News tagged with extinct species

Factors behind past lemur species extinctions put surviving species in 'ecological retreat'

New research out today on the long-term impact of species extinctions suggests that the disappearance of one species does not necessarily allow remaining competitor species to thrive by filling now-empty niches.

Biology / Ecology

created May 23, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Earth's massive extinction: The story gets worse

Scientists have uncovered a lot about the Earth's greatest extinction event that took place 250 million years ago when rapid climate change wiped out nearly all marine species and a majority of those on land. ...

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

created Jan 05, 2012 | popularity 4 / 5 (25) | comments 36 | with audio podcast

There's not always safety in numbers when it comes to extinction risk

A basic tenet underpinning scientists' understanding of extinction is that more abundant species persist longer than their less abundant counterparts, but a new University of Georgia study reveals a much more complex relationship.

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

created May 08, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Has the Earth's sixth mass extinction already arrived?

With the steep decline in populations of many animal species, from frogs and fish to tigers, some scientists have warned that Earth is on the brink of a mass extinction like those that occurred only five times ...

Biology / Ecology

created Mar 02, 2011 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (27) | comments 55 | with audio podcast

Ecosystem effects of biodiversity loss could rival impacts of climate change, pollution

Loss of biodiversity appears to impact ecosystems as much as climate change, pollution and other major forms of environmental stress, according to a new study from an international research team.

Biology / Ecology

created May 02, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

The winners of mass extinction: With predators gone, prey thrives

In modern ecology, the removal or addition of a predator to an ecosystem can produce dramatic changes in the population of prey species. For the first time, scientists have observed the same dynamics in the ...

Biology / Evolution

created May 02, 2011 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (6) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Taking the temperature of the ancient earth

(PhysOrg.com) -- A new technique has allowed scientists to pin down the timing of ancient glaciations, linking them more firmly to two bursts of extinction.

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

created Mar 08, 2011 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (10) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Algae and bacteria hogged oxygen after ancient mass extinction, researchers say

(PhysOrg.com) -- After the biggest mass extinction in Earth's history -- 250 million years ago -- ocean algae and bacteria rebounded so fast that they consumed virtually all the oxygen in the sea, slowing ...

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

created Mar 25, 2011 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (6) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Giant snakes, fish among spectacular species found in Amazon

Spectacular species previously unknown to the outside world are being discovered in the Amazon rainforest at a rate of one every three days, environment group WWF said in a report published Tuesday.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Oct 26, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (13) | comments 4

Resurrected mammoth blood very cool (w/ Video)

(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of international researchers has brought the primary component of mammoth blood back to life using ancient DNA preserved in bones from Siberian specimens 25,000 to 43,000 years old.

Biology / Biotechnology

created May 03, 2010 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (15) | comments 11

Ancient civilizations reveal ways to manage fisheries for sustainability

In the search for sustainability of the ocean's fisheries, solutions can be found in a surprising place: the ancient past.

Biology / Ecology

created Mar 23, 2012 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (4) | comments 4 | with audio podcast

Researchers map fish species at risk from dams

Dams are believed to be one of the biggest threats to freshwater organisms worldwide: They disrupt normal patterns of water and sediment flow, impede migration, and alter the character of spawning and feeding grounds. A shortage ...

Biology / Ecology

created May 10, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Preserving four percent of the ocean could protect most marine mammal species, study finds

Preserving just 4 percent of the ocean could protect crucial habitat for the vast majority of marine mammal species, from sea otters to blue whales, according to researchers at Stanford University and the ...

Biology / Ecology

created Aug 29, 2011 | popularity 4 / 5 (4) | comments 4 | with audio podcast

Study documents widespread extinction of lizard populations due to climate change

A major survey of lizard populations worldwide has found an alarming pattern of population extinctions attributable to rising temperatures. If current trends continue, 20 percent of all lizard species could ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created May 13, 2010 | popularity 2.8 / 5 (10) | comments 5 | with audio podcast

Explosive evolution need not follow mass extinctions, says study of ancient zooplankton

Following one of Earth's five greatest mass extinctions, tiny marine organisms called graptoloids did not begin to rapidly develop new physical traits until about 2 million years after competing species became ...

Biology / Evolution

created Feb 13, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 1 | with audio podcast