Contemporary Science Issues and Innovations
July 16, 2019, Belmont Media Center, Belmont MA

Daniel Rothman, Ph.D., Professor of Geophysics and Co-director of the Lorenz Center, MIT. Dr. Rothman is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the American Geophysical Union. He is also the recipient of the 2016 Levi L. Conant Prize from the American Mathematical Society.

Dr. Rothman appeared on Science for the Public's Contemporary Science program July 16, 2019 to discuss his mathematical model of the complex relationship between past mass extinctions and Earth's carbon cycles. The model reveals a distinct pattern, indicating that the disproportionate accumulation of CO2 is leading us to a sixth mass extinction. Professor Rothman explained how mathematical modeling clarifies the intricate dynamics of our planet's carbon cycles and geophysical components. His model shows the relationship between ancient mass extinctions and the likely sixth extinction of the future. While the ancient cycle of disruptions and extinctions were due to natural causes, our developing situation is due to human activity.

Video of Dr. Rothman's July 16, 2019 discussion Mathematical Prediction of Sixth Mass Extinction

some background:

• MIT Professor Renews Warning about Possibility of Mass Extinction Event in Oceans
• Mathematics Predicts Sixth Mass Extinction
• Next Mass Extinction Could Start in 2100
• A Sixth Mass Extinction Could Be in the Cards