Peter Brannen Books
Peter Brannen is an award-winning science journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and Wired. He specializes in Earth science and paleontology, bringing complex geological and evolutionary stories to life for general audiences.
Known for: The Ends of the World: Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, and Our Quest to Understand Earth's Past Mass Extinctions
Books by Peter Brannen
The Ends of the World: Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, and Our Quest to Understand Earth's Past Mass Extinctions
In this vivid and engaging exploration, science journalist Peter Brannen takes readers on a journey through Earth's five mass extinctions, from the Ordovician to the Cretaceous, revealing how life on our planet has repeatedly collapsed and recovered. Combining geology, paleontology, and climate science, Brannen connects these ancient cataclysms to the environmental challenges humanity faces today, offering a sobering yet fascinating perspective on Earth's resilience and fragility.
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The Ordovician Extinction
Our journey begins some 445 million years ago, in a world completely alien yet strangely familiar. The continents were clustered near the South Pole, blanketed in tropical reef systems teeming with trilobites, brachiopods, and the first coral-like communities. Life existed almost entirely in the sea...
From The Ends of the World: Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, and Our Quest to Understand Earth's Past Mass Extinctions
The Late Devonian Extinction
Fast forward 70 million years, and life had grown bold. Fish with jaws prowled coastal seas; forests of primitive plants seized the land. Yet this greening of the continents—so triumphant from our perspective—set in motion another collapse. Plants drew carbon dioxide from the air, cooling the planet...
From The Ends of the World: Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, and Our Quest to Understand Earth's Past Mass Extinctions
About Peter Brannen
Peter Brannen is an award-winning science journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and Wired. He specializes in Earth science and paleontology, bringing complex geological and evolutionary stories to life for general audiences.
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Peter Brannen is an award-winning science journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and Wired. He specializes in Earth science and paleontology, bringing complex geological and evolutionary stories to life for general audiences.
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