Ordovician–Silurian Extinction Event

In the latest issue of Science, a study spanning nearly half a billion years of Earth's history reveals how easily global temperatures have swung between extremes – this research serves as a stark reminder of how small changes can push the planet past tipping points. What does this mean for us today?

We read a fairly large number of technical papers here at The Next Platform, and it is a rare thing indeed when we can recommend that everyone – or damned

From the Ordovician period to present day where we may be experiencing a sixth mass extinction, here are the mass extinctions that repeatedly wiped out life on Earth.

The threat of supernovas to life on Earth is due to their intense radiation. Fortunately, they'd have to be fairly close to affect Earth. The post The threat of supernovas to life on Earth first appeared on EarthSky.

Virginia Tech researchers discovered a sixth mass extinction that took place on earth nearly 550 million years ago due to a drop in oxygen.

Over 4.5 billion years, volcanoes, asteroids, and climate change have wiped out millions of species.

The Late Ordovician mass extinction event (LOME) has long been viewed as odd compared to other mass extinction events in Earth's history. Contrary to nearly all other major extinction phases known from the fossil record it appears to be instigated by an ice age. A new study, however, shows that the LOME was probably governed by mechanisms like those seen during most other events—including global warming.

The aftermath of a nuclear war could lead to drastic cooling that would destroy food supplies.

A mass extinction event is already underway.

Burning coal caused the largest mass extinction in earth's history — the Late Permian Mass Extinction, or the Great Dying.

According to new research from Keele University and the Universidad de Alicante, near-Earth explosions of giant O- and B-type stars occur at a rate of 2.5 per one billion year.

Some ancient texts record what were likely dying stars, faintly visible from Earth. If close enough, these events can disturb telescopes and even damage the ...

In a new study, scientists reveal new evidence for the largest asteroid impact structure on Earth buried Australia in southern New South Wales.

The report argues that almost half of the planet's animal species are now in decline, but unlike past mass extinctions, this one has been entirely caused by humans.

And with estimates projecting an even greater decline in the vertebrate population by 2030, the situatoon becomes even more critical

A new study supports the theory that volcanoes — not asteroids — trigger the most extreme mass extinction events.

Scientists aren't just arguing whether humans are causing a sixth mass extinction event now, but whether many more occurred in the past

"Much as we can only wonder today what knowledge was lost in the ransacking of the Library of Alexandria, we can also ponder what sort of magnificent creatures born of the Cambrian explosion were lost."

Research team predicts changing Earth could mean the end of humans in 250M years

In recent research published by myself and my colleague Tony Yeates in the journal Tectonophysics, we investigate what we believe – based on many years of experience in asteroid impact research – is the world's largest known impact structure, buried...