Over the last half billion years, there have been five major mass extinctions, when the diversity of life on Earth suddenly and dramatically contracted. Scientists are currently monitoring the sixth extinction, predicted to be the most devastating since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs. This time around the cataclysm is us. In this book the author tells us why and how human beings have altered life on the planet in a way no species...

"Every living creature contributes towards the richness and beauty of our planet. Each one has a reason to exist, from the giant panda to the pygmy possum, and if we lose them, it will be forever. Extinctopedia tells a complex story, not just of those who are extinct, but also of those in greatest peril, with explanations of what threatens their survival. It is also a story of hope-hope for animals who have been rediscovered, hope in the form of newly-discovered...

"From the author of the smash hit, New York Times bestselling One Second After series comes a thriller in which the survival of humanity itself is at stake. The countdown is on. In less than forty eight hours, Earth will be hit by a major solar storm. At first, it is thought to be a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) that will severely damage our world's electronic infrastructure. A crisis to be certain, but one that can be survived--until something far...

"A book for middle-school-aged children about previous extinctions and possible threats to humans, from volcanoes, to asteroids, to pollution and diseases"--