Extinction: Bad Genes or Bad Luck?

by David M . Raup (Author)

• Used

  Hardcover
  1992

  $21.69

• Used

  Paperback
  1993

  $3.42

  What brings about the extinction of a species? Is it a genetic flaw or a run of really bad luck? All scientists agree on the fact of extinction, but science has never agreed on its physical causes. From the traditional theory of climatic change to the controversial theory of meteorites, this book investigates each possibility and puts the arguments for and against. Questioning much of the conventional wisdom, this book makes a number of claims, including a theory that blames all significant extinctions on falling meteorites.

• New

  Paperback
  1993

  $22.45

  In the geological record, there are five major mass extinctions-the Big Five. The most famous happened at the end of the Cretaceous Period, when the dinosaurs and two-thirds of all marine animal species were wiped out, opening the door for the age of mammals and the rise of Homo Sapiens. Using this example as a springboard, David M. Raup leaps into an egaging discussion of the theories, assumptions, and difficulties associated with the science of species extinction. Woven is along the way are stories of the trilobite eye, tropical reefs, flying reptiles, and the fate of the heath hen on Martha's Vineyard, a very modern extinction.