Just over half a billion years ago, Earth was rocked by a global mass extinction event, a dramatic interruption of the Cambrian explosion of life on Earth. What happened next, in the direct aftermath ...

Earth has a flair for dramatic resets, though it usually takes millions of years to deliver them. Over its long history, life has been knocked back by volcanic eruptions, climate swings, changing seas ...

Mass extinction events throughout Earth’s history are characterized as significant disruptions to life on the planet. There have been five major extinction events that have fundamentally changed how ...

Researchers have uncovered new evidence that short-lived spikes in ocean phosphorus may have played a major role in two of the most severe marine extinctions in Earth's history. Dr. Matthew Dodd from ...

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 ...

An interdisciplinary team from Florida State University's Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science has uncovered ...

A speculative paper argues that ancient planetary flybys may have helped trigger some of Earth’s mass extinctions.

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 ...