Extinction is a natural process that has been integral to evolutionary change throughout the
history of life. The constant, ongoing loss of the various components of biodiversity—whether …

The extent to which human activity has influenced species extinctions during the recent
prehistoric past remains controversial due to other factors such as climatic fluctuations and a …

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The temporal link between large igneous province (LIP) eruptions and at least half of the
major extinctions of the Phanerozoic implies that large scale volcanism is the main driver of …

Direct comparison of ancient extinctions to the present-day situation is difficult, because
quantitative palaeontological data come primarily from marine invertebrates, fossilized …

The vast majority of species that have ever lived went extinct sometime other than during
one of the great mass extinction events. In spite of this, mass extinctions are thought to have …

The Earth's biodiversity is a well-spring for scientific curiosity about nature's workings. It is
also a source of joy and inspiration for inquisitive minds, from poets to philosophers, and …

The evolutionary consequences of mass extinctions depend as much on the processes of
survival and recovery following these biotic crises as on the patterns of extinction …

To make sense of our present biodiversity crises, the modern rate of species extinctions is
commonly compared to a benchmark, or 'background,'rate derived from the fossil record …

Recently, two articles were published in leading scientific journals, each calling attention to
an emerging mass extinction. The two are complementary in that they reached the same …