Biodiversity and Extinction, Then and Now

Videos

Grades9, 10, 11, 12, APBiology, Earth and Space Sciences

Scientist Reviewed

Provided by Khan Academy

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What it is

This video discusses extinction, how we measure extinction in the fossil record, what caused the other five mass extinction events, and the current rate of extinction.
The content can be applied to a number of science courses and has standards identified for AP Biology.

Teaching tips

Positives

This video helps students visualize and understand speciation, extinction, causes for mass extinction events, and what might happen in our future.
The animations are terrific.

Additional Prerequisites

Students should be familiar with the terms species, population, natural selection, and evolution.
Teachers and students must sign into their Google Classroom to record the interactive quiz score.

Differentiation

This video could be used as homework or an in-class activity to supplement a lecture.
Connections could be made with social studies classes when discussing ethics, the rights of other species to exist, and the rights of natural ecosystems that support all life on Earth.
Other resources to explore with students include this PBS video on the sixth mass extinction, this video on biodiversity and humans, this TED talk on the sixth mass extinction, and this online course called The Anthropocene.
There are a number of other videos and resources related to this topic on Khan Academy.

From the scientist review

This video resource examines the 5 known mass extinction events in Earth's history and the hypotheses on what caused those events. Some scientists now propose that Earth is facing a 6th mass extinction event caused my anthropogenic climate change. This resource is recommended for teaching.

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At a glance

Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12, AP
Subjects: Biology, Earth and Space Sciences
Other types: Assessments, Interactive Media
Language: English
Location: Earth
Provider: Khan Academy
Authors: Khan Academy
Published: April 27, 2021
Last updated: July 16, 2026
: Reviewed by our climate scientists How we review

Standards alignment · MS-LS4-1. + 5 more

Core

Core Standards legacy

MS-LS4-1.MS-LS4-1. Analyze and interpret data for patterns in the fossil record that document the existence, diversity, extinction, and change of life forms throughout the history of life on Earth under the assumption that natural laws operate today as in the past.
MS-LS4-4.MS-LS4-4. Construct an explanation based on evidence that describes how genetic variations of traits in a population increase some individuals’ probability of surviving and reproducing in a specific environment.
HS-LS2-2.HS-LS2-2. Use mathematical representations to support and revise explanations based on evidence about factors affecting biodiversity and populations in ecosystems of different scales.
HS-LS2-6.HS-LS2-6. Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning that the complex interactions in ecosystems maintain relatively consistent numbers and types of organisms in stable conditions, but changing conditions may result in a new ecosystem.
HS-LS4-2.HS-LS4-2. Construct an explanation based on evidence that the process of evolution primarily results from four factors: (1) the potential for a species to increase in number, (2) the heritable genetic variation of individuals in a species due to mutation and sexual reproduction, (3) competition for limited resources, and (4) the proliferation of those organisms that are better able to survive and reproduce in the environment.
HS-LS4-5.HS-LS4-5. Evaluate the evidence supporting claims that changes in environmental conditions may result in: (1) increases in the number of individuals of some species, (2) the emergence of new species over time, and (3) the extinction of other species.

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