Travel back in time to the age of the dinosaurs with the How It Works Book of Dinosaurs and discover the "terrible lizards" for yourself. Find out how the dinosaurs survived and thrived, about the mass extinction that ended it all and what the dinosaurs left behind for us to find.
Half the world's languages are threatened with extinction over the next century, as English and the rest of the world's top twenty languages drive all before them. What ways of looking at the world will die along with them, what cultural riches, what experiences, histories and memories? And how does it feel to be one of the last remaining speakers of a language that is on its way to extinction? What chance is there of saving any of these languages? Is it feasible in the long term or even worthwhile?
When acclaimed author Deni Bechard first learned of the last living bonobos-matriarchal great apes that are, alongside the chimpanzee, our closest relatives in the animal kingdom-he was completely astonished. How could the world possibly accept the extinction of this majestic species?
Discovery School - 100 Greatest Discoveries - Evolution
1. K-T Asteroid Theory of Dinosaur Extinction (1980) Walter Alvarez postulates that high levels of iridium found in rock core samples around the world provide evidence that an asteroid impact caused the extinction of dinosaurs. Iridium, a common mineral found in asteroids, was discovered in the clay layer at what is known as the K-T boundary. This layer, at 65 million years, lies between the rocks of the Cretaceous and the Tertiary periods and coincides with the mass extinction of dinosaurs.
2. First Dinosaur Fossils Identified (1820s – 1840s)
Recognition of a biodiversity crisis, and the development of new analytical and geological techniques for studying extinction, have increased our appreciation of global change in recent years. Paul Taylor looks at the implications for plants, animals and microbes, and discusses the role of extinction in evolution. His useful reference brings together key findings from the current debate concerning extinction for students, researchers and the interested general reader.