Warnings that humanity is heading toward its own disappearance have shifted from the fringes of science fiction into mainstream research and public debate. Instead of vague prophecies, scientists now ...

Quick Take Six animal species, including the slender-billed curlew and Christmas Island shrew, were confirmed extinct in 2025 ...

To consider how climate change could cause some extinctions, imagine a tiny mountain bird that eats the berries of a particular mountain tree. That tree can only grow at a specific elevation around ...

CREDIT: Nick Fitzhardinge via Getty Images. Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Terms of ...

Humans have wiped out hundreds of species — with many more on the brink or experiencing large declines in population. Some scientists have argued that we have entered a “sixth mass extinction” event ...

Gene editing may hold the key to rescuing endangered species—not just by preserving them, but by restoring their lost genetic diversity using DNA from museum specimens and related species. Scientists ...

A poignant recounting of the tangled and unnatural histories of extinction and empire, and how extinction is not necessarily inevitable but instead, is a political choice. One of the most famous and ...