Michael J. Benton

A journey through the 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 techniques across biology, chemistry, physics and geology have transformed our knowledge of the deep past, including the discovery of a previously unknown mass extinction. This...

Extinctions is a journey through the great mass-extinction events that have shaped our Earth: 'Deeply informed and readable' Nature. In this vast sweep of our Earth's history, Michael Benton brings the deep past to life as never before. Deploying the cutting-edge tools in biology, chemistry, physics, and geology that are transforming our understanding of previous environmental cataclysms—including the incredible new...

If you want to know how we know what we know about dinosaurs, read this book! Steve Brusatte 'I defy anyone who is, like me, a non-scientist to read it and not feel a sense of wonder' Tom Holland, Guardian Startling new fossil finds are the lifeblood of modern palaeobiology. Giant sauropod dinosaur skeletons from Patagonia, dinosaurs with feathers from...

Introduction to Paleobiology and the Fossil Record presents a comprehensive overview of the science of the history of life. Paleobiologists bring many analytical tools to bear in interpreting the fossil record. The book introduces the latest techniques, from multivariate investigations of biogeography and biostratigraphy to engineering analysis of dinosaur skulls, and from homeobox genes to cladistics. All the well-known fossil...

An illustrated guide to our astonishing new understanding of dinosaurs, with the latest science and the most accurate and visually stunning palaeoart. Dinosaurs are not what you thought they were - or at least, they didn't look like you thought they did. The world-leading palaeontologist Michael J. Benton brings us a new visual guide to the world of the dinosaurs,...

All-new edition of the world’s leading vertebrate palaeontology textbook, now addressing key evolutionary transitions and ecological drivers for vertebrate evolution. Richly illustrated with colour illustrations of the key species and cladograms of all major vertebrate taxa, Vertebrate Palaeontology provides a complete account of the evolution of vertebrates, including macroevolutionary trends and drivers that have shaped their organs and body plans,...

Some 250 million years ago, 90% of life on earth was wiped out. It was the greatest mass extinction ever. What caused this catastrophe? In this revised and expanded edition of a classic account, Michael J. Benton assesses the competing claims for a meteorite impact or a volcanic eruption in Siberia and brings the story thoroughly up to date. Hundreds...