When Life Nearly Died: The Greatest Mass Extinction of All Time

Rating:
Summary: A great long overdue book on the Permian mass extinction
Review: Distinguished vertebrate paleontologist Michael J. Benton's latest book, "When Life Nearly Died: The Greatest Mass Extinction Of All Time", is a long overdue popular account of the worst mass extinction in Earth's history, the end Permian extinction of approximately 251 million years ago. Other customers have complained that this book only devotes less than a quarter of its text to the Permian extinction. However, Benton does an elegant job describing the rise of a uniformitarian view of geology in the 19th Century (One major omission is not citing Scottish geologist James Hutton, who can be regarded correctly as Charles Lyell's intellectual precursor with respect to uniformitarianism.) which was eloquent expressed and defended by Charles Lyell in "Principles of Geology", his influential text on geology which helped shaped the careers of other distinguished scientists, most notably Charles Darwin. Next Benton gives a mesmerizing account of the career of Scottish geologist Roderick Murchison, who coined the name Permian for a suite of rocks found in the Ural Mountains of Russia. These lengthy digressions are important - and will become apparent to the astute reader - once Benton describes the Permian mass extinction.

The second third of the book discusses the nature of mass extinctions, describing why paleontologists were inclined originally to think of mass extinctions as the result of apparent bias in sampling of the fossil record, not as real events denoting substantial loss of the Earth's biodiversity. Benton devotes much space to discussing possible scenarios for the end Cretaceous mass extinction, noting that that the asteroid impact theory proposed by Luis Alvarez, his son Walter, and their colleagues at Berkeley is the one accepted now by scientists. And he notes how ecosystems recover following a mass extinction, noting some of the important work done by ecologists and paleontologists in their analyses of recent ecological data as well as the fossil record.

In the final chapters Benton describes what he thinks did happen at the end Permian mass extinction, offering a plausible scenario for this event (However, he dismisses a probable impact scenario which may be more likely in light of current understanding of planetary impacts, most notably the work done by the Alvarez team and others for the terminal Cretaceous impact.). And he gives a thorough overview of man's negative impact on current biodiversity, noting that this could be yet another important extinction in Earth's history. Students of paleontology, historians of science and the general public will find this fine book a splendid overview of mass extinctions, especially the Permian extinction. It is one of the best recent books on the history of geology and paleontology that I have come across lately.

Rating:
Summary: A superb review of the science of extinction of species
Review: Dr. Michael Benton, an eminent vertebrate paleontologist, has authored many books on the subject. This is one of his finest.
In this book, Dr. Benton addresses the multiple quandaries underlying mass extinctions, and ever-continuing, sometimes controversial, even acrimonious, effort to solve them. As per his high standards, Dr. Benton's text is highly readable, even though complex problems are being analyzed. He introduces the reader to alien or new concepts capably, and the text forms a seamless web along which any reader having a limited exposure to scientific disciplines may proceed without strenuous effort.

NOTE: Although the book's title appears to indicate a rather exclusive discussion about the largest mass extinction, the Permian-Triassic event, which ended the Paleozoic Era and ushered in the Mesozoic, the actual scope of the book is more broad. This is a pleasant, and very helpful, surprise.

Dr. Benton begins with the discovery of dinosaurs, and the history of the mapping of Europe's stratigraphy, before moving into the area of mass extinctions. Without this preliminary discussion, it would be far more difficult to understand how the concept and science of these events developed. I view this as a positive aspect of the book, since the concept of catastrophic events affecting the course of life's progress was most difficult for pioneers in the field to accept. The text admirably demonstrates that science is, after all, a human endeavor, complete with feuds, rivalries, and disputes. Indeed, much scientific progress has been achieved via disagreements and attempt to disprove the opponent's theories. I recommend this discussion to the students of ANY scientific discipline, not just paleontology.

The book moves to an examination of the five largest mass extinction events, with special emphasis being placed on the Mesozoic-ending extinction of the dinosaurs and the Permian-Triassic event. Smaller events are also addressed, such as the loss of species at the end of the Eocene epoch in our era. Dr.
Benton observes that the very large extinction episode at the end of the Cretaceous Period is almost universally accepted to have been the result of a colossal asteroid collision. He very properly notes that as one moves backward in time, the problem of causation of extictions becomes much more difficult to solve owing to plate movements, erosion and sedimentation, and diminution of appropriate outcrops of rocks.

Addressing the book's titled subject, Dr. Benton reviews the various claims that have been advanced for the cause of this "Mother of Extinctions". These include another huge collision with an extraterrestrial body, great climate change, enormous volcanic eruptions in what is now Siberia, a gigantic release of methyl hydrate gases in the oceans, a large drop in oceanic water levels, the uniting of all land masses into a single continent, the explosion of a nearby supernova, and on and on. Though he is taken to task by some reviewers, Dr. Benton reaches no categorical conclusion as to which of these events, singly or in combintion, offers the best explanation of the wiping out of over 90% of Earth's species of life. His best guess, phrased largely as such, is that the removal of so many lifeforms was a combination of large volcanic eruptions, only one land mass, and the freeing of enormous amount of carbon dioxide into Earth's atmosphere by the breakdown of methane hydrates in the oceans of that time.

NOTE: This writer disagrees, preferring the theory that an enormous impact event in the Falkland Island Basin caused antipodal supervolcnic Siberian lava flows, and that the combination of these two events almost destroyed the Earth's atmosphere, and its life. But am I right, or is the far more qualified Dr. Benton right? Or are we both wrong? The answer awaits further data and analysis of it. And coming full circle, this how the body of scientific knowledge grows.

In closing, this is one of the very best books I have ever read on science and its processes of growth. I recommend this book to one and all, and very, very highly. It is a true feast for the mind.

Rating:
Summary: Lots of good geology, but not enough PTr event
Review: I enjoyed the history of geology and especially the
history of establishing the Permian age itself. I
liked the thorough discussion of the Russian sites,
but as a geoscience professional I am probably more
inclined to this than the average reader. There was
also a good discussion of the KT event (that wiped out
the dinosaurs) and several other extinction events.
My gripe is that when he finally got around to the PTr
(Permian - Triassic)event, he basically explained why
certain hypothoses were not good, but didn't really
give a strong hypothesis of his own. Maybe that is
because the evidence is not good enough to have a strong
hypothosis, but the title is misleading in that case.
Overall, I recommend the book as a history of geology
and the Permian specifically, but don't expect to come
away with a real answer.

Rating:
Summary: superb overview of the Permian extinction event
Review: Michael J. Benton's text, When Life Nearly Died, is superb. The topic of the book is the end-Permian extinction, an event less known to the average reader but of far greater impact than that of the KT boundary extinction of the dinosaurs. Although not necessarily as emotively compelling or as dramatic as the latter, the Permian devastation left the planet with only 4-10% of its previous species. It was a bottleneck of major consequence for subsequent biodiversity.

I would recommend this volume to any general reader with an interest in paleontology and earth history. The book covers the early history of geology and especially the biographies and activities of those researchers who helped define the rock sequences which every student memorizes: Precambrian, Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous, Permian, Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous, and Tertiary. He focuses particularly on those who clarified the facies of the Permian and Triassic and brought to light the fact that "something funny" was going on then.

Although no real background in geology is needed to comprehend the narrative, I suspect that most will find the first chapters more interesting than later ones. The author touches upon subjects like uniformitarianism and catastrophism and the disagreement between them and upon the scientific free-for-all that arises over new theories like the impact demise of the dinosaurs, making them quite clear for the average reader. He subsequently builds upon the basics he has provided to carry one through his thesis. Once he gets into the actual discussion about the causes of the Permian event, however, the discussion settles down to chemistry, especially atmospheric and oceanic chemistry: how they work, how they interact, and how they can go horribly wrong. This may be a little tougher going for some readers. For those expecting a definitive answer to what caused the extinction, they will be disappointed. While there are contenders aplenty, the author honestly admits that there is not yet a clear winner and the ultimate cause may be multifacited.

I was especially impressed by the author's ability to stay on track. He gave a good background discussion, added some information about his own contributions, discussed the theories currently entertained by the geological community and ended with a discussion about biodiversity and human impact on the environment. In short the book was about the Permian extinction with enough support material to help a non-professional reader understand it and was not a platform for an autobiographical ego trip. He also gave a very clear and unbiased account of other scientists' work and how their efforts fit into the whole picture. In short he gave credit where credit was due.

A superb overview of the Permian extinction

Rating:
Summary: A fabulous flatulence!
Review: The public is being subjected to a litany of accounts of how life can, and has been, eliminated en masse. After learning ice ages may have swept away numerous creatures, we discovered dinosaurs may have been wiped out by the Big Rock. While trying to comprehend the amount of life an asteroid can dispose of, Michael Benton demonstrates the numbers pale in comparison to what a Big Burp can achieve. Combining his own field work with the research from numerous others, Benton skilfully builds a scenario of real mass destruction. His fine prose style keeps this book a compelling read throughout.

Sharply criticising Darwin's contemporaries and successors for clinging too resolutely to the notion that Nature's forces merely creep along, Benton notes the persistence of one theme. The "uniformitarians", he says, blinded scholars to the evidence - evidence that suggested life could end suddenly. Charles Lyell, one of Charles Darwin's inspirations, argued that what is seen today typifies the entire, and lengthy, history of our world. Slow, gradual change on today's surface is but the most recent example of the panorama of millions of years. Sudden change, "catastrophism", promoted by Baron Cuvier in France, was false. In life, Darwin's evolution by natural selection reflected the gradualist theme.

Benton dismisses Lyell and his adherents as overcommitted to gradualism. He contends they shut their eyes to contrary evidence. He admits the data was less than readily apparent, but argues some questions should have been raised long before now. New research, sometimes in places already once observed, finally brought reassessment. The Ural Mountains in Russia offered the first clues. Roderick Murchison toured there in the 1840s, naming the "Permian System" of rocks. Wars and revolutions interrupted the surveys and geologists and paleontologists peered at new ground. The Great Karoo of South Africa, China and other sites provided new information. A gradually emerging picture revealed a massive die-off 251 million years ago. What had happened?

After a long introduction of chapters recounting the researchers and their findings around the planet, Benton dismisses the notion of a bolide impact. This idea, fostered by the discovery that the Dinosaur Era had likely been concluded by the impact of a 10 kilometre asteroid, wasn't matched by the evidence. While the Permian Extinction may have been accompanied by darkened skies and deluges of rain, the real killer was something else. The dinosaur extinction wasn't typified by massive intrusions of poisonous gases, but the Permian was another matter. Benton surmises that 251 million years ago a series of volcanic fissures spewed immense waves of lava over the land near the North Pole. This area, now known as Siberia, is still covered by the remnants of the outburst. With the lava came noxious gas, mostly carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide. These "greenhouse" gases warmed the seas, releasing life-killing methane. The catastrophe may have killed off up to 96% of all living things.

This is not simply an arcane analysis of events in the ancient past. It's a book that should gain a wide readership, since the events of all those millions of years ago have implications for today. Benton notes the sediments at the bottom of our seas contain a build-up of methane equalling or exceeding that of the Permian. Today's human-spurred global warming may be leading to the same scenario. Extinction, Benton reminds us, isn't limited to dinosaurs or other ancient life. It is clear that we must learn how these mechanisms work to make rational decisions about our dealings with the biosphere. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Rating:
Summary: A fabulous flatulence!
Review: The public is being subjected to a litany of accounts of how life can, and has been, eliminated en masse. After learning ice ages may have swept away numerous creatures, we discovered dinosaurs may have been wiped out by the Big Rock. While trying to comprehend the amount of life an asteroid can dispose of, Michael Benton demonstrates the numbers pale in comparison to what a Big Burp can achieve. Combining his own field work with the research from numerous others, Benton skilfully builds a scenario of real mass destruction. His fine prose style keeps this book a compelling read throughout.

Sharply criticising Darwin's contemporaries and successors for clinging too resolutely to the notion that Nature's forces merely creep along, Benton notes the persistence of one theme. The "uniformitarians", he says, blinded scholars to the evidence - evidence that suggested life could end suddenly. Charles Lyell, one of Charles Darwin's inspirations, argued that what is seen today typifies the entire, and lengthy, history of our world. Slow, gradual change on today's surface is but the most recent example of the panorama of millions of years. Sudden change, "catastrophism", promoted by Baron Cuvier in France, was false. In life, Darwin's evolution by natural selection reflected the gradualist theme.

Benton dismisses Lyell and his adherents as overcommitted to gradualism. He contends they shut their eyes to contrary evidence. He admits the data was less than readily apparent, but argues some questions should have been raised long before now. New research, sometimes in places already once observed, finally brought reassessment. The Ural Mountains in Russia offered the first clues. Roderick Murchison toured there in the 1840s, naming the "Permian System" of rocks. Wars and revolutions interrupted the surveys and geologists and paleontologists peered at new ground. The Great Karoo of South Africa, China and other sites provided new information. A gradually emerging picture revealed a massive die-off 251 million years ago. What had happened?

After a long introduction of chapters recounting the researchers and their findings around the planet, Benton dismisses the notion of a bolide impact. This idea, fostered by the discovery that the Dinosaur Era had likely been concluded by the impact of a 10 kilometre asteroid, wasn't matched by the evidence. While the Permian Extinction may have been accompanied by darkened skies and deluges of rain, the real killer was something else. The dinosaur extinction wasn't typified by massive intrusions of poisonous gases, but the Permian was another matter. Benton surmises that 251 million years ago a series of volcanic fissures spewed immense waves of lava over the land near the North Pole. This area, now known as Siberia, is still covered by the remnants of the outburst. With the lava came noxious gas, mostly carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide. These "greenhouse" gases warmed the seas, releasing life-killing methane. The catastrophe may have killed off up to 96% of all living things.

This is not simply an arcane analysis of events in the ancient past. It's a book that should gain a wide readership, since the events of all those millions of years ago have implications for today. Benton notes the sediments at the bottom of our seas contain a build-up of methane equalling or exceeding that of the Permian. Today's human-spurred global warming may be leading to the same scenario. Extinction, Benton reminds us, isn't limited to dinosaurs or other ancient life. It is clear that we must learn how these mechanisms work to make rational decisions about our dealings with the biosphere. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Rating:
Summary: Great story of science, scientists an scientific method
Review: There are lots of interesting facts and stories in this book, and eventually they are assembled into a theory on the cause of the end-Permian extinction. First, though, we learn a lot about nineteenth century geology from a European, primarily British perspective. Then we learn a lot, a whole lot, about other extinctions. Finally, we get a rather tentative, politically correct proposal for the cause of the end-Permian extinction. The author even quotes Al Gore.
Fortunately, the author writes in a relatively readable manner and knows well the many subjects he presents . The graphs and illustrations are well done and complement the text. I just wish the book were shorter and more direct or that the author had split it into two.

Rating:
Summary: Mistitled book.
Review: There was only one chapter donated to this subject, while the rest of the book dealt with the beginnings of paleoentology and the people who were promanent in this science. A lot of history and extraneous geological information. This is a good read and I managed to read the book in one and one half days. I could not put it down. I recommend this book for its history contents alone.

Rating:
Summary: Mistitled book.
Review: There was only one chapter donated to this subject, while the rest of the book dealt with the beginnings of paleoentology and the people who were promanent in this science. A lot of history and extraneous geological information. This is a good read and I managed to read the book in one and one half days. I could not put it down. I recommend this book for its history contents alone.

Rating:
Summary: A misleading title
Review: This book's title implies that it is primarily about the end Permian extinction, the largest known to science. In fact, direct discussion of that event occupies less than twenty per cent of the text. Much of the rest is a history of scientific ideas about the history of life and the great extinctions, with considerable attention to the individuals who advocated them. While the book is written in a readable style, the reader may be frustrated by the author's cautiousness in drawing conclusions about the Big One. The book ends with a discussion of what Benton calls the Sixth Extinction, caused by human activity, implying that it is comparable to the one at the end of the Permian. While this has become fashionable in popularized books about science, we haven't come near the Permian extinction level - yet.