When Life Nearly Died

Posted on 08 April 2017 by Michael J. Benton

Today it is common knowledge that the dinosaurs were wiped out by a meteorite impact 65 million years ago that killed half of all species then living Far less well known is a much greater catastrophe that took place at the end of the Permian period 251 million years ago 90 percent of life was destroyed, including saber toothed reptiles and their rhinoceros sized prey on land, as well as vast numbers of fish and other species in the sea.This book documents not only what happened during this gigantic mass extinction but also the recent rekindling of the idea of catastrophism Was the end Permian event caused by the impact of a huge meteorite or comet, or by prolonged volcanic eruption in Siberia The evidence has been accumulating through the 1990s and into the new millennium, and Michael Benton gives his verdict at the very end From field camps in Greenland and Russia to the laboratory bench, When Life Nearly Died involves geologists, paleontologists, environmental modelers, geochemists, astronomers, and experts on biodiversity and conservation Their working methods are vividly described and explained, and the current disputes are revealed The implications of our understanding of crises in the past for the current biodiversity crisis are also presented in detail 46 b w illustrations. Read When Life Nearly Died author Michael J. Benton – kino-fada.fr The scientific consensus around what killed the dinosaurs is now a figment of public memory It is this spectacular image of a meteor impact some sixty five million years ago which killed off half of all species of life on the planet, but also created new evolutionary opportunities, including the further adaptation of organisms in class Mammalia, including primates.However, what isn t so commonly known is that there was another mass extinction event c 250 million years ago, which wiped out 90% The scientific consensus around what killed the dinosaurs is now a figment of public memory It is this spectacular image of a meteor impact some sixty five million years ago which killed off half of all species of life on the planet, but also created new evolutionary opportunities, including the further adaptation of organisms in class Mammalia, including primates.However, what isn t so commonly known is that there was another mass extinction event c 250 million years ago, which wiped out 90% of all species of life on earth This is the story told here Or rather, one of the multiple stories told here The first part of the book covers the history of geology and paleontology, as well as descriptions of the various historical means of approaching geological problems These included the first que...For all that this purports to be about the end Permian extinction the greatest of the extinction events, where maybe 90% of living organisms were wiped out this actually contains a lotinformation about the end Cretaceous This makes some sense, because we have a much better understanding of what caused the end Cretaceous extinction, and it helps that it s also the most widely known and understood People don t really want to hear about the extinctions in the Permian, however muchFor all that this purports to be about the end Permian extinction the greatest of the extinction events, where maybe 90% of living organisms were wiped out this actually contains a lotinformation about the end Cretaceous This makes some sense, because we have a much better understanding of what caused the end Cretaceous extinction, and it helps that it s also the most widely known and understood People don t really want to hear about the extinctions in the Permian, however muchdisastrous, because the image of the extinction of the dinosaurs is so entrenched in our minds.But I kind of did want to know about the end Permian extinction, and I wasn t so interested in chapters and chapters of set up, particularly when it came to the history of catastrophism It s enough that I grasp the concepts, and that they haven t always been agreed upon or understood the way they are now I don t really want to know the personal details of lo...Pretty good, but suffered from being read right on the heels of the weightier and somewhatliterary Annals of the Former World 12 chapters, of which 10 were history of the development of palaeontology as a science and other peripheral or contextual matters, and about 2 on the Permian and its end I did not wish for less of the other material, but I would have likedabout the Pe...I love it when I find out a great mystery is solved, especially something that is near and dear to my heart I am a geologist which means I live and breathe rocks for a living, and yet this was a topic I virtually knew nothing about One of the things that irked me during University was that it was recognized that the Permian extinction was the greatest ever the Earth had ever seen, but the reasons why and what caused it were never mentioned The cause of the dinosaur extinction, on the other h I love it when I find out a great mystery is solved, especially something that is near and dear to my heart I am a geologist which...A great long overdue book on the Permian mass extinctionDistinguished vertebrate paleontologist Michael J Benton s latest book, When Life Nearly Died The Greatest Mass Extinction Of All Time , is a long overdue popular account of the worst mass extinction in Earth s history, the end Permian extinction of approximately 251 million years ago Other customers have complained that this book only devotes less than a quarter of its text to the Permian extinction However, Benton does an elegant job A great long overdue book on the Permian mass extinctionDistinguished vertebrate paleontologist Michael J Benton s latest book, When Life Nearly Died The Greatest Mass Extinction Of All Time , is a long overdue popular account of the worst mass extinction in Earth s history, the end Permian extinction of approximately 251 million years ago Other customers have complained that this book only devotes less than a quarter of its text to the Permian extinction However, Benton does an elegant job describing the rise of a uniformitarian view of geology in the 19th Century One major omission is not citing Scottish geologist James Hutton, who can be regarded corre...I thoroughly enjoyed this book but it does have some quite severe limitations Firstly, although it is clearly pitched at the general reader, unless he has a background knowledge of Earth Sciences he would often be left scratching his head In the first chapters, possibly up to about half way, the book explains basic geological and evolutionary concepts in simple terms and then, as the book progresses, it skips throughcomplicated areas with little or no explanation at all Secondly, the bo I thoroughly enjoyed this book but it does have some quite severe limitations Firstly, although it is clearly pitched at the general reader, unless he has a background knowledge of Earth Sciences he would often be left scratching his head In the first chapters, possibly up to about half way, the book explains basic geological and evolutionary concepts in simple terms and then, as the book progresses, it skips throughcomplicated areas with little or no explanation at all Secondly, the book is very light on diagrams that would help explain things For example, there is a basic geological time chart early in the book that only shows Eras and Periods, but different Eons, Epochs and Stages are frequently referr...Wow, what a read It s a little slow and dithering to start off, but once it gets rolling it s a fantastic read almost a page turner I do think it spends a little too long on the Cretaceous Tertiary extinction event, but then I guess that is the most popular, so a good place to start for a non scientific audience The theories and data s...I was very excited to read about the infamous end Permian extinction Less excited when I found it was about some British geologiststhan the actual science.Pro tip for science writers science is interesting, scientists are boring.I do about half of my research online, buying books when I want acomplete or detailed account than what is freely available The Permian Triassic P T extinction was one of the most significant events in Earth s natural history, yet it is surprisingly difficult to find books on the subject Benton is recognized as an authority on the P T extinction, and this book is widely cited I found the book to be heavily padded , and felt that it was baiting me as a reader After introducing the P I do about half of my research online, buying books when I want acomplete or detailed account than what is freely available The Permian Triassic P T extinction was one of the most significant events in Earth s natural history, yet it is surprisingly difficult to find books on ...250 million years ago the world was inconceivably different, life was still in it s infancy and diversification was in it s earliest stages but everything was abruptly cut short by a series of events that almost ended all life on the planet This event is now known as the End Permian mass extinction event or The Great Dying and it saw the end of 96% of all marine life and 90% of all terrestrial life, food chains broke down, evolution was suspended and life would takethan 100 million year 250 million years ago the world was inconceivably different, life was still in it s infancy and diversification was in it s earliest stages but everything was abruptly cut short by a series of events that almost ended all life on the planet This event is now known as the End Permian mass extinction event or The Great Dying and it saw the end of 96% of all marine life and 90% of all terrestrial life, food chains broke down, evolution was suspended and life would takethan 100 million years to recover Every living creature today descends from the mere 10% of species that survived the End Permian and the new harsh conditions of competition and predation that became the every day struggle all throughout the early and mid Triassic This book covers this sub...

English
08 April 2017

Michael J. Benton