RESEARCH BASE
Search 3,721 documents across 34 fields — every claim tier-rated by evidence
3,633 are the core, quality-scored corpus (34 lettered sections — see How We Work); the remaining 88 are cross-corpus synthesis documents (68 InterDocs, 12 Connections, 8 Theories) also indexed here.
66 results for "extinction selectivity" — page 3 of 4
E_5_09 — Catastrophism vs Uniformitarianism: Geological Paradigm Debates
The catastrophism vs uniformitarianism debate shaped the foundations of modern geology and continues to evolve. Georges Cuvier (1769–1832) championed catastrophism — the idea that Earth's geological features were shaped
Q_2_13 — Interstellar Medium, Dust, and Nebulae
The space between stars is far from empty — the interstellar medium (ISM) is a complex, dynamic ecosystem of gas, dust, magnetic fields, and cosmic rays that pervades galaxies and plays a central role in stellar birth, d
INTERDOC_04 — Catastrophe-Migration-Civilization Cycle
The archaeological and paleoclimatic record reveals at least five major catastrophe-migration cycles in the last ~75,000 years, each following a recognizable pattern: a sudden environmental shock (volcanic eruption, cosm
ZB_5_14 — Conservation Biology
Conservation biology — the scientific study of biodiversity loss and the methods to protect species, habitats, and ecosystems — was formally established as a discipline by Michael Soulé (University of California, San Die
ZB_4_08 — Rewilding and Ecological Restoration
Rewilding is an emerging approach to conservation that aims to restore self-sustaining, self-regulating ecosystems by reintroducing missing species — particularly large vertebrates and ecological engineers — and allowing
ZB_3_25 — Invasive Species and Ecosystem Disruption
Biological invasions — the introduction and establishment of species outside their native range through human activity — are recognized as one of the top five drivers of global biodiversity loss alongside habitat destruc
O_2_01 — Volcanism, Supervolcanoes, and Geological Catastrophism
Volcanic eruptions are among the most powerful forces on Earth, capable of altering global climate, triggering mass extinctions, collapsing civilizations, and imprinting themselves on human mythology for millennia. The T
O_3_01 — Biodiversity, Ecosystem Intelligence, and the Superorganism
Earth harbors an estimated 8.7 million eukaryotic species (Mora et al. 2011), of which only ~1.5-1.8 million have been formally described — meaning roughly 80% of species remain unknown to science. When prokaryotes (bact
T_2_11 — Psychology of Aging and Gerontology
The psychology of aging examines cognitive, emotional, and social changes across the adult lifespan, integrating insights from developmental psychology, neuroscience, and gerontology. A central distinction in cognitive a
T_1_09 — Psychology of Learning and Conditioning
Learning — relatively permanent changes in behavior or behavioral potential resulting from experience — is the foundational process of behavioral adaptation. Three paradigms dominate: classical conditioning (Pavlov, 1927
L_4_12 — CRISPR Gene Drives and Population Genetics Ethics
CRISPR gene drives — genetic engineering systems that combine CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing with super-Mendelian inheritance to spread a modified gene through an entire wild population far faster than natural selection — repr
H_3_01 — Indigenous Knowledge Suppression — Colonialism and Epistemicide
Epistemicide — the systematic destruction of rival knowledge systems — is arguably the most devastating and least acknowledged consequence of global colonialism. Between 1492 and 1950, European colonial powers destroyed,
H_3_04 — Destruction of Aboriginal Australian Knowledge Systems
The destruction of Aboriginal Australian knowledge systems represents the disruption of the longest continuous cultural tradition on Earth — spanning at least 65,000 years. From the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, co
H_3_08 — Ethnobotanical Knowledge Loss and Biocultural Extinction
An estimated 80% of the world's population relies at least partially on traditional plant-based medicine (WHO estimate), and approximately 25% of modern pharmaceutical drugs are derived from or inspired by compounds firs
ZE_4_11 — Philosophy of Resistance: Civil Disobedience and Dissent
The philosophy of resistance — the ethical, political, and practical dimensions of civil disobedience, conscientious objection, nonviolent direct action, and revolutionary dissent — addresses one of the most fundamental
ZE_3_01 — Environmental Ethics and Deep Ecology
Environmental ethics examines the moral relationship between humans and the natural environment — Do non-human entities have intrinsic value? Do we have moral obligations to ecosystems, species, and future generations? T
R_5_15 — Rewilding: Ecological Restoration Through Trophic Cascades and Keystone Species Reintroduction
Rewilding is a conservation strategy that aims to restore self-sustaining ecosystems by reintroducing native keystone species — particularly large predators and megaherbivores — and reconnecting fragmented habitats throu
S_4_05 — Asteroid Deflection and Planetary Defense
Asteroid and comet impacts represent the only existential risk with a proven extinction track record — the Chicxulub impact 66 million years ago ended the Cretaceous and eliminated ~75% of species including non-avian din
S_4_01 — Existential Risk Taxonomy
Existential risk (x-risk) refers to any event that could permanently curtail humanity's long-term potential — including extinction, civilizational collapse without recovery, or irreversible loss of value (e.g., permanent
S_3_01 — Climate Change, Civilization, and Deep-Time Context
Earth's climate has always changed — but the current rate and mechanism are unprecedented in geological history. This document places the modern climate crisis within the deep-time context that the corpus demands: from t
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