Evolutionary Debate: Impact of Mass Extinctions on Species Evolution

Today, you’ll learn about a new study shedding light on what species are most vulnerable to extinction from climate change, why species of living fossils take their time evolving, and a new theory about how the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs also impacted birds.  

Extinction Risk  

• “New study reveals insight into which animals are most vulnerable to extinction due to climate change.” University of Oxford. 2024.  
• “What is mass extinction and are we facing a sixth one?” by Tammana Begum. 2021. Updated 2023.  
• “Mass extinctions, their causes and consequences: an interview with Douglas H. Erwin and Shuzhong Shen.” by Shucheng Xie. 2023.  
• “Species and climate change.” IUCN. 2021.  
• “Humanity’s Fitting Place on the List of Mass Extinction Events.” by Sam Baker. 2018.  

Living Fossils 

• “Study of slowly evolving ‘living fossils’ reveals key genetic insights.” by Mike Cummings. 2024.  
• “A New Discovery Reveals Why Darwin’s ‘Living Fossil’ Keeps Defying Evolution.” by Tim Newcomb. 2024.  
• “Giraffe Evolution.” by Adam Atwood. 2024.  

Asteroid vs Birds 

• “An Asteroid Wiped Out Dinosaurs. Did It Help Birds Flourish?” by Carl Zimmer. 2024.  
• “Dust Might Have Snuffed Out the Dinosaurs.” by Miriam Fauzia. 2023.  
• “How Did Birds First Take Off?” by Carl Zimmer. 2023.  
• “Genomes, fossils, and the concurrent rise of modern birds and flowering plants in the Late Cretaceous.” by Shaoyuan Wu, et al. 2024.  

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