Mass Extinction Collection

1861 Punch Dinosaurs & Comet cartoon 1861 Punch Dinosaurs & Comet cartoon
From Punch 41 (1861) page 34, July. " The age of the comet ascertained to a nicety. The antediluvians recognise an old acquantance of A.M. 1372"

Parasaurolophus dinosaur and asteroid. Artwork of a Parasaurolophus dinosaur startled by an asteroid about to impact off the coast. Parasaurolophus was a hadrosaurid or duck-billed dinosaur

Extinction of the dinosaurs, artwork C018 / 7901
Extinction of the dinosaurs, artwork. Asteroids impacting around a T rex dinosaur. It is thought that an asteroid that impacted Earth around 65 million years ago caused the extinction of

Extinction of the dinosaurs, artwork C017 / 0690
Extinction of the dinosaurs, artwork. Asteroids impacting around a T rex dinosaur. It is thought that an asteroid that impacted Earth around 65 million years ago caused the extinction of

Extinction of the dinosaurs, artwork C018 / 7902
Extinction of the dinosaurs, artwork. Asteroids impacting around dinosaurs. It is thought that an asteroid that impacted Earth around 65 million years ago caused the extinction of the dinosaurs

Permian Bryozoans C015 / 0692
Permian Bryozoans

Pseudophillipsia artiensis C015 / 0715
Pseudophillipsia artiensis. Arti Formation, Lower Permian, Krasnoufimsk, Middle Ural, Russia. This is one of the last trilobites

Pseudophillipsia artiensis C015 / 0711
Pseudophillipsia artiensis. Arti Formation, Lower Permian, Krasnoufimsk, Middle Ural, Russia. This is one of the last trilobites

Permian Bryozoans

Nemesis star, artwork
Nemesis star. Computer artwork of the star Nemesis, a hypothetical companion star to the Sun (upper left). It is thought that Nemesis is either a red or brown dwarf that moves in an elliptical orbit

Asteroid approaching Earth, artwork C013 / 8949
Asteroid approaching Earth. Computer artwork of an asteroid (left) approaching the Earth. Large asteroids impacting the Earth can cause mass loss of life

Artwork of comets passing the Earth
Nemesis comets. Artwork of comets passing close to the Earth. The Nemesis star, which caused them, is seen in a dark lane of the Milky Way at upper right

Lunar DNA library, conceptual computer artwork. The surface of the Moon is across bottom, with the Earth in the background

Artists impression of asteroid super impact
Artists impression of a super-impact. A very large asteroid, about 800km in diameter, strikes the Earth. The energy of the impact, equivalent to about 5 trillion nuclear bombs

Snowball Earth. Computer artwork of the Earth frozen in snow and ice some 590 million years ago. The continents are in different positions due to tectonic plate movements

Earth exploding, conceptual image

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"Unveiling the Shadows of the Past: Exploring Mass Extinction" In 1861, Punch magazine depicted a thought-provoking cartoon showcasing dinosaurs and comets. Little did they know that their imaginative artwork would foreshadow one of Earth's most significant events - the extinction of dinosaurs. The first hint takes us back to that era, where we witness an astonishing encounter between a Parasaurolophus dinosaur and an asteroid. This catastrophic event marked the end of these majestic creatures' reign on our planet. Artworks C017/0690 and C018/7902 further delve into this ancient tragedy, capturing the essence of despair as countless species vanished from existence. The Permian Bryozoans featured in C015/0692 remind us how entire ecosystems collapsed during mass extinctions. Amongst those lost to time is Pseudophillipsia artiensis, showcased in artworks C015/0715 and C015/0711. These once-thriving organisms now serve as haunting reminders of nature's fragility. But what could have caused such devastation? Some theories point towards celestial phenomena like Nemesis star or asteroids approaching Earth (as seen in artwork C013/8949). Scientists continue to explore these possibilities through asteroid probes, hoping to unravel more about our planet's tumultuous past. Mass extinction remains an enigma worth contemplating; it reminds us that life on Earth is both resilient and vulnerable. As we reflect upon these hints from history, let them inspire us to protect our precious biodiversity for future generations.