The Sixth Extinction
by Elizabeth Kolbert
Nature
ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW'S 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR A major book about the future of the world, blending intellectual and natural history and field reporting into a powerful account of the mass extinction unfolding before our eyes Over the last half a billion years, there have been five mass extinctions, when the diversity of life on earth suddenly and dramatically contracted. Scientists around the world are currently monitoring the sixth extinction, predicted to be the most devastating extinction event since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs. This time around, the cataclysm is us. In The Sixth Extinction, two-time winner of the National Magazine Award and New Yorker writer Elizabeth Kolbert draws on the work of scores of researchers in half a dozen disciplines, accompanying many of them into the field: geologists who study deep ocean cores, botanists who follow the tree line as it climbs up the Andes, marine biologists who dive off the Great Barrier Reef. She introduces us to a dozen species, some already gone, others facing extinction, including the Panamian golden frog, staghorn coral, the great auk, and the Sumatran rhino. Through these stories, Kolbert provides a moving account of the disappearances occurring all around us and traces the evolution of extinction as concept, from its first articulation by Georges Cuvier in revolutionary Paris up through the present day. The sixth extinction is likely to be mankind's most lasting legacy; as Kolbert observes, it compels us to rethink the fundamental question of what it means to be human.
Bridges
Books that connect different domains
Bridges summary
Elizabeth Kolbert's groundbreaking work, *The Sixth Extinction*, plunges readers into the profound and alarming reality of our planet's ongoing mass extinction events, a critical topic that resonates deeply with those who find themselves drawn to narratives of complex systems and their intricate dynamics, as evidenced by a potential interest in titles like John Newhouse's *Boeing Versus Airbus*. While seemingly disparate in their subject matter – one soaring through the skies of aviation industry competition, the other delving into the earth's biological strata – both books share a fundamental appreciation for the immense inertia and delicate balance inherent in the systems they dissect. Kolbert masterfully unveils the biological tapestry of life on Earth, illustrating how centuries of intricate evolutionary processes are being irrevocably altered by humanity's footprint. This mirrors the meticulous examination of industrial strategy and the seemingly imperceptible mechanisms that drive market dominance found in *Boeing Versus Airbus*. Readers who appreciate Newhouse's detailed dissection of how two giants navigate the complexities of competition will likely find themselves equally captivated by Kolbert's exploration of how geological time, scientific observation, and human intervention intersect to create or dismantle entire species. Both authors, in their own domain, explore the cascading effects of decisions and developments, showcasing how seemingly small actions can have monumental and far-reaching consequences. The connection lies in recognizing the profound interconnectedness of everything, be it the global aerospace market or the global ecosystem.
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