Mass Extinction In 300 Years?

According to a study out of the University of California, Berkeley, there could be a MASS EXTINCTION on this planet in just a few centuries.  So . . . um . . . start stocking canned goods?

In the Earth's 540 million years, there have been five mass extinctions.  They wipe out an average of 76% of all life on the planet.  The last one was 65 million years ago and took out the dinosaurs.

The researchers at Berkeley say that the next mass extinction could happen as soon as 300 years from now.  But it could also be up to 2,200 years from now.

And, they say the extinction has ALREADY STARTED.  This one is a direct result of human behavior . . . spreading disease, killing species, and changing the climate.

In the past 500 years, approximately 80 species of mammals have gone extinct.  The previous rate was two species every one MILLION years . . . so clearly we've really sped up the extinction process.

Anthony Barnosky is the professor who led the study.  He says the good news here is another mass extinction COULD still be avoided.

Quote, "So far, only 1% to 2% of all species have gone extinct . . . so, by those numbers, it looks like we are not far down the road to extinction.

"It's important we devote resources toward species conservation if we don't want to be the species whose activity caused a mass extinction."

Via (Daily Mail)