Mathematical Prediction of Sixth Mass Extinction

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.
Professor Rothman's mathematical model of the very complex relationship between past mass extinctions and Earth's carbon cycles reveal a distinct pattern. That pattern indicates that the disproportionate accumulation of CO2 is leading us to a sixth mass extinction. In this discussion he explains 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 disruptions and consnt extinctions were due to natural causes, our developing situation is due to human activity.
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.

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