Search results
Extinction is the termination of a taxon by the death of its last member. A taxon may become functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to reproduce and recover. Because a species' potential range may be very large, determining this moment is difficult, and is usually done retrospectively.
Oct 19, 2023 · Learn about the definition, causes, and examples of extinction, the dying out of a species. Explore the history of five mass extinctions and the current threat of a sixth mass extinction due to human activities.
Dec 24, 2023 · At least five times, a catastrophe has killed off the vast majority of Earth’s species. As scientists say we’re in a sixth mass extinction, what can we learn from the past?
Feb 5, 2019 · Extinction happens when environmental factors or evolutionary problems cause a species to die out. The disappearance of species from Earth is ongoing, and rates have varied over time.
Nov 30, 2022 · There have been five mass extinction events in Earth’s history, at least since 500 million years ago. We know very little about extinction events in the Precambrian and early Cambrian earlier, which predate this.4 These are called the "Big Five" for obvious reasons.
Sep 26, 2019 · Learn about the five major mass extinctions in Earth's history, from the Ordovician-Silurian to the Permian-Triassic, and how they were triggered by volcanism, glaciation, asteroids and other events. Find out how these catastrophes shaped the evolution of life on Earth and what lessons they offer for today.