The Last Extinction: The Real Science Behind the Death of the Dinosaurs

Summary

The story of one of the most important, and most fiercely contested, scientific discoveries of our time—the real cause of dinosaur extinction

Part scientific detective story, part personal odyssey, The Last Extinction is the definitive account of a radical theory that has reshaped how we understand our planet’s past and, as we face the possibility of a sixth extinction, how we might survive its future.

For decades, the dominant theory held that an asteroid impact caused the dinosaurs’ extinction. But Princeton geologist Dr. Gerta Keller followed the evidence to the truth: Deccan volcanism, a series of massive volcanic eruptions in India, triggered a long-term climate catastrophe and Earth’s fifth mass extinction. Her findings upended the field and ignited a bitter feud in modern science—what became known as the “Dinosaur Wars.”

Raised in poverty on a Swiss farm and told she could never be a scientist, Keller defi ed expectations, earning her PhD at Stanford and battling her way into the highest ranks of Geology, until eventually becoming Professor of Paleontology   and Geology at Princeton University. Her refusal to back down in the face of ridicule, sabotage, and sexism makes her story as thrilling as her science, which offers urgent insight into today’s climate crisis: Sustained planetary upheaval—not a single cataclysmic event—can plunge the planet into an age of death.

“Scathing and illuminating. … Much of the scientific community and the popular press accepted the idea that a meteor colliding with the Earth was responsible for the planet’s fifth mass extinction. Keller, however, had her doubts and worked tirelessly to gather data. … Her results are shocking.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review