Mass Extinctions Courses and Certifications

Paleontology: Theropod Dinosaurs and the Origin of Birds

49 reviews

Paleontology: Theropod Dinosaurs and the Origin of Birds is a five-lesson course teaching a comprehensive overview of the origins of birds. This course examines the anatomy, diversity, and evolution of theropod dinosaurs in relation to the origin of bird…

• Coursera
• 8 hours 50 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Online Course (Audit)

• Best of All Time

Extinctions: Past and Present

235 reviews

Discover the diversity of life on earth, the impacts of five past mass extinctions and the prospect of a sixth extinction today.

• FutureLearn
• 5 weeks, 3 hours a week
• Finished
• Free Online Course (Audit)

Extinctions: Past, Present, & Future

127 ratings at Coursera

Explore the history of Earth's five mass extinctions and the current one, with Emory University's 5-week course. Includes handouts, demonstrations, and quizzes.

• Coursera
• 16 hours 37 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Online Course (Audit)

Jennifer Dunne on Reconstructing Ancient Food Webs

Explore ancient food webs with Jennifer Dunne from Santa Fe Institute. Learn about ecology, evolution, mass extinctions, and sustainability in less than an hour.

• YouTube
• 48 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Online Course

The Collapse of Ecosystems

Explore the collapse of ecosystems with Doug Erwin from Santa Fe Institute. Learn about mass extinctions, paleobiology, and ecological networks in under an hour.

• YouTube
• 36 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Online Course

Introduction to Paleontology

145 ratings at The Great Courses Plus

Explore the latest paleontological discoveries and what they reveal about life on Earth with the Smithsonian and an award-winning professor.

• The Great Courses Plus
• 12 hours 37 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Trial Available

GEO GIRL

Marine Life in Triassic and Jurassic - Why Life Recovered Slowly After Permian Extinction

Explore the marine life of the Triassic and Jurassic periods with GEO GIRL. Understand the slow recovery of life after the Permian extinction and the impact of global warming and ocean anoxia. Less than 1-hour workload.

• YouTube
• 21 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Online Course

GEO GIRL

Life in the Cambrian and Ordovician - GEO GIRL

Explore Early Paleozoic life in less than an hour with GEO GIRL. Dive into major life events and organisms during the Cambrian and Ordovician periods.

• YouTube
• 27 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Online Course

GEO GIRL

Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum to Eocene-Oligocene Cooling - GEO GIRL

Explore the Paleogene climate shifts, from the Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum to the Eocene-Oligocene Ice Age, in this short, informative study by GEO GIRL.

• YouTube
• 21 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Online Course

Seds Online

Meteorites and Mass Extinctions - Size Doesn’t Matter!

Explore the role of meteorite impacts in mass extinctions with Seds Online. Learn about Impact Winter, mineralogy, and the surprising lack of correlation between impact size and extinction intensity.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 2 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Online Course

GEO GIRL

Paleozoic Era - Geologic and Biological Evolution and Largest Mass Extinction Ever

Explore the Paleozoic era with GEO GIRL, delving into major geological events, biological evolution, and the largest extinction event in earth's history in under an hour.

• YouTube
• 23 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Online Course

Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology

Ya Ha Tinda and Mass Extinction in the Early Jurassic

Explore the Early Jurassic mass extinction through the lens of fossil discoveries at Ya Ha Tinda with Dr. Rowan Martindale from the University of Texas, offered by the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology.

• YouTube
• 55 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Online Course

GEO GIRL

Mass Extinction Events from the Precambrian to Mid-Paleozoic That Nobody Talks About

Explore lesser-known mass extinctions in Earth's history with GEO GIRL. This short, informative video covers events from the Precambrian to Mid-Paleozoic.

• YouTube
• 20 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Online Course

The Royal Institution

A Series of Fortunate Events – With Sean B. Carroll

Explore the power of chance in shaping the world with Sean B. Carroll, in this less than 1-hour talk and Q&A session offered by The Royal Institution.

• YouTube
• 32 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Online Course

The Royal Institution

The Rise and Reign of the Mammals - With Steve Brusatte

Explore the evolution of mammals over 325 million years with Steve Brusatte, a leading palaeontologist from the University of Edinburgh, in this less than 1-hour lecture by The Royal Institution.

• YouTube
• 59 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Online Course