For the first time on record, a mammal species has probably gone extinct as a direct result of human-caused climate change. The species’ apparent disappearance “probably represents the first recorded mammalian extinction due to anthropogenic climate change,” they write. The Bramble Cay melomys is, or was, a small rodent that lived on an island off the coast of Australia. Rising sea levels, which the researchers note are “mostly attributable” to climate change caused by human activity, also cause higher tides. Scientists predict that one-fourth of all the species on Earth could be headed for extinction by 2050 if climate change continues at its current rate.

Source: Huffington Post June 15, 2016 18:39 UTC