The Sixth Extinction

Lesson 1. The vanishing of species and threat on wildlife.

The earth has faced five major extinctions in the past. This extinction is the sixth one that the earth may face in the short span of time since the planet has come into existence. Many species of animals and plants are subject to extinction during this phenomenon. The author introduces us to various species, some which have already faced extinction and others who are on the brink of it.  

Scientists have already documented the process of extinction for many species of salamanders, frogs and various other amphibians. The panamanian golden frog, the great auk, stag horn coral and the Sumatran rhino have all been victims of extinction. Extinction is not just restricted to animals, as various types of corals are also going extinct. All over the world, the amount of undeveloped land is reducing by the minute. Forests are getting torn down to make roadways, building spaces and industrial areas. 

Extinctions in the past, even those caused by natural calamities like asteroids or volcanic eruptions, left the earth in a state that took it a few million years to recover from the lasting damage. Research papers studying the meteor that hit Mexico, conclude by saying that the meteor did not only kill thousands of plants and animals immediately. It caused the climatic conditions of the Earth to change permanently. This in turn impacted the generations of life and vegetation that followed.

Estimations of extinctions vary to a great extent now. Scientists determine that around 17,000 to 100,000 species fall extinct each year. Even if we take into account the lowest figure proposed, the estimate of 17,000 is alarming in itself. If this rate continues, we may have to say goodbye to half of the flora and fauna present on Earth by 2100. The reason why there have been a lot of discussions and debates on the topic of the sixth extinction is that plants and animals today are going extinct at a rate faster than that of the birth of new species to replace them. The previous decades saw the rate of extinction go up higher than ever. The researchers and scientists originally thought that new species would emerge to replace them. However, their studies and researches have proven otherwise. The sixth extinction, because of all these reasons, is believed to be the most alarming of them all. 

Lesson 2. The study of extinction and the myths around it. 

The world was shaken into awareness the day Georges Cuvier put forth his notion on extinction. Georges Cuvier, a French naturalist and paleontologist, changed the way the world