Death is inevitable for individuals and also for species. With help from the fossil record, paleontologists are piecing together what might make one creature more vulnerable than another.
The Earth is losing more and more biodiversity every day, and we should all be worried
Impression of Megachirella wachtleri walking through the vegetation about 240 million years ago in what is now the Dolomites region of Italy.
Davide Bonadonna
A new study of an ancient fossil has found it to be the earliest lizard known, so far. It shows they survived one the greatest mass extinctions on Earth.
Crowdfunded campaigns to save the orange-bellied parrot are a rare ray of hope.
Fatih Sam
Scientists believe since 2010 we have entered the sixth period of mass extinction. CO2 emissions will change the lives of plants and animals in the next three to four decades.
The mass extinction of the dinosaurs was down to the location of the asteroid’s impact and the kind of rocks it landed on.
Nearly one-third of tropical animal species face extinction if humans do not curb our growing appetites for beef, pork and other land-intensive meats. The Panamanian golden frog bred by the Vancouver Aquarium in this 2014 file photo may be extinct in its natural habitat.
(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck)
As much as one-third of animal species in the tropics could be eradicated if their habitats continue to be converted for monoculture farming. We can all do something to make a difference.
The Noril’sk nickel deposits In Russia are unique: giant volcanic eruptions 250 million years ago released colossal amounts of nickel into the atmosphere, kickstarting the Great Dying.
The Earth’s magnetic field is hugely important to our survival.
NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre/Flickr
Large asteroid hits on Earth have the potential to wipe out humanity so knowing how to detect and deflect them is vital. But we know very little about the interior make up of many asteroids.
Matthew Flinders Professor of Global Ecology and Models Theme Leader for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Flinders University