Extinction in the context of physical and biological anthropology refers to the complete disappearance of a species, population, or lineage from the Earth when the last surviving individual dies. It is an important concept for understanding biological evolution, human origins, biodiversity, and the changing relationship between organisms and their environments. The study of extinction helps anthropologists reconstruct evolutionary history and identify the factors that have shaped present-day human populations and other living organisms. Extinction has occurred naturally throughout Earth's history. Fossil records reveal that millions of species have disappeared over geological time due to environmental changes, volcanic eruptions, asteroid impacts, climatic fluctuations, competition, disease, and evolutionary processes. These extinction events have played a major role in the evolution of life by eliminating some species while creating ecological opportunities for others to evolve and diversify. In