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The Ends of the World
- Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, and Our Quest to Understand Earth's Past Mass Extinctions
- Narrated by: Adam Verner
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
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Publisher's Summary
As new groundbreaking research suggests that climate change played a major role in the most extreme catastrophes in the planet's history, award-winning science journalist Peter Brannen takes us on a wild ride through the planet's five mass extinctions and, in the process, offers us a glimpse of our increasingly dangerous future.
Our world has ended five times: It has been broiled, frozen, poison gassed, smothered, and pelted by asteroids. In The Ends of the World, Peter Brannen dives into deep time, exploring Earth's past dead ends, and in the process offers us a glimpse of our possible future.
Many scientists now believe that the climate shifts of the 21st century have analogs in these five extinctions. Using the visible clues these devastations have left behind in the fossil record, The Ends of the World takes us inside "scenes of the crime", from South Africa to the New York Palisades, to tell the story of each extinction. Brannen examines the fossil record - which is rife with creatures like dragonflies the size of sea gulls and guillotine-mouthed fish - and introduces us to the researchers on the front lines who, using the forensic tools of modern science, are piecing together what really happened at the crime scenes of the Earth's biggest whodunits.
Part road trip, part history, and part cautionary tale, The Ends of the World takes us on a tour of the ways that our planet has clawed itself back from the grave and casts our future in a completely new light.
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What listeners say about The Ends of the World
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- aaron
- 06-15-17
A Kid's Science Book FOR ADULTS!!
This is about as good as it gets, in terms of appealing to your inner five-year-old child that LOVED dinosaurs, while still making the logical, rational adult side of you happy.
Brannen tackles the 5 major extinctions that the Earth has experienced with the flare of a Vonnegut, while maintaining the scientific details of a Dawkins. This is a monumentally hard task, but he does it deftly. His research, descriptions, and attention to detail of the plants and animals interspersed between these cataclysms was remarkable.
After listening to more than a few dry, boring, repetitive science books, this was one I embraced like the warm sun after a cold winter's night.
The narrator was spot on as well.
144 people found this helpful
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- Brooke K.
- 11-22-18
I recommend this book frequently
This book helps to give context to our time and place on this planet. The narrator is excellent. The book offers an eloquent synopsis of historical geology from the perspective of mass extinction events, and ties everything together beautifully in the last chapters. It was written so that both seasoned geologists and everyday laymen can understand and enjoy it. 10/10, would recommend.
67 people found this helpful
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- Alec Drumm
- 09-22-17
Eye opening account of past catastrophes
I loved this book. At times it is very grim, but the ability of life on Earth to regenerate itself after total or partial annihilation is very uplifting. You realize that the timescales of geology and evolution are on the order of tens to hundreds of thousands of human generations. When an extinction event occurs (and it can be very sudden such as the asteroid impact at the end of the Cretaceous period) there is no hope for any exposed species.
The author sets the current 6th extinction into context, making it clear that it is small compared to the earlier extinctions in terms of biodiversity lost. Also, the level of carbon dioxide in past eras fluctuated widely along with Earth's temperature. As did sea levels and arctic ice conditions.
I had two takeaways from this book. First, humanity needs to either develop the ability to control CO2 levels in the atmosphere, or develop a resiliency towards future climate changes.
Second, for humanity to truly survive mass extinction events, we must develop the ability to colonize other planets. However, that is firmly in the realm of science fiction and will be for a long time to come, if it will ever happen.
Hopefully we will be able to come together and develop technologies that allow us to manage our climate, in time to keep the CO2 level in the atmosphere not much higher than today.
54 people found this helpful
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- K.M.H.
- 12-24-19
Best audibook I've listened to this year!
When listening to audiobooks, sometimes there are those that you expect to find interesting... but then you find that you are frequently daydreaming throughout and not paying attention. This is probably especially true for non-fiction titles, given that they sometimes have to get down into the details in order to explain the topic. This book was the converse of that. It was one of those books that sounded intriguing, but I was not sure about... but then HOOKED me as I listened. The subject matter was remarkably well written and presented, tying together information about the scientists and hobbyist groups that are presently doing work to help us better understand the history of our planet to detailed descriptions of the beasts that once roamed our terrain or swam in our oceans. Highly recommend, and then recommended listening again.
I thought the narration was also great. One caveat though, I always listen to things at 1.5x speed.
8 people found this helpful
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- Matthew Rasmussen
- 02-08-18
Amazing, Everything, Amazing
Any additional comments?
I am not a geologist or paleontologist, but the information from this book seems accurate. The author uses extremely credible sources - experts in respective fields. Also, the author appears very intelligent, but does not come across as pompous or too verbose.
This is a very well written scientific explanation of past and potential future extinctions. The author has a way with words, he blended science and love story/drama/action novel together in a way that was unforgettable. My writing seems like crap in comparison, well that's because it is, lol!
The choice of the reader/performer was spot on. Amazing voice and so easy on the ears.
It was sad when this one was over, but now I can be thankful I live in the age in which we live. This book helps reaffirm the wonders of life and the struggles the Earth has seen.
One of the better books I have ever downloaded. Bravo!
20 people found this helpful
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- Mario Stanley
- 11-16-17
who knew the end of the world would be interesting
one of the most important of books of the natural world around me that I have ever listened to in quite a while. this should be considered a bucket list read for anyone who is an Enthusiast and geology and the natural world I've learned more and this one book then I think I have I'm quite a while about my world.
9 people found this helpful
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- David
- 04-16-18
Re: An excellent summary
This is an excellent summary of the various historic and modern theories related to the major extinctions of life on this planet in easy to understand and, sometimes, humorous language. For any reader seeking info upon these topics I recommed this volume and it's narrator.
8 people found this helpful
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- JIPVI
- 03-30-20
Excellent theme and narrator
Loved the interesting narration, explaining the big 5 mass extintion events mixing ancient facts with description of fossil sites, and also with the perspective of today's global warming. Totally recommended!
3 people found this helpful
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- Donald F. Kochersberger
- 01-19-19
Climate change
While there is a tremendous amount of very interesting material, a significant portion is spent on climate change doomsday forecasting. This was unexpected, but perhaps I just didn't read the description and/or reviews closely enough. Anyway, be aware that you will have to wade through quite a bit of "man, are we stupid" monologs. Even with that being said, I listened to the whole thing, so that has to count for something significant!
53 people found this helpful
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- John Godfrey
- 02-11-19
Only one complaint
My only real problem with this fantastic book was the delivery, what is a very interesting book became a bit too slow at times.
19 people found this helpful