The Sixth Extinction: Patterns of Life and the Future of Humankind

work by Leakey and Lewin

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June 17, 2026

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The book "The Sixth Extinction: Patterns of Life and the Future of Humankind" by Richard Leakey and Roger Lewin explores the concept of mass extinctions, periods when Earth's biodiversity drastically declines. While Earth has experienced five major mass extinctions in its history, caused by factors like asteroid impacts and volcanic activity, many scientists believe we are currently in a sixth, driven by human actions.12

Leakey, a renowned anthropologist and conservationist, argues that human activities such as habitat destruction, pollution, and overhunting are causing species to disappear at a rate 100 to 1,000 times faster than natural background rates. The book aims to document this ongoing extinction event and identify potential solutions to slow its pace, emphasizing the profound implications for the future of life on Earth.13

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Richard Leakey
…book with Roger Lewin was The Sixth Extinction: Patterns of Life and the Future of Humankind (1995), in which he argued that human beings are responsible for a catastrophic reduction in the number of plant and animal species living on Earth. Leakey later collaborated with Virginia Morell to write his…
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…book with Roger Lewin was The Sixth Extinction: Patterns of Life and the Future of Humankind (1995), in which he argued that human beings are responsible for a catastrophic reduction in the number of plant and animal species living on Earth. Leakey later collaborated with Virginia Morell to write his…
Read More