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From war games flagged as reality to solar storms, here are some of the world's most intense close calls in recent history.
Extinction
From Martha the passenger pigeon to Lonesome George the Pinta Island tortoise, these endlings had an unfortunate claim to fame.
These flowers made famous by the internet may become extinct if we don‘t act now.
A rare gecko once thought to be lost is making a comeback in the Galápagos.
A rare grasshopper once believed to be extinct has been spotted for the first time since 1980—but habitat loss may threaten its future.
These fluffy, scaly, and feathered friends will be missed.
“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.
The Southern Darwin’s frog is unique in the amphibian world, and conservationists are racing to save it from extinction.
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.
Conservationists warn that the monarch could die out by the end of the century unless action is taken.
New Zealand’s open-access fossil database makes it easier for scientists to collaborate.
The shelf-sized mammoth comes with three sets of tusks, including one with battle damage.
What you think you know about the dodo bird is probably wrong.
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.
When dog breeds fall out of fashion, they risk disappearing all together.
As more Millennials have children, many of them are shying away from names that were popular in their own classrooms decades ago.
A new exhibit coming to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City examines elephants’ past, present, and future.
Here’s your introduction to this legendary, (maybe?) extinct avian—and a look-alike species that might be the source of all the rumors.
The North American parrots vanished mysteriously in the early 20th century. Now scientists are closer to solving their disappearance.
When did woolly mammoths go extinct? Their fossilized bones say one thing, but their poop paints a messier picture.
A new study explains how T. rex's feathered ancestors may have survived the extinction event that wiped out nearly half of all quadrupeds.
More From the Science Section
Science says spending time with trees does more than just help you relax. From stress relief to better sleep, here are four surprising benefits of “forest bathing.”
Governments and communities are working together on practical environmental solutions.
There’s a specific scientific reason you recognize faces easily but struggle to recall names.
Climate change is here—but what does that actually mean?
Nuclear-powered alchemy could even be key to transitioning the world away from fossil fuels, according to one San Francisco startup.
Scientists have figured out teleportation, but we're still a far cry from 'Star Trek.'
From handwashing being unnecessary to women's wombs moving around and causing hysteria, these beliefs might be shocking today—but they were once dogma.
From oarfish to military aircraft, explore four weird signs people still believe signal the end of the world—and what science says about them.