Paleontology, astrobiology, mass extinctions and habitability, conservation. Ward studies the cretaceoustertiary extinction event the one that killed the dinosaurs and other mass extinctions. Tvg 19min talkshow episode aired 27 january 2009 previous all episodes 225 next add a plot. If extinction and mass extinctions are a natural part of earths history, should we really be concerned about our effects on endangered species. Before getting that perspective in full, however, readers. On mass extinctions and the preservation of biodiversity, dr. Asteroid strikes get all the coverage, but medea hypothesis author peter ward argues that most of earths mass extinctions were caused by lowly bacteria. You probably know about one of these events, the cretaceoustertiary extinction 65 million years ago that ended the age of dinosaurs. That is not to say that global warming was the cause of this permian wipeout or that all mass extinctions are. Asteroid strikes get all the coverage, but medea hypothesis. Ward specializes in the cretaceouspaleogene extinction event, the permiantriassic extinction event, and mass extinctions generally.
Hydrogen sulfide may kill us, bring us back to life wired. Mass extinctions tied to past climate changes scientific. Ward gave a ted talk in 2008 about mass extinctions. He is a leader in the intriguing new field of astrobiology, the study of the origin, distribution and evolution of life in the universe. Tedtalks peter ward on earths mass extinctions tv episode. Step one is, theres an enormous release of flood basalts coming out of cracks in the earth, and huge amounts of magma from the. Ward studies life on earthwhere it came from, how it might end and how. Peter ward is one of the paleontologists responsible for overturning our understanding of most of the earths mass extinctions, which, long thought to be caused by asteroid impacts, turned out. Sep 30, 2016 about peter ward s ted talk at various times, life on earth has come close to being erased. A great dying took place 250 million years ago, he said, that was brought about by global warming. Global warming, the mass extinctions of the past, and what they can tell us about our future 2007 isbn 978006 17914.
It simply plots all the mass extinction events of the last 500 million years against the best estimate of carbon dioxide levels co2 at the time. Under a green sky puts the present within a geological context while also making the climate crisis feel even more personal and pressing. Peter ward now focuses his work on the challenge of climate change, with books such as under a green sky. Live from manila, art bell returned for a discussion with prof. Co2 levels and mass extinction events john englander sea. Peter ward about his latest work on mass extinctions and the self destructive nature of our planet, as well as the possibility for life in our solar system and beyond. The principal area of his research has been the mass extinction events of earths history. May, 20 asteroid strikes get all the coverage, but medea hypothesis author peter ward argues that most of earths mass extinctions were caused by lowly bacteria. Co2 levels and mass extinction events the chart below is adapted from a similar graph in dr.
Well, no, its just the whole sense of when is it going to happen again and it appears that most of the big mass extinctions have been caused by these nasty volcanic events. Ward specializes in the cretaceous paleogene extinction event, the permian triassic extinction event, and mass extinctions generally. Asteroid strikes get all the coverage, but medea hypothesis author peter ward argues that most of earths mass extinctions. Global warming, the mass extinctions of the past, and what they can tell us about our future, all but one of. Ward earth and space sciences, college of the environment, university of washington, wa what. Peter ward, professor at the university of washington department of biology, is one of the paleontologists responsible for overturning our understanding of most of the earths mass extinctions, which, long thought to be caused by asteroid impacts, turned out to have been the result of climate change produced by greenhouse gases all but the. Thereve been five major extinctions where 5095 % of life died.
Ancient mass extinctions hint at possible ocean future wired. He looks at our planets history in a new way, revealing an earth that is witnessing an alarming decline of diversity and biomass a decline brought on by lifes own biocidal tendencies. Ward, a paleontologist, does a fair job of describing the previous mass extinctions that have visited the earth and of analogizing them to the present one, humancaused and comparative in scope. Peter ward, paleontologist the shape of life the story of the. One of the potential causes of a loss of habitability comes from planetary bio. The culprit, a poison called hydrogen sulfide, may have an interesting application in medicine. Jul 29, 2008 peter ward is professor of biology, professor of earth and space sciences, and adjunct professor of astronomy at the university of washington, seattle.
Around 251 million years ago, in the blink of a geological eye, up to 95 per cent of marine species and 85 per cent of those on land went extinct. Global warming, the mass extinctions of the past, and what they can tell us about our future. I developed this post in recognition of the three books he has written on the. Peter douglas ward, a renowned scientist whose specialties include the biology of mass extinctions, astrobiology, paleontology, and geology, describes the two greatest mass extinctions in the history of our planet, and compares them to the mass extinction. Paleontologist peter ward on what past mass extinctions can teach us about climate change today. His 1992 book on methuselahs trail received a golden trilobite award from the paleontological society as the best popular science book of the. Mar 15, 2000 mass extinctions hold many mysteries, particularly the largest ones earth has ever experienced. First describing the three previous mass extinctionsthose marking the transition from the permian to the triassic periods 245 million years ago, the triassic to the jurassic 200 million years ago, and the cretaceous to the tertiary 65 million years agoward assesses the present devastation in which countless species are coming to the end. He is a leader in the intriguing new field of astrobiology, the study of the origin, distribution, and evolution of life in the universe. Peter ward on mass extinctions in nymag uw biology. Global warming the mass extinctions of the past and what they can tell us about our future. He focuses on two episodes of major extinctions in earths past, contending that humanity is now causing a third mass extinction. Surprisingly, the most devastating was not the cretaceoustertiary kt extinction 65 million years ago which saw the end of the reign of the dinosaurs and the.
The search for clues to earths mass extinctions, the author, peter ward, describes the great mass extinctions over the last 500 million years of the earths history. Oct 24, 2007 mass extinctions tied to past climate changes. Below is a list of the mass extinctions ward believes were caused by global warming and he wrote this book to explain why humancaused global warming is probably going to cause another major extinction, probably the second worst in earths history the worst being the permian. About peter ward paleontologist and astrobiologist peter ward studies events such as the cretaceoustertiary extinction event which made dinosaurs go extinct. Peter ward was among the first declare that several of these events were greenhouse extinctions, and the evidence continues to accumulate that he is correct to do so. In this view, microbialtriggered mass extinctions are attempts to return the. Peter ward on mass extinctions 17 translations dotsub.
A theory of earths mass extinctions ted talk asteroid strikes get all the coverage, but medea hypothesis author peter ward argues that most of earths mass extinctions were caused by lowly bacteria. Peter ward spoke at ted2008 about earths mass extinctions watch for his tedtalk later this month. Peter douglas ward is a paleontologist and professor of biology and of earth and space sciences at. Paleontologist peter ward explains what we can learn from previous mass extinctions. Author peter ward thinks he knows how the earth will end. Ward demonstrates that all but one of the mass extinctions that have struck earth were caused by life itself. Thereve been five major extinctions where 5095% of life died. A theory of earths mass extinctions ted talk ted talks. Paleontology, obsession, and the greatest catastrophe in earths history, was published by viking penguin in 2004. Peter ward professor professor, uw dept of biology adjunct professor, uw dept of astronomy participating faculty, uw astrobiology program office. Global warming, the mass extinctions of the past, and what they can tell us about our future that global warming was the primary culprit.
Jan 27, 2009 peter ward on earths mass extinctions. What mass extinctions teach us about climate change today. Peter ward, the author of gorgon, shared his research into mass extinctions and climate change. Big bubbles come out of the oceans, and it will kill off animals and plants. Peter ward is professor of geological sciences at the university of washington in seattle, where he is also adjunct professor of zoology and of astronomy. The medea hypothesis is a term coined by paleontologist peter ward for the antigaian hypothesis that multicellular life, understood as a superorganism, is suicidal.
In fact, peter says most of the species that ever lived on planet earth have disappeared. And so, an extinction that began in the ocean works its way to the land. Planetary habitability relies on many factors, including chance. Up to 96 percent of all marine species and 70 percent of terrestrial species were erased as global ecosystems crumbled. Life itself nearly died and peter ward makes a compelling case in under a green sky. Well, perhaps not end, but cease being earthlike the comfy place we. He has published books on biodiversity and the fossil record. In todays boston globe, ward talks with writer drake bennett about the other four extinctions and. Paleontologist peter wards book on mass extinctions and climate change provides a deeptime perspective that is both sobering and necessary. Peter ward, professor at the university of washington department of biology, is one of the paleontologists responsible for overturning our understanding of most of the earths mass extinctions, which, long thought to be caused by asteroid impacts, turned out to have been the result of climate change produced by greenhouse gases all but the one that killed the dinosaurs, anyway. About peter ward s ted talk at various times, life on earth has come close to being erased. In rivers in time, peter ward presents what is known and not known about great mass extinctions, especially the permiantriassic, kt, and modern ones.