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Extinctions: How Life Survives, Adapts and Evolves Hardcover – October 17, 2023

by Michael J. Benton (Author)
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A journey through the great mass extinction events that have shaped our Earth.

This timely and original book lays out the latest scientific understanding of mass extinction on our planet. Cutting-edge techniques across biology, chemistry, physics, and geology have transformed our understanding of the deep past, including the discovery of a previously unknown mass extinction. This compelling evidence, revealing a series of environmental crises resulting in the near collapse of life on Earth, illuminates our current dilemmas in exquisite detail.

Beginning with the oldest, Professor Michael J. Benton takes us through the “big five” die outs: the Late Ordovician, which set the evolution of the first animals on an entirely new course; the Late Devonian, apparently brought on by global warming; the cataclysmic End-Permian, also known as the Great Dying, which wiped out over 90 percent of alllife on Earth; the newly discovered Carnian Pluvial Event; and the End-Cretaceous asteroid. He examines how global warming, acid rain, ocean acidification, erupting volcanoes, and meteorite impact have affected conditions on Earth, and how life survived, adapted, and evolved.

Benton’s expert retelling of scientific breakthroughs in paleobiology is illustrated throughout with photographs of fossils and fieldwork, and artistic reconstructions of ancient environments. In Extinctions, readers will learn about revolutionary new tools used to uncover ancient extinction events and processes in forensic detail, and how scientists are improving our understanding of the deep past. New research allows us to link long-ago upheavals to crises in our current age, the Anthropocene, with important consequences for us all.

70 illustrations
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  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Thames & Hudson
  4. Publication date
    October 17, 2023
  5. Dimensions
    6.4 x 1.2 x 9.6 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0500025460
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0500025468
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michael J. Benton OBE is head of the world-leading Palaeobiology Research Group at the University of Bristol. He has written more than fifty books, including Dinosaurs: New Visions of a Lost World, Dinosaurs Rediscovered, and When Life Nearly Died.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Thames & Hudson (October 17, 2023)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0500025460
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0500025468
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.1 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.4 x 1.2 x 9.6 inches
  • Customer Reviews:

About the author

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Michael J. Benton

Michael J. Benton

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In his books, Mike Benton seeks to amaze, amuse and inform. There are so many exciting discoveries in the world of dinosaurs, ancient life, and earth sciences in general. He has written many books, including leading pop science, textbooks, technical scientific works, and books for children. He translates the latest scientific research into readable prose, and invites the reader into the laboratory or onto the field trip so they can see how it is done. He was part of the team that were first to identify the colour of dinosaur feathers in 2010, identified as one of the key scientific advances of that decade, but also a great example of how the realm of science expands as speculation is pushed back.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
55 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

NinthWard
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly informed and utterly depressing....
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2023
Verified Purchase
Finale chap. on orders of magnitude difference between worldwide total wild mammalian mass and human + domesticated animal biomass can only encourage the reader to hope that the human species goes extinct before much longer.......
2 people found this helpful
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Patrick Hogan
5.0 out of 5 stars Evolution Interrupted
Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2023
Outstanding history of the earth and of evolution. Wonderful insights and explanations of atmospheric and oceanic chemistry involved in the repeated recycling of our planet. I can’t recommend this work enough.
8 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

J R Marsh
5.0 out of 5 stars Probably the best book on the subject
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 28, 2024
Verified Purchase
Really well written - fascinating.
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Mike
5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely readable guide to the evolution of life and driving mechanisms
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 8, 2024
Verified Purchase
An excellent book, well written and not too technical, although most likely to be appreciated by a professional geologist/paleontologist. Captures key events in the history of this planet, whilst painting a vivid picture of the wonder of past life on Earth. Recommended.
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Piotr Opacian
5.0 out of 5 stars Recommending
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 25, 2023
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Great read. A bit too short but good for the latest research.
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Geoffrey Keech
5.0 out of 5 stars insightful
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 18, 2023
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2 people found this helpful
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