DeepBio@Leeds PGRs Amy Shipley and Lydia have published a review on the sixth mass extinction, as part of a working group on Cenozoic extinctions led out of the Anthropocene Biodiversity Centre at the University of York. The review is published in Global Change Biology.
“The Greatest Extinction Event in 66 Million Years? Contextualising Anthropogenic Extinctions” by Hatfield et al. (2025) in Global Change Biology: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.70476
In this paper, the authors explore whether current human-driven species losses amount to a mass extinction comparable to the “Big Five” of the past 541 million years. They compare modern extinction rates and magnitudes with past events—especially those since 66 Ma—and conclude that while today’s extinction wave has likely surpassed most Cenozoic (last ~66 million years) events in its rate and extent, it remains far less severe than the catastrophic end-Cretaceous event triggered by a bolide impact 66 Ma. Critically, the researchers emphasise that the ultimate magnitude of this anthropogenic extinction will hinge on humanity’s choices and stewardship of the biosphere going forward.
DeepBio@Leeds 