Georges Cuvier demonstrated evidence for the concept of extinction in 1796.
Notes on verification
Multiple independent, high-quality sources (Britannica, Embryo Project, University of Kentucky, Biodiversity Heritage Library, 1911 EB) corroborate that Cuvier's 1796 paper comparing elephant and mammoth/mastodon fossils provided foundational evidence for extinction. [cascade flags: aggregator_dropped_primary_exists,wikipedia_dropped_other_sources_exist | tier=silver indep_score=0.917 clusters=3 claim_tier=notable]
Sources
- Paleontology (wikipedia)
- https://www.uky.edu/KGS/education/did-big-bone-lick-georges-cuvier.php (corroboration)
- https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/georges-cuvier-1769-1832 (corroboration)
- https://blog.biodiversitylibrary.org/2015/10/proving-extinction-cuvier-and-the-elephantimorpha (corroboration)