Science Extinctions

Michael J. Benton

A journey through the five great mass-extinction events that have shaped our Earth

Drawing on the latest research, this timely and original book lays out the current scientific understanding of mass extinction on our planet. Cutting-edge scientific techniques have transformed our knowledge of the deep past, including the discovery of a previously unknown mass extinction. This compelling evidence, revealing a series of environmental crises resulting in the near-collapse of life on Earth, illuminates our current dilemmas in exquisite detail.

Beginning with the oldest, Professor Michael J. Benton takes us through the ‘big five’ die-outs: the Late Ordovician, which set the evolution of the first animals on an entirely new course; the late Devonian, apparently brought on by global warming; the cataclysmic End-Permian, also known as the Great Dying, which wiped out over 90% of all life on Earth; and, book-ending the age of the dinosaurs, the newly discovered Carnian Pluvial Event and the End-Cretaceous asteroid. He examines how global warming, acid rain, ocean acidification, erupting volcanoes and meteorite impact have affected conditions on Earth, the drastic consequences for global ecology, and how life in turn survives, adapts and evolves. The book is illustrated throughout with photographs of fossils and fieldwork, and artistic reconstructions of ancient environments. We learn how scientists have developed revolutionary new tools to uncover ancient extinction events and processes in forensic detail, and how they are honing their methods to improve our understanding of the deep past. New research allows us to link long-ago upheavals to crises in our current age, with important consequences for us all.

Michael J. Benton OBE is head of the world-leading Palaeobiology Research Group at the University of Bristol. He has written more than fifty books, including Dinosaurs: New Visions of a Lost World, The Dinosaurs Rediscovered and When Life Nearly Died, all published by Thames & Hudson.

80 illustrations

23.4 x 15.3cm

304pp

ISBN 978 0 500 025468

August

£25.00

Es Devlin creates large-scale sculptures that combine light, music and language. She has created stage sculptures for Beyonce, The Weeknd, U2, The Royal Opera House, National Theatre, La Scala and The Met Opera, as well as the 2022 Super Bowl featuring Dr Dre, Kendrick Lamar and Eminem, and the 2012 London Olympic Closing Ceremony. She was the subject of the Netflix documentary ‘Abstract: the Art of Design’, and has been awarded multiple Olivier, Tony and Emmy awards, as well as an Ivor Novello award and a CBE.

765 illustrations

20.8 x 20.0cm

926pp

ISBN 978 0 500 023181

September

£85.00

Es Devlin

The first monograph on one of the great talents of our time, encapsulating a career that has moved seamlessly between set design, sculpture and architecture

Artist and designer Es Devlin’s outstanding works have challenged standard ideas about stagecraft and its role in society. Straddling the fields of art, opera, dance, theatre, fashion and music, her practice engenders innovative forms of kinetic sculpture. Her designs have filled millions of people with wonder: from the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympics ceremonies to astonishing set designs for touring superstars, as well as opera and ballet productions in Europe’s major cities.

Es Devlin examines the changing nature and scale of Devlin’s work – from solitary, contemplative pieces to collective, stadium-sized experiences – through extensive process work (sketches, behind-the-scenes photographs, etc) in order to highlight and celebrate the unique breadth of her output. More than sixty projects are featured from across the globe, finishing with her design for the UK Pavilion at the Dubai Expo in 2021.

Thematic texts on Devlin’s work are interleaved with interviews with those who have worked with Devlin in the worlds of theatre, opera, architecture, pop music, design and art, including stellar names such as Sam Mendes, Bjarke Ingels, Anna Wintour and Benedict Cumberbatch.

Es Devlin is both a monograph on an incomparable talent whose work connects with popular audiences and a true source of inspiration for design professionals and students.