Over the last half billion years, there have been five mass extinctions on Earth. Scientists around the world are currently monitoring the next one, which is predicted to be the most devastating extinction since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs. In The Sixth Extinction Elizabeth Kolbert combines on-the-spot field reporting from Central America, the Andes and the Great Barrier Reef with the history of scientific study, to tell the gripping stories of a dozen species whose fates exemplify this enormous change.
The Sixth Extinction is a passionate investigation of the most terrifying extinction in history. We are witnessing not only one of the rarest events in life's history, but one that is likely to be our most lasting legacy.
