Ever since the first dinosaur fossils were identified in the 19th century, scientists have been trying to figure out why ...

The disappearance of species is destructive, but it’s also one of the most natural, creative forces on Earth.

At least five times, a biological catastrophe has engulfed Earth killing off the vast majority of species. As scientists say we’re in a sixth mass extinction, what can we learn from the past?

Many researchers argue we’re in the middle of a sixth mass extinction, caused not by a city-size space rock but by the overgrowth and transformative behavior of a single species — Homo sapiens.

The formation of the Appalachian Mountains may have triggered massive global cooling. CREDIT: Deposit Photos. Our planet’s first known mass extinction happened about 440 million years ago.

As climate change threatens tropical forests, a new study shows how the loss of those forests can be devastating to life on ...

A study of fossils from the Permian-Triassic extinction event 252 million years ago shows that forests in many parts of the ...

Geobiologists shine new light on Earth's first known mass extinction event 550 million years ago Work shows a major loss of diversity during the Ediacaran Period, which lasted from 635 million to ...

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.

By Katie Hunt, CNN (CNN) — No species lasts forever — extinction is part of the evolution of life. But at least five times, a biological catastrophe has engulfed the planet, killing off the ...