The most famous mass extinction came from space, but the biggest might have been because of carbon dioxide. Cataclysms, whether the asteroid that ended the dinosaurs’ reign or the volcanism that may have caused the Great Dying, drove the first five mass extinctions in Earth’s history, in which 75 percent of more of the planet’s life died out. The sixth mass extinction may now be beginning—and the apocalypse this time is us.

To read more, click here.