Coastline Geometry Predicts Extinction Risk

A Science paper using ~300,000 fossils across 540 million years finds that shallow‑water invertebrate genera living on north–south‑oriented continental coasts survived environmental change better than those on east–west coasts, islands, or inland seaways. The authors hypothesize latitudinal corridors on north–south coasts allowed range shifts that buffered climate and other environmental stressors. — This provides a spatial rule for prioritizing marine conservation and climate adaptation—place long‑term refugia and migration corridors where paleogeography predicts resilience, not only where contemporary biodiversity is high.