Today, we are confronted with a loss of biodiversity that has few precedents in terms of its scale and speed throughout history. This development poses a challenge not only scientifically and politically but also culturally. Extinct and endangered species are interpreted in art, film, and literature as signals of a modernization crisis, in which humanity ultimately seeks to rethink itself as a biological species. In her essay, Ursula Heise demonstrates how the creative reworking of old narrative patterns in the age of globalization leads scientists, artists, writers, and filmmakers to create a "posthuman" image of humanity as a cosmopolitan being.