Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Geo Logic: The Big Five Mass Extinctions
Using GEOLogic puzzles, learners are asked to match the five largest mass extinction events with their relative dates, approximate duration, and severity based on clues given from various perspectives.
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: When Will the Next Mass Extinction Occur?
Borths, D'Emic, and Pritchard give a quick history of mass extinctions. [5:01]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Earth's Mass Extinction
Asteroid strikes get all the coverage, but "Medea Hypothesis" author Peter Ward argues that most of Earth's mass extinctions were caused by lowly bacteria. The culprit, a poison called hydrogen sulfide, may have an interesting...
Other
Hvpm: Mass Extinctions
An overview of the mass extinctions throughout earth history. Each mass extinction has a link to its own page with a list of its possible causes and the species that were most affected.
Science Struck
Science Struck: Major and Lesser Extinction Events in Earth's History
Read about some of the extinction events that have occurred during the history of the Earth.
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Life Science: Mass Extinctions
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] An organism goes extinct when all of the members of a species die out and no more members remain. Extinctions are part of natural selection. Species often go extinct...
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Life Science: 12.34 Mass Extinction
Discover how mass extinctions play a part in Earth's life history.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Fossils in the Gobi
Biologist Mike Novacek discusses his discovery of mammal fossils in the Gobi Desert and tells us what we can learn from them. From an episode about extinction broadcast on the PBS series "Evolution."
Other
Catastrophism and Mass Extinctions
An overview of Walter and Luis Alverez's theory that a large meteorite crashed into earth causing huge tidal waves, showers of ash, and an enormous dust cloud.