{"product_id":"extinction-how-life-on-earth-nearly-ended-250-million-years-ago-updated-edition-paperback","title":"Extinction: How Life on Earth Nearly Ended 250 Million Years Ago - Updated Edition - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eDouglas H. Erwin\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eDouglas H. Erwin\u003c\/b\u003e (Preface by)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSome 250 million years ago, the earth suffered the greatest biological crisis in its history. Around 95 percent of all living species died out--a global catastrophe far greater than the dinosaurs' demise 185 million years later. How this happened remains a mystery. But there are many competing theories. Some blame huge volcanic eruptions that covered an area as large as the continental United States; others argue for sudden changes in ocean levels and chemistry, including burps of methane gas; and still others cite the impact of an extraterrestrial object, similar to what caused the dinosaurs' extinction. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eExtinction\u003c\/i\u003e is a paleontological mystery story. Here, the world's foremost authority on the subject provides a fascinating overview of the evidence for and against a whole host of hypotheses concerning this cataclysmic event that unfolded at the end of the Permian. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAfter setting the scene, Erwin introduces the suite of possible perpetrators and the types of evidence paleontologists seek. He then unveils the actual evidence--moving from China, where much of the best evidence is found; to a look at extinction in the oceans; to the extraordinary fossil animals of the Karoo Desert of South Africa. Erwin reviews the evidence for each of the hypotheses before presenting his own view of what happened. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAlthough full recovery took tens of millions of years, this most massive of mass extinctions was a powerful creative force, setting the stage for the development of the world as we know it today. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn a new preface, Douglas Erwin assesses developments in the field since the book's initial publication.\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Douglas Erwin blends careful scholarship and graceful prose in this authoritative elucidation of Earth's greatest mass extinction. Although framed in terms of hypotheses and their tests, Erwin's story unfolds as a gripping who-done-it for the ages.\"\u003cb\u003e--Andrew H. Knoll, Harvard University, author of \u003ci\u003eLife on a Young Planet\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Douglas Erwin is the world's leading expert on the end-Permian extinction. This book will be the standard reference on this crucial event in the history of life. It is a wonderful example of science in action.\"\u003cb\u003e--Richard Bambach, Virginia Tech\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"This book provides an up-to-date review and critical appraisal of all we know about the end-Permian mass extinction, a subject that has drawn much popular attention. Complementing its solid scholarship, its friendly style enables educated general readers to get to grips with all the current debates.\"\u003cb\u003e--Paul Wignall, University of Leeds, author of \u003ci\u003eMass Extinctions and Their Aftermaths\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"In conversational prose, Douglas Erwin provides a useful roadmap to a complex scientific subject--an up-to-date treatment of the end-Permian extinction.\"\u003cb\u003e--Michael J. Foote, University of Chicago\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDouglas H. Erwin\u003c\/b\u003e is senior scientist and curator in the Department of Paleobiology at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. He began researching the end-Permian mass extinction in the early 1980s and has traveled many times to China, South Africa, and Europe seeking its causes.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 320\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.8 x 8.5 x 5.4 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e March 22, 2015\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51761528668448,"sku":"9780691165653","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/f483fb8fadb8066ff96318c3c82438d2.webp?v=1780209707","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/extinction-how-life-on-earth-nearly-ended-250-million-years-ago-updated-edition-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}