{"product_id":"extinction-how-life-on-earth-nearly-ended-250-million-years-ago","title":"Extinction: How Life on Earth Nearly Ended 250 Million Years Ago","description":"\u003cp\u003eSome 250 million years ago, the earth suffered the greatest biological crisis in its history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAround 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eExtinction 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Douglas H. Erwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47133707075753,"sku":"9780691136288","price":16.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0424\/9518\/0962\/files\/9780691136288.jpg?v=1780209739","url":"https:\/\/roseyravelstonbooks.com.au\/products\/extinction-how-life-on-earth-nearly-ended-250-million-years-ago","provider":"RoseyRavelston Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}