Change
Major environmental changes in the past have led to mass extinctions, the most famous surely that of the dinosaurs. The human impacts of global exploration from the 15th century onwards also led to more rapid, localised extinctions, symbolised by the Dodo of Mauritius.
Geologists have rediscovered lost worlds by modelling environments and reconstructing the flora and fauna that lived hundreds of millions of years ago. Scientists are also finding new kinds of life, and new ecosystems too, as the black smoker display below shows.
In the 21st century, our understanding of ecologies and extinction is perhaps greater than ever before. The need to manage our own environmental impact is apparent if we do not want to be responsible for the further disappearance of life.