What happens when environmental change outpaces life's ability to adapt?

When an animal's environment changes faster than the animal can adapt, its chances of survival can flatline. The same is true for populations and even entire species. Now, scientists at MIT and the University of Leicester have found that this connection between evolutionary adaptation and the pace of environmental change holds up at the global scale as well—and can determine life's susceptibility to mass extinction. The researchers have developed a theoretical model of this phenomenon, which they present in a paper published today in Physical Review Letters.