The world's oceans are facing unprecedented decline, a new report by a panel of scientists and conservationists warns. Ocean life is "at high risk of entering a phase of extinction of marine species unprecedented in human history," the panel of scientists convened by the International Program on the State of the Ocean (IPSO) said in a new report.

A growing number of creatures could disappear from the Earth, with one-fifth of all vertebrates and as many as a third of all sharks and rays now facing the threat of extinction, according to a new survey assessing nearly 26,000 species around the world. In addition, forces such as habitat destruction, over-exploitation and invasive competitors move 52 species a category closer to extinction each year, according to the research.

A new report from the World Wildlife Foundation says the Earth's natural resources are being depleted so quickly that the equivalent of two planets would be required to sustain current lifestyles by the mid-2030s.

A growing number of ecologists worry that conservation-as-usual won't be able to keep up with the predicted pace of climate change. To some of them, assisted migration, or helping plant and animal species make the move to a more survivable climate,  is a more proactive tool for preserving nature's richness, and possibly the only hope for saving certain species.

Conservationists from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature have taken the first detailed look at the world's mammals in more than a decade, and the news isn't good with an estimated one in four species threatened with extinction and every other species facing a declining population. Climate change and habitat loss are the main suspected culprits.

New research suggests that regular orbital oscillations known as the Milankovitch Cycles, can affect the climate on Earth so drastically as to cause entire species to go extinct.

For years, many scientists and regulators believed the oceans were so vast there was little risk of marine species dying out. Now, some suspect the world is on the cusp of what Ellen K. Pikitch, executive director of the Pew Institute for Ocean Science, calls "a gathering wave of ocean extinctions." Dozens of biologists believe the seas have reached a tipping point, with scores of species of ocean-dwelling fish, birds and mammals edging toward extinction.

Researchers have proposed a new system of DNA analysis that would allow field biologists to quickly scan a specimen and compare it against a global database of identified species. The system of DNA 'bar codes' could assist in the urgent task of cataloging unknown species before their ranks are decimated by extinction.

Advances in underwater surveillance and satellite technology are revolutionizing marine biology by making it possible for biologists to tag and release animals and recieve daily emails on their location and health.

A new analysis by scientists from 14 labs around the globe found that more than one-third of 1,103 native species they studied could vanish over the next 50 years due to global warming.