Science & Nature

The Sixth Extinction

We Are Living Through the Fastest Mass Extinction in Earth's History

Yuki Tanaka

Conservation biologist at the University of Tokyo, studying the drivers and consequences of biodiversity loss in tropical ecosystems.

February 15, 2026·8 min read

The Sixth Extinction

Earth has experienced five mass extinctions in its 4.5-billion-year history, each caused by geological or astronomical catastrophes. The sixth is underway now — and it is being caused by a single species. The current rate of species loss is estimated to be 100 to 1,000 times the natural background rate, and accelerating.

TOPICS

extinctionbiodiversityconservationecologyclimate change

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