The Sixth Extinction

"In pushing other species to extinction, humanity is busy sawing off the limb on which it is perched."
--Paul Ehrlich

Embedded in the Hall's floor, this timeline is a poignant reminder of the species lost to Earth's five prior mass extinctions, events that were triggered by global climate change or other natural phenomena.

Central to the story of these "past lives," is the belief that we are currently in the midst of the sixth mass extinction in the history of complex animal life. This time, however, it is mainly the result of human activity.

As the human population grows and our demand for natural resources increases, more and more habitats are devastated. Today, we may be losing 30,000 species a year -- a rate much faster than at any time since the last great extinction 65 million years ago that wiped out most of the dinosaurs. If we continue on this course, we will destroy even ourselves.