Extinction occurs when a species of organism permanently ceases to exist. This natural process has been a part of Earth’s history, marked by several mass extinction events that have drastically reshaped life on the planet. However, the current rate of extinction is alarmingly high, largely driven by human activities such as habitat destruction, overexploitation of species, pollution, and the introduction of invasive species. Conservationists and biologists study extinct and endangered species to understand the causes and impacts of extinction, aiming to preserve biodiversity and stabilize ecosystems. Efforts to mitigate human-induced extinction involve habitat preservation, legal protections for threatened and endangered species, and restoration of ecological balance. Understanding and preventing unnecessary extinctions is crucial for maintaining ecological integrity and the services that ecosystems provide to humanity.
Researchers at Aarhus University have concluded that human hunting, rather than climate change, was the primary factor in the extinction of large mammals over the…
The United States has witnessed the local extinction of the Key Largo tree cactus due to sea level rise, a first in the country. The…
Recent findings from the University of Bristol reveal that ammonites, ancient marine mollusks, were not necessarily declining before their extinction 66 million years ago. The…
A recent study utilized museum collections to chart global ammonite diversity prior to their complete extinction. The findings reveal that ammonites were not declining before…
Genetic analysis of the last woolly mammoths on Wrangel Island has revealed a population that managed to survive 6,000 years despite severe inbreeding and low…
Around 183 million years ago, during the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE), volcanic eruptions in what is now South Africa released approximately 20,500 gigatons of…
Limestone from the Mercato San Severino area in southern Italy provides evidence of historical oceanic oxygen depletion. Researchers have uncovered a significant clue within Italian…
Preserving biodiversity hotspots, which constitute only 1.22% of the Earth’s land surface, could halt extinctions safeguard the planet for future generations. In a revolutionary new…
Researchers have found the oldest Southern Hemisphere fossil of a nothosaur in New Zealand, dating back 246 million years, providing new insights into the early…
A study identifies over 3,700 species at risk of extinction due to natural disasters, with urgent conservation actions needed to preserve ecosystem functions and prevent…
A study using foraminifera fossils suggests that shifts in marine community structures can predict future extinctions, highlighting the role of historical data in forecasting climate…
A small, “ugly” fossil unearthed in Texas has been identified as a Homotherium, expanding our understanding of this prehistoric cat’s geographic range and its ecological…
Advanced computer modeling reveals that sustained human hunting contributed to the woolly rhinoceros’s extinction by blocking their migration to new habitats during post-Ice Age warming,…
New research explores the unresolved mystery of the extinction of ancient North America’s megafauna, highlighting new research using ZooMS to analyze fragmented bones from the…
New findings from a complete porcupine skeleton in Florida reveal a much earlier origin for North American porcupines, predating the Isthmus of Panama, and suggest…
A new study from the University of Cambridge suggests that interspecies competition significantly influenced the evolutionary trajectory of hominins, resulting in a “bizarre” evolutionary pattern…
An international team of researchers led by the University of Potsdam has generated and analyzed the first high-coverage nuclear genome of the extinct blue antelope…
Scrub mints are among the most endangered plants you’ve probably never heard of. Over half of the existing 24 species are recognized as threatened or…