extinction – News Stories About extinction - Page 8

Jan 9, 2008 1:07 PM CST

Did Bug Bites Do in Dinos?

Disease-carrying insects may have contributed to dinosaur extinction

(Newser) - Disease-carrying insects may have contributed to the extinction of the dinosaurs around 65 million years ago, entomologists write in a new book. Scientists found malaria and other parasitic pathogens in insects preserved in amber, and the same parasites were found in fossilized dinosaur waste, the Guardian reports. New plants, pollinated...

Pandas Prepare for Risky Duty

Dec 16, 2007 6:45 AM CST

Pandas Prepare for Risky Duty

Chinese scientists will set 4 free, but they must learn to defend themselves

(Newser) - Four panda bears bred in captivity in China will soon be set free in a bid to save their species from extinction. But first, they've got to toughen up. Scientists at the nation's biggest panda breeding center are preparing to release two males and two females into the wild, and...

Volcanoes Helped Doom Dinos

Nov 13, 2007 2:42 PM CST

Volcanoes Helped Doom Dinos

Research shows extinction resulted from not only an asteroid but volcanoes too

(Newser) - Not one but two catastrophic events may have spelled destruction for the Age of Dinosaurs, previously thought to have ended when an asteroid or comet struck the earth. New research suggests the prehistoric giants died off in “an unfortunate coincidence of a one-two punch—of Deccan volcanism and then...

75% of Bear Species at Risk

Nov 12, 2007 7:15 PM CST

75% of Bear Species at Risk

Asia's sun bear now the fifth of eight bear species endangered worldwide

(Newser) - Southeast Asia's sun bear is now the sixth of eight bear species facing extinction worldwide, the Telegraph reports. Experts admit they know little about the bear, but blame deforestation, hunting, and fearful villagers for menacing the species. "We estimate that sun bears have declined by at least 30 per...

Half of All Species Risk Extinction as Earth Warms

Oct 24, 2007 4:15 AM CDT

Half of All Species Risk Extinction as Earth Warms

Humans will survive climate change, many other species won't: study

(Newser) - Global warming could trigger the extinction of half the world's plant and animal species—although humans will probably survive, according to a new British study of the likely effects of climate change. Researchers studied links between mass extinctions and climate changes over 520 million years. In one event, 95% of...

'Extinction Crisis' Threatens 40% of Species

Sep 12, 2007 1:46 PM CDT

'Extinction Crisis' Threatens 40% of Species

Watchdog group sees serious danger to one in four mammals

(Newser) - More than 16,000 species are in serious danger of extinction, including one in four mammals and one in three amphibians being monitored by a global conservation group. With 40% of 40,000 surveyed species facing the highest levels of threat, “We’re at code red,” a top...

Feared Extinct, Dolphin Resurfaces

Aug 29, 2007 3:11 PM CDT

Feared Extinct, Dolphin Resurfaces

Rare mammal reportedly appears in the Yangtze

(Newser) - A member of a dolphin species so rare that it was reported possibly extinct may have been spotted in the Yangtze River. The baiji, or white flag dolphin, was declared extinct last December, but earlier this month a man shot a video showing what appears to be a baiji frolicking...

Redheads Wave Goodbye

Aug 23, 2007 2:22 PM CDT

Redheads Wave Goodbye

Our flame-haired friends are bound for extinction: report

(Newser) - Across the globe, true redheads are declining in number and may soon be gone altogether. More human intermingling has lessened redhead coupling, the Daily Mail reports, and carrot-tops may be no more as soon as 2060. Some scientists make less dire predictions, according to National Geographic, and say the ginger...

Tasmanian Devils Face Extinction

May 7, 2007 8:33 AM CDT

Tasmanian Devils Face Extinction

Iconic marsupials hit by contagious facial cancer

(Newser) - Tasmanian Devils, the largest marsupial carnivore and the island's main tourist attraction, are threatened with extinction due to a contagious and fatal form of facial cancer spreading rapidly through the population. "Once they've got a lump, it's a one way trip," one expert says.