Front cover image for Extinction : bad genes or bad luck?

Extinction : bad genes or bad luck?

David M. Raup (Author), Stephen Jay Gould (Writer of introduction)
A look at how and why some species die out, with an emphasis on the extinction resistance of others. Though the Alvarez theory, that the demise of the dinosaurs may have been affected by a fall of meteors, is still scientifically suspect, Raup (statistical paleontology, U. of Chicago) figures he may as well be hung for a cow as for a calf, and argues that all extinction of species are at least partly caused by meteors. The thought that even the fittest of the fit can be in the wrong place at the wrong time, is chilling to human smugness about being the crown jewel of evolution. The writing is clear, often humorous, and suitable for the general reader who cannot remember geologic names for more than a couple pages
Print Book, English, 1991
W.W. Norton & Company, New York, 1991
xvii, 210 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm
9780393030082, 9780393309270, 0393030083, 0393309274
22906345
Almost all species are extinct
Brief history of life
Gambler's ruin and other problems
Mass extinctions
Selectivity of extinction
Search for causes
Biological causes of extinction
Physical causes of extinction
Rocks falling out of the sky
Could all extinctions be caused by meteorite impact?
Perspectives on extinction
Epilogue: Did we choose a safe planet?