Asteroid vs. Volcanoes: New Modeling Shows What Made the Earth Uninhabitable for Dinosaurs
Modeling of the Chicxulub asteroid impact 66 million years ago shows it created a world largely unsuitable for dinosaurs to live in. The asteroid, which…
Extinction
New Insight Into the Great Dying – Earth’s Most Deadly Mass Extinction Event Disrupted Ocean Chemistry
A new study shows for the first time that the collapse of terrestrial ecosystems during Earth’s most deadly mass extinction event was directly responsible for…
Coal-Burning in Siberia 250 Million Years Ago Led to Climate Change & Caused the Earth’s Most Severe Extinction Event
A team of researchers led by Arizona State University School of Earth and Space Exploration Professor Lindy Elkins-Tanton has provided the first ever direct evidence that extensive…
Mass Extinction Event Caused by Erosion of the Ozone Layer
Researchers at the University of Southampton have shown that an extinction event 360 million years ago, that killed much of the Earth’s plant and freshwater…
Asteroid That Doomed the Dinosaurs Struck Earth at “Deadliest Possible” Angle
New simulations from Imperial College London have revealed the asteroid that doomed the dinosaurs struck Earth at the ‘deadliest possible’ angle. The simulations show that…
Extinction of Threatened Marine Megafauna Would Lead to Devastating Loss in Functional Diversity
The extinction of threatened marine megafauna species could result in larger than expected losses in functional diversity, according to research led by Swansea University. In…
‘A Really Bad Time to Be Alive’ – Ocean Deoxygenation Linked to Ancient Die-Off
Researchers present new evidence that the deoxygenation of the ocean wiped out biodiversity during one of the “Big Five” mass extinctions in Earth’s history –…
Virus Spillover, Wildlife Extinction and the Environment – It’s All Interlinked
The same processes that threaten wildlife increase our risk of spillover. As COVID-19 spreads across the globe, a common question is, can infectious diseases be…
How Pablo Escobar’s Hippos Can Counteract a Legacy of Extinctions and Restore a Lost World
Study from international team of researchers, including University of Massachusetts Amherst biologist John Rowan, shows introduced species can restore a lost world. When cocaine kingpin…
Likely Extinction of Snake Due to Warming Mountaintops
Climate change is a key factor contributing to the likely extinction of the Greek Meadow Viper, a new study has found. Researchers, working on behalf…
Study of Recent Extinctions Estimates That 1/3 of Plant & Animal Species Could Be Gone in 50 Years
University of Arizona researchers studied recent extinctions from climate change to estimate the loss of plant and animal species by 2070. Accurately predicting biodiversity loss…
Study Resurrects Woolly Mammoth DNA to Explore the Cause of Their Extinction
A new study in Genome Biology and Evolution, published by Oxford University Press, resurrected the mutated genes of the last herd of woolly mammoths and…
Bumble Bees Are Going Extinct in Time of Climate Chaos – “We Have Now Entered the World’s Sixth Mass Extinction Event”
University of Ottawa researchers develop technique to predict impact of climate change on species extinction risk. When you were young, were you the type of…
Lights Out? Fireflies Face Multiple Serious Extinction Threats
Habitat loss, pesticide use and, surprisingly, artificial light are the three most serious threats endangering fireflies across the globe, raising the specter of extinction for…
Australian Researchers Fear Platypus on Brink of Extinction – Call for National Action
New UNSW research calls for national action to minimize the risk of the platypus vanishing due to habitat destruction, dams, and weirs. Australia’s devastating drought…
Mass Extinction That Killed the Dinosaurs Was All About the Asteroid – Not Volcanoes
Volcanic activity did not play a direct role in the mass extinction event that killed the dinosaurs, according to an international, Yale-led team of researchers….
Global Mercury Contamination and Warming When Dinosaurs Perished
The impact of an asteroid or comet is acknowledged as the principal cause of the mass extinction that killed off most dinosaurs and about three-quarters…
Global Warming, Ocean Acidification: Earth Was Stressed Before Dinosaur Extinction
Fossilized seashells show signs of global warming, ocean acidification leading up to asteroid impact. Shells’ chemistry shifted to respond to influx of carbon into the…