Extinction: Evolution and the End of Man

How long do humans have left on Earth? Using cutting-edge science that revolutionises our understanding of evolution, Michael Boulter explains how we may be closer to our own extinction than we imagined.

Sixty-five million years ago the dinosaurs were destroyed in a mass extinction event that could not have been predicted. Out of the devastation, new life developed and the world regained its natural equilibrium. Until now. Scientists, employing radically new perspectives on the science of life, are beginning to uncover signs of a similar event on the horizon. The end of man.

Michael Boulter reveals extraordinary new insights that scientists are only now beginning to understand about the past, the rise and fall of species and the nature of life.

‘Extinction’ is an immaculately researched introduction into the new developments in the science of life as well as a chilling account of the effects that humans have had on the planet. The world will adapt and survive – humanity will not.

‘Extinction’ raises some radical insights into our view of the world: Nature is in a balance, in which all parts interact and create harmony. This harmony is organised from the inside – it is a self-organising system. In a self-organising system the whole is more important than its parts. One method of this system is extinction – if the system is disrupted it will do what it has to correct itself.

1117992957
Extinction: Evolution and the End of Man

How long do humans have left on Earth? Using cutting-edge science that revolutionises our understanding of evolution, Michael Boulter explains how we may be closer to our own extinction than we imagined.

Sixty-five million years ago the dinosaurs were destroyed in a mass extinction event that could not have been predicted. Out of the devastation, new life developed and the world regained its natural equilibrium. Until now. Scientists, employing radically new perspectives on the science of life, are beginning to uncover signs of a similar event on the horizon. The end of man.

Michael Boulter reveals extraordinary new insights that scientists are only now beginning to understand about the past, the rise and fall of species and the nature of life.

‘Extinction’ is an immaculately researched introduction into the new developments in the science of life as well as a chilling account of the effects that humans have had on the planet. The world will adapt and survive – humanity will not.

‘Extinction’ raises some radical insights into our view of the world: Nature is in a balance, in which all parts interact and create harmony. This harmony is organised from the inside – it is a self-organising system. In a self-organising system the whole is more important than its parts. One method of this system is extinction – if the system is disrupted it will do what it has to correct itself.

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Extinction: Evolution and the End of Man

Extinction: Evolution and the End of Man

by Michael Boulter
Extinction: Evolution and the End of Man

Extinction: Evolution and the End of Man

by Michael Boulter

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Overview

How long do humans have left on Earth? Using cutting-edge science that revolutionises our understanding of evolution, Michael Boulter explains how we may be closer to our own extinction than we imagined.

Sixty-five million years ago the dinosaurs were destroyed in a mass extinction event that could not have been predicted. Out of the devastation, new life developed and the world regained its natural equilibrium. Until now. Scientists, employing radically new perspectives on the science of life, are beginning to uncover signs of a similar event on the horizon. The end of man.

Michael Boulter reveals extraordinary new insights that scientists are only now beginning to understand about the past, the rise and fall of species and the nature of life.

‘Extinction’ is an immaculately researched introduction into the new developments in the science of life as well as a chilling account of the effects that humans have had on the planet. The world will adapt and survive – humanity will not.

‘Extinction’ raises some radical insights into our view of the world: Nature is in a balance, in which all parts interact and create harmony. This harmony is organised from the inside – it is a self-organising system. In a self-organising system the whole is more important than its parts. One method of this system is extinction – if the system is disrupted it will do what it has to correct itself.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780007404865
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date: 10/07/2010
Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers
Format: eBook
Pages: 224
File size: 510 KB

About the Author

Michael Boutler is the Professor of Palaeobiology at the University of East London. He is the head of a team analysing Fossil Record 2 the largest database of information on extinct animals and plants. He has written numerous articles on how we understand evolutionary change. For twenty years he has been Secretary and Editor for the International Organisation of Palaeobiology. He lives with his family in North London.

Table of Contents

Introductionvii
1The Past Is Not Over1
2Extinction23
3A System out of Chaos56
4From Dinosaurs to Us88
5What's in a Name?125
6A Man-Made Extinction Event157
7Humans and the Future177
Notes194
Acknowledgements203
Index205

What People are Saying About This

Michael J. Benton

Michael Boulter's book explores new ways of looking at extinctions -- extinctions of the geological past and of the present day. He is a pioneer and shows how new methods allow us to understand major crises of the past and how they relate to the current problems. This is a whirlwind of a book.

Michael J. Benton, author of Walking with Dinosaurs: Fascinating Facts

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