Currently, the planet is experiencing the worst spate of species die-offs since the loss of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. In other words, we have entered the sixth mass extinction, but unlike its five predecessors, this one is largely human-driven.
But hope remains as more people become invested in saving precious but endangered species. People such as the acclaimed National Geographic Society photographer Sartore,who has devoted his career to photographing endangered species and archiving the images in his “Photo Ark.”
Sartore will deliver the keynote presentation, followed by a conversation with Jonathan Losos, the William H. Danforth Professor of Biology in Arts & Sciences, and Saint Louis Zoo director Jeffrey Bonner. Losos and Bonner are members of the Living Earth Collaborative, an academic initiative dedicated to finding solutions to stem the loss of vast populations of flora and fauna.
This is a Science Matters Lecture, co-sponsored by the Living Earth Collaborative; a reception will follow.