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The bad news is that the world's nearly countless plants — and the medicines they contain — are disappearing even more quickly than they can be located and studied. In most cases, we'll never even know that they existed or what lethal human diseases they might have cured.
Welcome to the "sixth extinction.
Welcome to the "sixth extinction."
That's the chilling term used by John Arnason, a professor of biology at the University of Ottawa, to describe the steady decline of the planet's rich trove of biological species, both plants and animals.
The sixth extinction refers to the ongoing mass extinction of species on Earth, which is caused by human activities such as deforestation, pollution, and climate change.
Biologists assess the sixth extinction to understand the extent of species loss and its impact on ecosystems, as well as to identify ways to mitigate and prevent further extinctions.
Biologists use various methods such as population surveys, species distribution modeling, and genetic analysis to assess the decline and extinction risk of species.
Humans are the primary cause of the sixth extinction through their actions such as habitat destruction, overexploitation of resources, and introduction of invasive species.
To prevent the sixth extinction, it is crucial to reduce human impacts on the environment by implementing sustainable practices, protecting habitats, and conserving threatened species.