There is a lot of talk about losses in biodiversity and that we are now in the midst of the "Sixth Mass Extinction”. But what do these terms mean and, across the history of life on Earth, how does this extinction really compare? 

Professor Lisa Doner, a specialist in paleoecology and climate at Plymouth State University, reviews the tenacity of life, from its origins at least 3.5 billion years ago, and the multiple mass extinctions since then, to the modern era and the forces acting on life today. 

Speaker Bio:  Professor Lisa Doner has BS, MS and PhD degrees in geology and paleoecology, from the universities of Arizona, Maine, and Colorado, respectively. Her research focus is on the role of climate in creating stresses and change in ecosystems, from local to global scale. As tenured faculty, she teaches in the Environmental Science and Policy program at Plymouth State University.