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OverviewThe greatest mass extinction in Earth’s history happened some 251 million years ago. In this cataclysm at least 90% of life was killed, both on land and in the sea, almost bringing evolution to a halt.What caused destruction on such an unimaginable scale?Was it the impact of a huge meteorite, or prolonged volcanic eruption in Siberia? In this acclaimed book, newly available in paperback, Michael Benton assembles all the evidence and gives his verdict. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Michael J. BentonPublisher: Thames & Hudson Ltd Imprint: Thames & Hudson Ltd Dimensions: Width: 15.50cm , Height: 3.20cm , Length: 23.40cm Weight: 0.650kg ISBN: 9780500285732ISBN 10: 050028573 Pages: 336 Publication Date: 07 April 2008 Audience: General/trade , General Format: Paperback Publisher's Status: Out of Stock Indefinitely Availability: Awaiting stock Table of ContentsReviewsTells the story of how people--from Victorian times to the present--have wrested meaning from old rocks, bones, and shells. He tells us of rivalries and squabbles, and paints a vivid picture of science as a quintessentially human endeavor--an ongoing search for better understanding that by its very nature can never be finished. Author InformationMichael Benton is a palaeontologist who has made fundamental contributions to understanding the history of life, particularly concerning how biodiversity changes through time. He has led in integrating data from living and fossil organisms to generate phylogenies — solutions to the question of how major groups originated and diversified through time. This approach has revolutionised our understanding of major questions, including the relative roles of internal and external drivers on the history of life, whether diversity reaches saturation, the significance of mass extinctions, and how major clades radiate. A key theme is the Permo–Triassic mass extinction, the largest mass extinction of all time, which took place over 250 million years ago, where he investigates how life was able to recover from such a devastating event. Michael has written engaging books for children on the theme of dinosaurs, as well as a significant number of palaeontology textbooks for university students. He founded the MSc in Palaeobiology at Bristol in 1996, from which more than 450 students have graduated. He has supervised more than 70 PhD students. Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |