Are we in the midst of a mass extinction? Is Homo sapiens triggering this mass extinction? Four expert panelists have written responses to the aforementioned questions for this highly informative site.

[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] An organism goes extinct when all of the members of a species die out and no more members remain. Extinctions are part of natural selection. Species often go extinct...

A site dedicated to knowledge about the mass extinction that have occurred in our history.

This interactive module explores the environmental factors and species involved in five major mass extinctions.

[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Through studying the past, students will explore extinction patterns and their causes and consider ways to protect biodiversity across the globe.

Activity in which students analyze the information on biodiversity and extinction presented in the article and answer questions for discussion, then develop policy to meet modern environmental challenges. Individual and small group work.

Borths, D'Emic, and Pritchard give a quick history of mass extinctions. [5:01]

Asteroid strikes get all the coverage, but "Medea Hypothesis" author Peter Ward argues that most of Earth's mass extinctions were caused by lowly bacteria. The culprit, a poison called hydrogen sulfide, may have an interesting...

Discover how mass extinctions play a part in Earth's life history.

Review the mass extinction events from the Earth's history. Then explore some ideas related to the concept that we are currently in the midst of the Earth's sixth major extinction.

Students read the article "The Sixth Extinction" by Niles Eldredge on past mass extinctions and the current rate of loss of species. There is a choice of student activities which includes having students respond to discussion and...

Using GEOLogic puzzles, students are asked to match the five largest mass extinction events with their relative dates, approximate duration, and severity based on clues given from various perspectives.

Read about some of the extinction events that have occurred during the history of the Earth.

This comprehensive page discusses the Asteroid Impact vs. Volcano-Greenhouse dinosaur extinction debate. It was written by paleontologist, professor, and scientist Dr. Dewey McLean.

Overview of the Earth in the Triassic Period as told by photos, news, and external links with an emphasis on what grew then, what lived then, the causes of mass extinction, types of fossils, and what life was like in general.

An overview of Walter and Luis Alverez's theory that a large meteorite crashed into earth causing huge tidal waves, showers of ash, and an enormous dust cloud.

Use this study guide to understand extinction and radiation of life.

Explanation of what might happen in the next mass extinction event on Earth.

[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] In addition to habitat destruction, other human-caused problems are also threatening many species. These include issues associated with climate change, pollution,...

Discusses the mass extinction event that wiped out many prehistoric animals 65 million years ago and why there are no dinosaur fossils to be found in Indiana.

This site provides a virtual tour to the Hooper Virtual Paleontological Museum. There are many virtual exhibits to visit through a series of links, including Mass Extinctions and Human Evolution. Very descriptive and fun tour!

This dinosaur site, containing eight different sections, includes topics such as: 101 crazy theories about dinosaur extinction, the pattern and timing of extinction, evidence for late cretaceous climatic change, gradual extinction and...

Overview of the Earth in the Jurassic Period told by photos, news, videos, and external links with emphasis on what grew then, what lived then, the causes of mass extinction, types of fossils, and what life was like in general.

[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Describes how species die out, and how new ones evolve to fill the vacant niches.