Extinction, Paul B. Wignall
Extinction, Paul B. Wignall
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Extinction
A Very Short Introduction

Author: Paul B. Wignall

Narrator: Jonathan Cowley

Unabridged: 4 hr 7 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 09/10/2019


Synopsis

Most people are familiar with the dodo and the dinosaur, but extinction has occurred throughout the history of life, with the result that nearly all the species that have ever existed are now extinct. Today, species are disappearing at an ever increasing rate, while past losses have occurred during several great crises. Issues such as habitat destruction, conservation, climate change, and, during major crises, volacanism and meteorite impact, can all contribute towards the demise of a group.

In this Very Short Introduction, Paul B. Wignall looks at the causes and nature of extinctions, past and present, and the factors that can make a species vulnerable. Summarizing what we know about all of the major and minor extinction events, he examines some of the greatest debates in modern science, such as the relative role of climate and humans in the death of the Pleistocene megafauna, including mammoths and giant ground sloths, and the roles that global warming, ocean acidification, and deforestation are playing in present-day extinctions.

About Paul B. Wignall

Paul B. Wignall is Professor of Palaeoenvironments at the University of Leeds, and a leading expert on extinctions. He has published over 200 papers on a multitude of research areas, including the causes of major environmental change such as the deoxygenation of the oceans, and the establishment of super greenhouse climates. In addition to his considerable research output, he has authored a popular science book, The Worst of Times, and has contributed articles to popular science magazines. He has also appeared in many television documentaries, including the recent Walking through Time.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Ryan

Like the other titles in this excellent series, this one is a concise summary of a very wide body of knowledge on what scientists know to date about this biological phenomenon. It is impressive and encouraging for me that life, once it has taken hold from humble beginnings always finds a way (thanks......more

Goodreads review by Jake

Im starting to really love this series, if nothing else than for brevity. This was about the social history of the acceptance of extinctions within the scientific community starting with cuvier. The book then gave a quick explanation of the few mass extinctions and many other organisms that have dis......more

Goodreads review by Eric

Focuses more on the mechanisms of Extinction, that was extinctions themselves. It is somewhat necessary, but it relies a little heavily on statistical models rather than direct evidence. Possibly gets into a little bit of climate change denialism, but is at least well supported. The big fact that is......more

Goodreads review by Peter

The paleontologist Paul Wignell published Extinction: A Very Short Introduction in 2019. The book has illustrations, including maps, a timeline, and graphs. The book has illustrations of biological organisms that went extinct during “the great catastrophes” in the history of life on Earth (Wignell 5......more

Goodreads review by Loren

Very informative. The graphs and charts are worth the price of the book. A good companion book to Elizabeth's Kolberts's "The Sixth Extinction."......more