LiveScience Topics: Extinction

More Extinction News and Information

• 

  Mammals Beat Reptiles in Battle of Evolution

  Study finds mammals, birds, fish are evolution's winners; crocodiles, alligators are losers.

• 

  Comets From Edge of Solar System Unlikely to Hit Earth

  Long-period comets found to come from inner Oort Cloud, unlikely cause of past mass extinctions.

• 

  Before Dinosaurs, the First Tree-Climber Revealed

  Before dinosaurs arrived, trees were the ultimate refuge from predators

• 

  Comet Killed Ice Age Beasts

  Strongest evidence yet supports comet impact led to extinction of megafauna.

• 

  One-Third of Sharks Could Go Extinct

  Nearly a third of sharks and rays are threatened with extinction in a new analysis of 64 species.

• 

  Cancer Kills Wild Animals Too

  Wild animals die of cancer at about the same rate that humans do, a new study finds.

• 

  Volcanic Eruption Implicated in Mass Extinction

  A study has found evidence in China that a volcanic eruption was responsible a mid-Permian mass extinction event.

• 

  Life Could Have Survived Earth's Early Bombardment

  Heavy asteroid bombardment could have helped life on Earth, instead of killing it off

• 

  Top 10 Greatest Explosions Ever

  Explosions, both natural and man-made, have caused awe and terror for centuries.

• 

  More Birds Endangered Than Ever

  More species of birds than ever are threatened with extinction.

• 

  Scientists to Resurrect Ancient Gene to Replay Evolution

  Aim is to resurrect a single gene from an extinct species of bacteria.

• 

  6,000 Rare Dolphins Found in South Asia

  Largest known population of Irrawaddy dolphins is found in South Asia.

• 

  See-Through Frogs Discovered

  Spiky-skinned and transparent-skinned frogs found in mountains of Colombia.

• 

  Future of the Ocean: Expanding Dead Zones

  As the ocean warms, areas of the ocean will become depleted in oxygen, threatening marine life.

• 

  Dinosaur Killer May Have Been Volcanism, Not Asteroid

  More evidence that volcanism, not a space rock, may be the culprit behind the dinosaurs' demise.

• 

  Huge Cave Bears: When and Why They Disappeared

  Vegetarianism and cool temps made cave bears extinct long before other Ice Age animals died out.

• 

  Tasmanian Devils Could Be Gone in 20 Years

  A national project aims to save the endangered Tasmanian devil from extinction.

• 

  Mass Extinctions Remain Mysterious

  Several mass extinctions have unknown causes.

• 

  Why Dinosaurs Ruled: Just Plain Luck

  Dinosaurs survived extinction events by luck, didn't out-compete other groups.

• 

  Threatened Monkey Populations Surprisingly Large

  A new survey reveals two large monkey populations in Cambodia.

• 

  Diamonds Rained Down During Ice Age

  A comet said to strike Earth 12,000 years ago kicked up precious metals.