Are extinction rates dangerously underestimated?
These are some crazy times we live in. First, we discover that the Polar Ice Caps are melting dramatically faster than we had first imagined, and now we learn that more than 16,000 species on the endangered list are in higher danger of becoming extinct much sooner than first predicted, as a result of the flawed system being used. In a new study published in Nature, the University of Colorado's Brett Melbourne and UC Davis' Alan Hastings estimate that endangered species may become extinct as quickly as 100 times faster than originally expected. They blame earlier predictions on outdated models and the exclusion of many key factors such as the ratio of male to female in each species. Hopefully, this new awareness will get new research in gear before it's too late.












