extinction (Page 6)

Whole “chunks of life” are lost in extinction events, all at the same time. If related species are threatened, you may be too (since primates are endangered, what does that say about humans?)

In BBC News, Victoria Gill quotes biologist Richard Grenyer as saying, “Big groups of organisms tend to be similar to one another. Look at the large cats for example. A bad effect that affects one of them, will likely affect all of them. It’s like a casino of extinctions, with the odds rigged against certain groups.”

Gill quotes ecologist Julie Lockwood as saying, “There are examples of modern species where the same thing is happening.”
read more

Scientists don’t agree on how many mass extinction events in earth’s history were triggered by a space rock crashing into the planet’s surface. However, most do agree that an asteroid collision 65 million years ago (among other things) was what brought an end to the age of dinosaurs. The outer planets Saturn and Jupiter protect us from many of these potential impacts, as was shown on July 20, when a huge scar appeared on Jupiter’s surface, evidence of a comet impact. However, this is not always the case, and12,600 years ago North America was struck by a massiveobject that ended the ice age and gave rise to flood legendsaround the world.
read more

Biologists warn that global warming and the destruction of natural habitats will lead to significant declines and extinctions in the world?s 8,750 terrestrial bird species over the next century. In Scotland, they’re already noticing the disappearance of seabirds. It’s the middle of their breeding season, but the cliffs where there should be thousands of birds remain almost empty. And if we should be so unlucky (or foolish) as to have a nuclear accident, which bird species are most likely to disappear?
read more

Many things can cause a species to disappear: including poaching (for food or medicine) and habitat destruction. It turns out that one of these things is NOT war.

Aerial surveys by the Wildlife Conservation Society confirm the existence of more than 1.2 million white-eared kob, tiang antelope and Mongalla gazelle in Southern Sudan, where wildlife was thought to have vanished as a result of decades-long conflict. Despite the war, some species of wildlife in Southern Sudan, last surveyed more than 25 years ago, have not only survived but have thrived. Is this because humans are too busy fighting to hunt?
read more