Some 250 million years ago, the earth suffered the greatest biological crisis in its history.

Around 95% of all living species died out--a global catastrophe far greater than the dinosaurs' demise 65 million years ago.

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.Extinction 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.

After setting the scene, Erwin introduces the suite of possible perpetrators and the types of evidence paleontologists seek.

For more information about the title Extinction: How Life on Earth Nearly Ended 250 Million Years Ago, read the full description at Amazon.com, or see the following related books:

Catastrophes and Lesser Calamities: The Causes of Mass Extinctions — This is a book about the dramatic periods in the Earth's history called mass extinctions - short periods (by geological standards) when life nearly ...  > read more

When Life Nearly Died: The Greatest Mass Extinction of All Time — "The focus is the most severe mass extinction known in earth's history….The science on which the book is based is up-to-date, thorough, and ...  > read more

The Nemesis Affair: A Story of the Death of Dinosaurs and the Ways of Science — Nemesis is the name given by scientists to a (theoretical) small companion star to our sun. Every 26 million years, Nemesis's orbit brings it close ...  > read more

Rivers in Time — -- BioscienceSeveral times in the distant past, catastrophic extinctions have swept the Earth, causing more than half of all species -- from ...  > read more

Author: Douglas H. Erwin

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Date: Jan. 30, 2006

List Price:

$26.95

Discount Price:

$15.42

Related Stories

New Evidence Indicates Biggest Extinction Wasn't Caused By Asteroid Or Comet (January 23, 2005) — For the last three years evidence has been building that the impact of a comet or asteroid triggered the biggest mass extinction in Earth history, but new research from a team headed by a University ...  > read more

Flash Recovery Of Ammonoids After Most Massive Extinction Of All Time (September 14, 2009) — After the End-Permian extinction 250 million years ago, ammonoids diversified and recovered 10 to 30 times faster than previous estimates. The surprising discovery raises questions about ...  > read more

Methane Thought To Be Responsible For Mass Extinction (August 28, 2003) — What caused the worst mass extinction in Earth's history 251 million years ago? An asteroid or comet colliding with Earth? A greenhouse effect? Volcanic eruptions in Siberia? Or an entirely ...  > read more

Ultra-Low Oxygen Could Have Triggered Die-Offs, Spurred Bird Breathing System (October 31, 2003) — Recent evidence suggests that oxygen levels were suppressed worldwide 175 million to 275 million years ago and fell to precipitously low levels compared with today's atmosphere, low enough to ...  > read more

New Evidence Indicates Huge Vegetation Loss Accompanied Mass Extinction (September 14, 2000) — The greatest mass extinction in Earth history eliminated 85 percent to 90 percent of all marine and land vertebrate species 250 million years ago, at the end of the Permian Period and the beginning ...  > read more

Search ScienceDaily

Mystery Diamonds