extinctions

A groundbreaking study reveals that human activities have led to the extinction of around 1,400 bird species, highlighting the urgent need for conservation efforts to protect remaining avian diversity and prevent further losses.Scientists report that the loss of species is twice the current estimate, with 1 in 9 species having been lost.A new study reveals that human activities have led to the extinction of approximately 1,400 bird species, a figure that is double the earlier estimates. This has significant consequences…

Credit: CC0 Public Domain As delegates discuss the climate crisis in Dubai for COP28, the dazzling variety of life found on Earth hangs in the balance. Our world has warmed by roughly 1.2°C since the pre-industrial period. Many species are already exposed to increasingly intolerable conditions, driving some populations to die off or contract at the…

A core sample of ~201 million year old sediments obtained from the Carnduff-2 core, drilled in the Larne Basin (Northern Ireland), showing the shell of an animal that lived on the seabed shortly after the Triassic–Jurassic global mass extinction. Credit: Prof. Micha Ruhl, Trinity College Dublin Scientists have made a surprising discovery that sheds new light on the role that oceanic deoxygenation (anoxia) played in one of the…

Geneticists discovered a past whole genome duplication (WGD) event in the common ancestor of sturgeons and paddlefish that occurred just before a significant mass extinction, potentially providing these species with advantageous genetic variations. This discovery also raises the possibility of similar overlooked WGDs in other species’ lineages, which might have contributed to survival during periods of extreme environmental changes.Geneticists have made a significant discovery about the ancient history of sturgeons and…

The Bakken Shale Formation has offered a new insight into Earth’s geological history, revealing a major trigger for several biotic crises during the late Devonian Period: euxinia, or oxygen depletion and hydrogen sulfide expansion in large water bodies. This research not only helps understand Earth’s past but also warns of potential consequences of global warming, such as decreased diversity and increased extinction rates.A major oil source in North America reveals insights into one of the planet’s most devastating mass…

An international team of researchers has found evidence suggesting that two mass extinctions, approximately 259 million and 262 million years ago during the Middle Permian Period, were caused by massive volcanic eruptions. The scientists studied uranium isotope profiles of marine samples collected in the South China Sea, which revealed two “pulses” where the oceans were deprived of life-giving oxygen. This research can help predict the potential impact of modern-day global warming on ocean food chains, as human activities…

An international team of researchers discovered evidence that a mass extinction 260 million years ago was actually two events separated by 3 million years. Scientists say both likely were caused by volcanic eruptions. Credit: Margaret Weiner/UC Marketing + Brand Long before dinosaurs, Earth was dominated by animals that were in many ways even more incredible. …

Researchers observe and discuss rock samples taken from Bakken Shale Formation. Credit: Alan Jay Kaufman. The Bakken Shale Formation—a 200,000-square-mile shale deposit below parts of Canada and North Dakota—has supplied billions of barrels of oil and natural gas to North America for 70 years. A new discovery reveals that the rocks also open a uniquely informative window into Earth's complicated geological history.…

The first land plants to evolve penetrating root systems, around 400 million years ago, may very well have triggered a series of mass extinctions in the ocean.The expansion of plants onto terra firma was a big moment on Earth, completely restructuring the terrestrial biosphere. According to researchers from Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) in the US and University of Southampton in the UK, the consequences for our oceans might have been just as profound.During the Devonian Period, which stretched…

According to new research, the evolution of tree roots may have triggered a series of mass extinctions.Geologists find parallels between ancient, global-scale extinction events and modern threats to Earth’s oceans.A series of mass extinctions that rocked the Earth’s oceans during the Devonian Period over 300 million years ago may have been triggered by the evolution of tree roots. This is according to a research study led by scientists at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), along with colleagues in…