Mental Floss
Extinction section header

Extinction

The Latest

From Martha the passenger pigeon to Lonesome George the Pinta Island tortoise, these endlings had an unfortunate claim to fame.

These fluffy, scaly, and feathered friends will be missed.
mentalfloss .com|
“It’s like if you took a chimpanzee and edited its genome to be a little taller and hairless, and then said you brought back Neanderthals,” one scientist said.
Jennifer Billock|
The Southern Darwin’s frog is unique in the amphibian world, and conservationists are racing to save it from extinction.
CaLea Johnson|
There’s a gooey time capsule in the heart of Los Angeles, left over from an era when saber-toothed cats, dire wolves, camels, and giant sloths prowled southern California.
Megan Gannon|
Conservationists warn that the monarch could die out by the end of the century unless action is taken.
Jake Rossen|
New Zealand’s open-access fossil database makes it easier for scientists to collaborate.
CaLea Johnson|
The shelf-sized mammoth comes with three sets of tusks, including one with battle damage.
Jake Rossen|
What you think you know about the dodo bird is probably wrong.
CaLea Johnson|
Chemical signatures from the Chicxulub asteroid’s impact—which caused a mass extinction on Earth 66 million years ago—match those of carbonaceous meteorites formed beyond Jupiter.
Nick Keppler|
When dog breeds fall out of fashion, they risk disappearing all together.
Mary Beth Skylis|
As more Millennials have children, many of them are shying away from names that were popular in their own classrooms decades ago. 
Michele Debczak|
A new exhibit coming to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City examines elephants’ past, present, and future.
Michele Debczak|
Here’s your introduction to this legendary, (maybe?) extinct avian—and a look-alike species that might be the source of all the rumors.
Rebecca Heisman|
The North American parrots vanished mysteriously in the early 20th century. Now scientists are closer to solving their disappearance.
Malee Oot|
When did woolly mammoths go extinct? Their fossilized bones say one thing, but their poop paints a messier picture.
Joseph Howlett|
A new study explains how T. rex's feathered ancestors may have survived the extinction event that wiped out nearly half of all quadrupeds.
Michele Debczak|
How many ice ages have there been so far? The same number of ‘Ice Age’ movies that have been released. (Five.)
Ellen Gutoskey|
New research suggests that the real-life inspiration for Ghost from 'Game of Thrones' wasn’t a wolf species.
Ellen Gutoskey|
Massachusetts already has its fair share of state symbols (including Boston cream pie and Boston cream doughnuts), but you can never have too many.
Ellen Gutoskey|
The 68-million-year-old fossil egg’s mystery mother may have been one of the fiercest marine predators from the Late Cretaceous period.
Ellen Gutoskey|

More From the Science Section

A colossal volcanic eruption covered an ancient Mediterranean city in ash and preserved its remains until the present day—and no, we’re not talking about Pompeii.
Claire Cock-Starkey|
if you want explosive drama with your hiking adventures, there’s nothing like walking on a volcano. Here are 10 trails that will take you there.
Julie Fogerson|
Need an interesting fact to drop at parties? Look no further.
mentalfloss .com|
Was it a rat? Probably not.
CaLea Johnson|
It may feel nostalgic, but its affects on your health and the local environment are far from comforting.
Sam Hindman|
Learn the science behind the holes in Swiss cheese.
CaLea Johnson|
Historical cures for insomnia were sketchy at best and outright dangerous at worst. Fortunately, modern medicine has discovered a few techniques that can help those suffering from insomnia.
Ellen Gutoskey|
A future mega-earthquake in the Pacific Northwest could lead to the “Big One” along the San Andreas fault in California—or vice versa—according to clues found in sediment cores.
Nick Keppler|
Extinction section header

Read More About Science

ScienceAnthropologyArchaeologyBiologyBodyChemistryClimate ChangeDiseaseEcologyEngineeringEnvironmentEvolutionExtinctionGeologyHealthMathMedicineMental HealthPaleontologyPhysicsPlantsPsychologySpaceWeather