Theory of the sixth mass extinction

Theory of the sixth mass extinction
Theory of the sixth mass extinction

Theory of the sixth mass extinction

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Scientists maintain that in Earth’s 4.5 billion years, there have been five “mass extinctions.” These events destroy life at an accelerated rate. The fifth mass extinction wiped out 96 percent of life on the planet, including the dinosaurs. A new article theorizes that we currently are witnessing Earth’s sixth mass extinction. Professor Paul Ehrlich of Stanford University, co-authored the article, ‘Accelerated modern human–induced species losses: Entering the sixth mass extinction.’ We’ll ask him what’s causing our planet to lose “species of other organisms” at a pace ”unparalleled for 65 million years.” (Photo: Flickr/NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)