Many of their descendants—modern birds—are currently threatened by extinction, with hundreds of species at risk due to human activity. This article explores the major extinction events that influenced ...

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(CNN) — A cataclysm engulfed the planet some 252 million years ago, wiping out more than 90% of all life. Known as the Great Dying, the mass extinction that ended the Permian geological period was the ...

Nearly one million years ago, humanity came perilously close to disappearing. A new study reveals that our ancestors may have been reduced to just 1,280 individuals, leaving the human race on the ...

Almost all life on land and in the ocean was wiped out during "The Great Dying," a mass extinction event at the end of the Permian Era about 250 million years ago. New evidence suggests that the Great ...

New analysis shows several families of dinosaurs were likely thriving in North America in the latter days of the dinosaur era. A new study reveals that Earth's biomes changed dramatically in the wake ...

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The Great Dying at the end of the Permian Period 250 million years ago may have been amplified by El Niño events far stronger and longer lasting than any today. These mega El Niños caused wild swings ...

At least two mass extinction events in Earth's history were likely caused by the "devastating" effects of nearby supernova explosions, a new study suggests. Researchers at Keele University say these ...