Ancient Manmade Fires Drove Mass Extinction

Fossils from La Brea Tar Pits in Southern California suggest that sabertooth cats and other large North American mammals disappeared as a result of wildfires spurred by human activity.

The Sixth Mass Extinction Is Happening Now

Mounting evidence is pointing to the world having entered a sixth mass extinction. If the current rate of extinction continues we could lose most species by 2200.

Scientists Studying Earth's Trees Issue A Warning to Humanity

In 2021, a global assessment found a shocking one-third of all tree species are currently teetering on the edge of existence. The extinction of a single species can cause a massive domino effect.

The Ten Most Significant Science Stories of 2020

From the rapid development of vaccines for Covid-19 to the stunning collection of an asteroid sample, these were the biggest science moments of the year.

A New Mass Extinction has been Discovered

It looks like another extinction prior to the appearance of the dinosaurs paved the way for their long reign. That extinction took place about 233 million years ago. And scientists have only now discovered it.

Exploding stars may have caused mass extinction on Earth

Killer cosmic rays from nearby supernovae could be the culprit behind at least one mass extinction event, researchers said, and finding certain radioactive isotopes in Earth.

The Species We Lost in 2019

Three bird species, two frogs, a shark, a famous snail and one of the world's largest freshwater fish were among those declared extinct this year. According to many experts, the sixth mass extinction is currently taking place.

In death of dinosaurs, it was all about the asteroid

Volcanic activity did not play a direct role in the mass extinction event that killed the dinosaurs, according to an international team of researchers. It was all about the asteroid.

Staggering extent of human impact on planet revealed in new report

Populations of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians have, on average, declined in size by 60 percent in just over 40 years.

Humankind’s Voracious Appetite for Nature Is a Threat to Our Well-Being

A series of reports compiled by nearly 600 scientists meeting in Columbia paint a grim picture of the world at the end of the century, with human activities driving the sixth mass extinction in Earth’s history.