BIOLOGY

Extinction Debt ⚠️ 

Scientists are warning of a “sixth mass extinction event”, telling us that we stand to lose a large proportion of Earth’s remaining biodiversity if decisive action isn’t taken. As it stands, many incredibly biodiverse areas are currently threatened by factors such as climate change and deforestation, with many species in decline as a result. One interesting problem facing conservationists is the idea of extinction debt, which Antonelli (2022) defines as “the number of species in a region that are bound to go extinct as a result of past events”.

This can be predicted using a variety of factors such as species-area relationships, intraspecific genetic diversity and requirements of a species e.g. for food and/or mates. This is of grave concern to many conservationists; it is unknown how many species we may yet lose as a result of past actions. Understanding this concept can help conservationists employ the best conservation practices to protect as many species as possible.

💡 Things to consider

• Genetic Diversity: How might genetic diversity within a species impact how likely a species is to go extinct? Think about why genetic diversity is important for a species and what challenges may be faced by having low genetic diversity in a population.

• Species-area relationships: How can species-area relationships help inform biodiversity in a region? It is now known that when you increase the area studied by 10x, the average number of species roughly doubles. Think about how a conservationist may use this knowledge and how you might go about conserving habitats to conserve the biggest number of species. Is this a good way of estimating the size of species populations? What challenges do you think conservationists face when coming up with estimations?

  

  If only they would just keep still!

• Why is biodiversity important?: This is an incredibly broad question, but it is worth thinking about why biodiversity is so important and why there is such a fuss over it. Try and come up with at least 3 reasons why we should protect biodiversity and what other factors could affect biodiversity, other than those outlined above. As a bonus task, try and see what politicians are saying about biodiversity. Do you agree? And more importantly, what are they not saying about biodiversity?

🔎 Find out more

• Antonelli. A., 2022, “The Hidden Universe: Adventures in Biodiversity”, Witness Books, London.

• The Extinction Debt (YouTube)

🍒 The cherry on top

• 🧠 Philosophy of Physics: Some physicists dismiss philosophy as a distraction, but this Aeon longread argues that philosophy of physics is vital to truly understanding what physical theories tell us about reality. From Newton to Einstein to quantum field theory, philosophers help unpack concepts like time, causality, and identity. The piece also shows how the two disciplines are now reconnecting, as modern physics faces deep conceptual puzzles. A great read if you’re interested in Physics or Philosophy.

• 🏺 The Arab Conquests: This episode of In Our Time explores one of history’s most astonishing expansions: how a collection of divided tribes in 7th-century Arabia rapidly became rulers of a vast empire stretching from Spain to Iran. Melvyn Bragg and guests dive into the military, political, and religious forces behind the Arab conquests, and how they transformed Greek, Persian, and North African societies. A must-listen for anyone curious about History and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies.

• 🔢 Infinite Hotel Keys: Ever wondered what happens if you try to match an infinite bucket of keys to an infinite number of rooms… at random? This Numberphile video dives into the paradoxes of infinity using Hilbert’s Hotel and some clever probability maths. A great watch if you like Maths!

👀 Keep your eyes peeled for…

• 11th June

  • Cambridge Archaeology Webinar

  • Clare College Cambridge History Webinar (Scottish students only)

  • UEA English Literature Taster Webinar

  • UEA Sociology Taster Webinar

• 12th June

  • Homerton College Cambridge HSPS Subject Focus Session

  • Murray Edwards College Cambridge MFL Webinar

  • UEA Psychology Webinar

• 16th June:

  • Murray Edwards College Cambridge Natural Sciences Webinar

  • QMUL Liberal Arts Taster Afternoon

  • UEA Philosophy Webinar

🗳️ Poll