The Permian extinction—when life nearly came to an end. This mass extinction almost ended life on Earth as we know it.

And this is, of course, an anthropogenic mass extinction. The primary cause is human communities. But what we're trying to do in extinction studies is to think about scale in different ways.

New Theory for What Caused Earth's Second-Largest Mass Extinction. Scientists have been trying to unravel what killed nearly all of Earth’s animals 400 million years ago.

They’re so high that scientists say we’re on the brink of a mass extinction. 4th of July Sale ... Bolivia-Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark. THREAT: INVASIVE SPECIES ...

The Permian extinction wiped out 70 percent of known land species. Those who survived had to get creative. Others fought for their last gasp.

How did Earth's last mass extinction unfold? Explore what led to it, what was lost, and how life ultimately found ways to evolve in a changed world. ... National Geographic, WorldWildlife.org.

Tardigrades are survivors. For more than 500 million years, the microscopic “water bears” have spread all over the planet and endured some of the harshest conditions Earth has to offer. Now a ...

Synapsids, such as this dinogorgon from South Africa’s Karoo Basin, were nearly wiped out 251 million years ago during the End-Permian mass extinction. (Credit: Jonathan Blair/National Geographic ...

They survived the mass extinction 65 million years ago that ended the Age of Dinosaurs, along with some birds, amphibians, and reptiles. Most major animal groups that survived this extinction ...

Around 66 million years ago, an asteroid slammed into the Yucatan Peninsula and triggered the mass extinction event that killed the dinosaurs. Now, researchers have determined that the space rock ...