The term “mass extinction” conjures up apocalyptic images of the world coming to an end, but a massive event like this can be a much slower process than many people realize. By definition, a mass ...

Sharks might be the all time bullet-dodging champions. They’ve been around for about 450 million years, longer than trees, longer than the rings of Saturn, and longer than most of the other life on ...

Shocking research has warned that humans are driving extinctions at a scale not seen since the mass extinction of the dinosaurs some 66 million years ago. The researchers from the University of York, ...

A fire-bellied newt (Cynops ensicauda) photographed on Amami Island (Japan). A recent study suggested that the extinction of this and other genera was part of a mass extinction event that threatens ...

Many of their descendants—modern birds—are currently threatened by extinction, with hundreds of species at risk due to human activity. This article explores the major extinction events that influenced ...

Deaths of nearby massive stars may have played a significant role in triggering at least two mass extinction events in Earth's history, according to new research. When you purchase through links on ...

Supernova destroying planet, illustration. A rocky planet lies in the wake of its star, which has just gone supernova. The explosion shatters the planet. A complete census of massive stars in our part ...

Most scientists agree that a "mass extinction" event is underway on Earth, with species disappearing hundreds of time quicker under the influence of human activity. But this is not the first: over the ...