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Anthony Barnosky and Kaitlin Maguire Measure Mammal Extinctions at the John Day Fossil Beds

Topic
  • Evolution
  • Paleobiology
  • Extinction
  • Earth Science
  • Earth History
Resource Type
  • Videos
  • Scientists at Work
Level
High School — GeneralHigh School — AP/IBCollege
Duration
00:09:15
Favorited By
7 Users
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Description

This video describes how prehistoric extinction rates are calculated from fossil data in a paleodatabase and compared to modern extinction rates.

Scientists Anthony Barnosky and Kaitlin Maguire travel to the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument to find, collect, and date fossils. John Day is an excellent location for collecting mammalian fossils spanning millions of years. Fossil data from the field is added to a massive paleoinformatic database, which can be used to determine when each species went extinct and to calculate the average, “normal” extinction rate for mammals. Based on this calculation, scientists have determined that the rate of extinction today is much faster than normal.

The accompanying “Student Worksheet” incorporates concepts and information from the video. The “Educator Materials” document includes key concepts, learning targets, questions, and responses.

An audio descriptive version of the film is available via our media player.

Student Learning Targets
  • Learn about research practices.
  • Develop scientific explanations and justify claims using evidence.
  • Calculate extinction rates and compare them with current data.
Details
Estimated Time
One 50-minute class period to complete the associated handouts.
Key Terms

extinction rate, paleontology, scientific methodology, scientific process

Terms of Use

Please see the Terms of Use for information on how this resource can be used.

Accessibility Level

This resource and the accompanying documents comply with accessibility standards in accordance with the final rule for Section 508 of the National Rehabilitation Act.
Version History
Date Published 11.19.14
Date Updated 10.19.17
Curriculum Connections
NGSS (2013)

HS-LS4-5; HS-LS4.C; SEP4, SEP5

AP Biology (2019)

EVO-3.H, SYI-2.C; SP1, SP5

IB Biology (2016)

C.5

AP Environmental Science (2013)

I.A, II.D, VII.B, VII.C

IB Environmental Systems and Societies (2017)

3.2, 3.3

Common Core (2010)

ELA.RST.9-12.7, ELA.WHST.9-12.1
Math.A-REI.3; MP2, MP3

Vision and Change (2009)

CC1; DP1, DP2

Materials
HD (M4V) 356 MB
HD (WMV) 287 MB
SD (M4V) 78 MB
SD (WMV) 73 MB
Transcript (PDF) 26 KB
Student Worksheet (PDF) 705 KB
Educator Materials (PDF) 1 MB
Related Science News
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