Gorgon: Paleontology, Obsession, and the Greatest Catastrophe in Earth's History

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Summary: The True Cost of Scientific Field Research
Review: Peter Ward has captured the true nature of scientific field work in his new book "Gorgon: Paleontology, Obsession, and the Greatest Catastrophe in Earth's History." As a field biologist who has on occasion done a little, very minor, work in paleontology (I helped my major professor in Arizona collect freshwater snails and clams from a Cretaceous site) I can attest to the difficulties in even a relatively easy part of the planet. South Africa, especially during the Apartheid period and after, was dangerous, dirty and fraught with difficulties almost unimaginable to people who have never lived in such conditions. This is not the classic white coat science of the laboratory (which has its own set of difficulties) but really down and dirty get-in-the-mud field research under the worst possible conditions. That Ward, his associate Roger Smith and others persevered in their quest is astonishing. But they did and we now know considerably more about the Permian-Triassic boundary extinction because of it. It must be added that their families bore a tremendous burden for them to do so and should be applauded as much as the scientists involved.

This is a real scientific detective story with all the drama you could ever want. However Ward has not left out the mundane details- heat, flies, ticks, lack of medical help, poor pay and general support, stupid mistakes and everything else that makes up real life field work in the sciences. This is the way it is, which is not quite as glamorous as is usually reported in the newspapers!

The problem Ward was working on is a fascinating one; how long was the Permian-Triassic extinction event and what caused it? The Cretaceous - Tertiary (K-T) extinction event has been apparently solved by the Alverez team with the discovery that a giant asteroid struck the planet at that point in time, but other extinction events have been more problematic. The extinction events that punctuated the history of life on earth were extremely important in defining our current world and the mammal-like reptiles of the Permian became our ancestors. Had they been wiped out, as over 90 per cent of life was, we would quite possibly not exist. In addition, such events could conceivably happen again and so our existence and that of other life forms on this planet could be threatened. The subject is thus not without major interest for the human species.

Read this book if you want to find out how real research is done in the field. It eliminates some of the more common myths about field science and make you appreciate how hard it is to wrest information from the natural world, a truth that is so in the laboratory as much as in the field.

Rating:
Summary: A thoroughly enjoyable read!
Review: Peter Ward's "Gorgon: Paleontology, Obsession, and the Greatest Catastrophe in Earth's History" is a very interesting read. It takes a bit to get going, and the ending seems rushed, but it remains informative and entertaining throughout.

Peter Ward has a long professional association with mass extinctions, as his many previous books will attest. "Gorgon" opens with definitive statements about the conclusiveness of research intended to show that an extraterrestrial impact wiped out the nonavian dinosaurs 65 million years ago; those who feel that there are still some points to be debated about this interpretation will find nothing here, for Ward is absolute in his convictions. And this adamant stance is his jumping-off point for the rest of the book, as he views the terminal Permian extinction through the lens of his views on the Cretaceous event.

"Gorgon" seems a bit of a departure from many of Ward's earlier books. While details of the science read well and are clearly and often engagingly presented, the science does seem a bit thin. This is surprising, given the amount of work that has been conducted regarding the colossal extinction pulse at the end of the Permian. Fortunately, what Ward uses to fill the gaps is more personal, thoughtful and introspective than a strict presentation of scientific theories might otherwise permit. I felt that he beautifully captured the joys and the hardships of paleontological field work, from the desperate need to focus when prospecting, to the primitive yet often idyllic field and camp locales, to the kinship (and infrequent conflict) one feels with one's field mates, to the adrenaline rush when one discovers a significant new find.

As for the science itself, it too seems well presented. The reader will see what Ward and his colleagues observed in the Karoo region of South Africa, and will be led to understand its significance in the discussion of the Permian extinction. I personally would have preferred additional photographs, maps, and diagrams to supplement the text, but that's just me.

I'm giving the book four stars rather than five because I felt that the conclusion of the volume seemed rushed. Chapter 11, for example, discussed the conclusions and subsequent challenges to the hypothesis that an extraterrestrial impact caused the Permian extinction. The chapter ended with a paragraph stating, "By the year 2000 it was generally accepted that ... an impact *did* occur, some 250 million years ago ... [t]he question that remained ... was whether or not this fiery messenger from space was the sole assassin." Chapter 12 discussed the Permian extinction as being fast and occurring in pulses. Chapter 13 then discussed Ward's own newly-advanced interpretations, which do not involve any sort of extraterrestrial impact (and which it would be unfair of me to present here; if you want to know what Ward thinks, read the book!). [As a side note, there are implications of Ward's interpretations regarding the evolution of dinosaurs and birds that are fascinating to consider, but which he leaves frustratingly defleshed -- building up to his point, then abruptly ending the chapter. I do wish he'd extrapolated a bit more.] Finally, the Epilogue then stated, "I now believe that the Permian extinction yields but a single important lesson: Planets with higher life ... *can be rendered abiotic*, and that asteroid impact can certainly do the job." So we're taken from extraterrestrial impact being part or all of the cause of the Permian extinction, to such an impact being unnecessary to explain the extinction, then right back to the Permian teaching us that asteroids can cause mass extinctions. If that sounds confused, it's because it is. I wonder if there was a publication deadline involved, as the writing seems to betray some haste here. I felt that the conclusion of the book would have been more satisfying, and the book itself more thoroughly enjoyable, had Ward and his editors spend a little more time on the last few chapters. Maybe I'm misreading things, but that's how it appears to me after several re-readings.

In all, then, an entertaining and informative read, with insights and expressions of personal feelings that stand out from Ward's earlier works, and with a conclusion that leaves one wanting more. The flaws are minor, and the book is well worth reading. I strongly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: A thoroughly enjoyable read!
Review: Peter Ward's "Gorgon: Paleontology, Obsession, and the Greatest Catastrophe in Earth's History" is a very interesting read. It takes a bit to get going, and the ending seems rushed, but it remains informative and entertaining throughout.

Peter Ward has a long professional association with mass extinctions, as his many previous books will attest. "Gorgon" opens with definitive statements about the conclusiveness of research intended to show that an extraterrestrial impact wiped out the nonavian dinosaurs 65 million years ago; those who feel that there are still some points to be debated about this interpretation will find nothing here, for Ward is absolute in his convictions. And this adamant stance is his jumping-off point for the rest of the book, as he views the terminal Permian extinction through the lens of his views on the Cretaceous event.

"Gorgon" seems a bit of a departure from many of Ward's earlier books. While details of the science read well and are clearly and often engagingly presented, the science does seem a bit thin. This is surprising, given the amount of work that has been conducted regarding the colossal extinction pulse at the end of the Permian. Fortunately, what Ward uses to fill the gaps is more personal, thoughtful and introspective than a strict presentation of scientific theories might otherwise permit. I felt that he beautifully captured the joys and the hardships of paleontological field work, from the desperate need to focus when prospecting, to the primitive yet often idyllic field and camp locales, to the kinship (and infrequent conflict) one feels with one's field mates, to the adrenaline rush when one discovers a significant new find.

As for the science itself, it too seems well presented. The reader will see what Ward and his colleagues observed in the Karoo region of South Africa, and will be led to understand its significance in the discussion of the Permian extinction. I personally would have preferred additional photographs, maps, and diagrams to supplement the text, but that's just me.

I'm giving the book four stars rather than five because I felt that the conclusion of the volume seemed rushed. Chapter 11, for example, discussed the conclusions and subsequent challenges to the hypothesis that an extraterrestrial impact caused the Permian extinction. The chapter ended with a paragraph stating, "By the year 2000 it was generally accepted that ... an impact *did* occur, some 250 million years ago ... [t]he question that remained ... was whether or not this fiery messenger from space was the sole assassin." Chapter 12 discussed the Permian extinction as being fast and occurring in pulses. Chapter 13 then discussed Ward's own newly-advanced interpretations, which do not involve any sort of extraterrestrial impact (and which it would be unfair of me to present here; if you want to know what Ward thinks, read the book!). [As a side note, there are implications of Ward's interpretations regarding the evolution of dinosaurs and birds that are fascinating to consider, but which he leaves frustratingly defleshed -- building up to his point, then abruptly ending the chapter. I do wish he'd extrapolated a bit more.] Finally, the Epilogue then stated, "I now believe that the Permian extinction yields but a single important lesson: Planets with higher life ... *can be rendered abiotic*, and that asteroid impact can certainly do the job." So we're taken from extraterrestrial impact being part or all of the cause of the Permian extinction, to such an impact being unnecessary to explain the extinction, then right back to the Permian teaching us that asteroids can cause mass extinctions. If that sounds confused, it's because it is. I wonder if there was a publication deadline involved, as the writing seems to betray some haste here. I felt that the conclusion of the book would have been more satisfying, and the book itself more thoroughly enjoyable, had Ward and his editors spend a little more time on the last few chapters. Maybe I'm misreading things, but that's how it appears to me after several re-readings.

In all, then, an entertaining and informative read, with insights and expressions of personal feelings that stand out from Ward's earlier works, and with a conclusion that leaves one wanting more. The flaws are minor, and the book is well worth reading. I strongly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent exploration....
Review: Peter Ward's new book, about the most devastating (and mostly unknown) mass extinction in natural history, an event that dwarfed the end of the dinosaurs in scale, shows the insides of geology and paleontology in action.

Ward gives us the pain and sacrifices of exploring the Earth's mysteries, without glamourizing it. But he also gives us the satisfaction that comes with the accomplishment of understanding something... in this case something pretty big and "important".

Like many popular science books, this one has some thin spots. We could use more feeling for what this ancient world might have been like. We don't meet the critters: there are a couple of hazy pages about what that world might have been like. Although the book is titled "Gorgon", that isn't at all what it is about.

What it is about is the painstaking ten years of field work in South Africa's Karoo desert. We get a feel for how little is known and how it gets pieced together. For example, we get to follow exactly how one fellow scientist reconstructs the way layers of sediment were laid down, determining if there was a "break" in the timeline. We read about each expedition, focusing on the discomfort of the whole experience.

This sounds tedious and surely the work itself was, but here you get a solid sense in a few pages of what had to be done. That part is well told.

There is also some personal commentary, focused on the personalities of various participants. It's a bit "inside baseball", but that is interesting too.

Ultimately, this is a documentary of how insight into a complex problem was developed. The extinction of 94% of life on Earth is a scary thing to contemplate. Understanding it seems like a valuable endeavor. Appreciating how we understand it, which is what this book really gives the reader, is a grand result.

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Summary: A Mixed Bag ¿ But Interesting
Review: The main focus of this book is an investigation into the Permian mass extinction of 250 million years ago. In addition to containing scientific discussions on this event and life on earth before and after it, the book is written in the form of a personal memoir spanning the years from 1991 to 2003. Included are detailed descriptions of what paleontological field work can be like, various thoughts rambling through the author's mind on various subjects, miscellaneous personal experiences (some related and some unrelated to the main theme), interactions with scientific colleagues and the agony and the ecstasy of scientific work. To those familiar with this author's prior books (which are excellent, I might add), this one will stand out as different because of the above and its unexpected meanderings, although still keeping track of the main theme, at least in the general sense. The reason for selecting "Gorgon" as the book's title is unclear to me in view of its content. Although not quite what I expected, I did find the book well-written and enjoyable.

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Summary: Nice cover
Review: This book caught my eye while browsing in a bookstore. The cover is quite striking, with a subtitle reminiscent of Indiana Jones, "Paleontology, Obsession, and the Greatest Catastrophe in Earth's History" The fact that I dropped $30 on the spot to buy it is proof that a good cover is a great marketing device. I learned a thing or two from this book. In fact, the first three paragraphs in the prologue of my book use information that came straight from this one.

I was surprised to find that the animals populating the planet just prior to the Permian extinction event were "mammal-like reptiles." Keep in mind, this is many millions of years before dinosaurs appeared. Some theories as to what caused this event are tossed about, with the author presenting a few theories of his own. In a nutshell, this book is a collection of facts and conjecture about the Permian extinction event interspersed with the author's experiences while hunting for information pertaining to this event in the Karoo Desert of South Africa.

I could not shake the feeling that the book had been fluffed up at the insistence of some editor in an attempt to make it more exciting. Here is an excerpt where the author lets his hair down describing the time he was mugged in Cape Town:

"They could have the money, but not the watch, or so went the instant balance of decision making, and luckily for me there was no knife, or perhaps they simply chose not to use it; on such fulcrums does fate balance. "No!" I yelled, and some new drive kicked in; I rolled, smashed one in the head with my fist, and was up now, years in the gym repaying their debt."

He then ran away, eventually tripping over a low fence. Another time, we see the "F" word used three times in a row as his partner has a tantrum about lost keys. If that is not enough, the author decides to try it out for himself, "F... that," says the professor of paleontology in a later chapter for no apparent reason.

The following describes a scene where he is leaving his young son in Seattle to return to South Africa yet again:

"... clutching my leg, "Daddy don't go." I shook him off as gently as I could, but there is no gentleness in this sort of leaving, only scars, scars that come back to haunt us in the dark of night when sleep mocks and we take the measure of our lives. Why do we do what we do?"

I'll take a shot at answering that question: to gain a measure of status among your peers in the fiercely hierarchical world of academia? I was impressed by just how far some members of academia will go to make their mark; ten years wondering around in the baking hot deserts of South Africa looking for fossils does not strike me as being the least bit romantic. It is a stark, desolate place and his time spent there seemed surprisingly devoid of interesting experiences, barely enough to flush out the 236 pages of this book.

I think this book would have been better off without the attempts to add drama and adventure. Writing a book is hard work, and I hate to be critical of another author's efforts. Keep in mind that reviews are just personal opinions. The other reviews appear to be quite positive, so please, take my remarks with a grain of salt. I tend to be overly critical by nature.

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Summary: Paleontology at a Personal Level
Review: Today's schoolchildren, fascinated by Jurassic creatures, learn that the dinosaurs were mostly wiped out by a meteor that struck the area of the Yucatan 65 million years ago. This explanation was put forward only a couple of decades ago, and though it was revolutionary at the time, it has been confirmed so well that it is hard to imagine that there will ever be evidence to disconfirm it. Peter D. Ward, now a professor of geological sciences at the University of Washington, worked on evidence for this Cretaceous extinction, and then turned his attention to a previous extinction, one that makes the Cretaceous look like a fender-bender. In _Gorgon: Paleontology, Obsession, and the Greatest Catastrophe in Earth's History_ (Viking), Ward has told the story of his researches into the Permian extinction, which 250 million years ago exterminated forever 95% of the species then living. This is a personal account, a memoir to tell about field adventures, the atmosphere in modern South Africa, and the theory he has come up with. It is a fine introduction to current ideas about the Permian extinction, and what it is that paleontologists do.

The Gorgon of the title was a beast something like a tiger, ten feet long. The fearsome Gorgon was not a mammal; it had eyes at the side of its head and it had scales on its body, both characteristics more associated with lizard-type creatures. And the Gorgon itself left no descendants. It was one of the victims of the Permian wipeout. Ward was in South Africa in 1991 to research another type of fossil, but circumstances sent him into the heat, cold, storms, flies, ticks, snakes, ants, and scorpions of the Karoo desert. The stratification there, and other evidence, brought fundamental changes in the way paleontologists view the Permian extinction. The eventual explanation includes that there was not a single, rapid event, but a series of short, successive ones altering the atmosphere and changing the population of creatures that could survive to beget the dinosaurs and mammals that were to come. The explanation isn't final; no scientific explanation really is, but it is how things stand right now.

In addition to being a scientific memoir, Ward's book describes visits to South Africa when that country was going through amazing changes. On one visit, he was interrogated by severe and unfriendly white passport controllers, for instance, whereas years later he would be greeted by welcoming black ones. He would also visit during times where he could show his white self anywhere with impunity, whereas years later to be white "meant that one had money and was fair game." He was informed on a later visit to avoid a certain region because it was Thursday; seeking clarification, he learned that Thursday was cremation day. AIDS had come, and he was being advised not to be downwind of the burning of the week's accumulated bodies. Also, Ward is open about the effect of his career on his family, which he obviously loves, but he loves his travel to the field as well. Leaving them again for Africa, he can't find words to explain why the hunt is so important for him, and the parting becomes an unsweet sorrow, even an angry one. "Why do we do what we do?" he asks. It is a great question. He has answered the scientific questions as directly as he can, and in his report of struggling to overcome many physical, emotional, and societal hurdles to find answers, he has given an indirect but satisfying answer to his personal why.

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Summary: Solving a Riddle
Review: When I was a boy, I remember reading about the dinosaurs' extinction and the great question about the reasons behind it, which at the time ranged from the theological to more or less pure guesswork. And I wondered about the other great extinctions, where even less was known. Would it ever be possible to determine their causes, and their meaning for life on earth?

Well, now we know that the question of the dinosaurs's extinction has been answered to everyone's satisfactions, save that of a few cranky holdouts. It was a huge meteor, and the killing mechanisms are largely worked out. Now many of the scientists who worked so successfully on that problem have turned their attention to the other four great extinctions, using many of the same techniques and methods developed over the decades.

This book is about one of those men, who tells the story of the PT extinction of 250 million years ago from a personal point of view, with lots of well-explained science mixed together with an engrossing tale of personalities and adventures, hardships and triumphs tossed together into a most pleasing and engrossing way. His struggle is an inspiring one, for it is a most human tale of overcoming obstacles in a determined way, showing the failures as well as the times when chance and persistence overcame paltry funding, errors and muddles.

Ward makes a convincing case that the PT extinction is well on its way to being solved, though much clearly remains to be done before a scientific consensus is reliably established. But more than that, he has written a terrific thoughtful chapter in which he comes to speculate on the implications for these events. He persuasively argues that life on earth is fragile, at the mercy of chance events which we are only beginning to understand. Much like our own life...

But for me, the main message of the book is that a few dozen scientists, armed with the tools of thousands of their fellows, can tackle the big questions which seemed so out of reach only a few mere decades ago.