new modeling technique aims to help scientists and policymakers detect declines in genetic diversity based on habitat loss.
mass extinction
Why Did Ferns Persist When All Other Plants Perished?
Amanda Heidt | Aug 15, 2022 | 6 min read
A strange layer in the fossil record contains evidence that fern populations exploded following the mass extinction that ended the Cretaceous period. Scientists want to know why.
Are We in the Midst of a Sixth Mass Extinction?
Katarina Zimmer | Jul 18, 2022 | 10+ min read
Today’s extinction rates are sky-high. But scientists debate if that’s sufficient evidence to conclude that Earth is undergoing a mass extinction event—or whether that’s even a helpful designation.
Infographic: A Look at the Big Five Mass Extinctions
Katarina Zimmer | Jul 18, 2022 | 4 min read
Extinction is a natural part of life on Earth. But occasionally, extinction rates have surged far beyond usual levels, driving mass extinction events that have reshaped the trajectory of life.
Fifteen-Year Project Quantifies Threat to Reptiles
Shawna Williams | Apr 28, 2022 | 1 min read
The study estimates that one-fifth of reptile species worldwide are at risk of extinction.
Cretaceous Meteor That Killed Most Life on Earth Hit in Spring
Amanda Heidt | Feb 24, 2022 | 5 min read
Researchers determined the season during which the meteor struck by studying the bones of fish excavated from a contentious field site.
African, Arabian Mammals Didn’t Escape Grande Coupure Extinction
Chloe Tenn | Nov 8, 2021 | 2 min read
More than two-thirds of mammals in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula went extinct during the Eocene-Oligocene transition some 30 million years ago, a study finds.
Trove of Fossils Shows Mammal Evolution after Dino Extinction
Emily Makowski | Oct 25, 2019 | 2 min read
The site, Corral Bluffs in Colorado, also reveals how plants evolved and how ecosystems rebounded after the asteroid impact.