Has Earth's Sixth Mass Extinction Already Arrived?

"...we are moving into the mass extinction realm." Says principal author of Science Daily, Anthony D. Barnosky

According to a recent article by Barnosky and his co-authors at Science Daily, we are all ready in the sixth mass extinction of planet Earth. For major and important species such as the black rhinoceros (shown above) and the beluga sturgeon to be in such critical endangerment, it is no wonder that world class scientists are speculating this notion. 

"Just because the magnitude is low compared to the biggest mass extinctions we've seen in a half a billion years doesn't mean to say that they aren't significant," said Coauthor Charles Marshall, UC Berkeley professor of integrative biology and director of the campus's Museum of Paleontology. "Even though the magnitude is fairly low, present rates are higher than during most past mass extinctions."

This is significant, because this is also the first mass extinction caused by a single species on the planet, humans.

"So far, only 1 to 2 percent of all species have gone extinct in the groups we can look at clearly, so by those numbers, it looks like we are not far down the road to extinction. We still have a lot of Earth's biota to save," Barnosky said. "It's very important to devote resources and legislation toward species conservation if we don't want to be the species whose activity caused a mass extinction."

Despite all of these present facts, we are still not very far into the mass extinction. If conservation efforts, as Barnosky pointed out, continue to expand and flourish, we are sure to see results.

As a species, we are already taking major steps to prevent a global decline. In terms of climate change, people everywhere are trying to decrease their carbon footprint by taking advantage of windpower, hydro-powers, solar power, and various other sources of energy. This is known by many who are familiar with the issue, but it is also known we have a long way to go.

"The modern global mass extinction is a largely unaddressed hazard of climate change and human activities," said H. Richard Lane, program director in the National Science Foundation's Division of Earth Sciences, which funded the research concerning this mass extinction. "Its continued progression, as this paper shows, could result in unforeseen -- and irreversible -- negative consequences to the environment and to humanity."

So as a species, we need to do much more. Despite negativity, there is still a chance, and we need to start now.


Your fellow biologist,
                Ashley Marie