First published 2013
Earth has survived at least six near-total extinctions over 4.5 billion years. Asteroid strikes froze the planet in ice. Megavolcanoes filled the atmosphere with methane. Cosmic radiation bombarded life forms. Each disaster killed more than 75 percent of all species. Another catastrophe will come, whether from nature or human interference. Science journalist Annalee Newitz argues that humans have better survival odds than ever before. She examines how life repeatedly bounced back from annihilation and how scientific advances today prepare us for tomorrow's threats. Researchers simulate tsunamis and study ancient underground cities in Turkey. Scientists cultivate cyanobacteria for living cities and design space elevators for affordable colonies. Mathematicians model pandemic prevention while biologists decode gray whale survival strategies. Newitz traces humanity's history of narrowly avoiding extinction and maps pathways to long-term resilience. Her journey through mass extinction science counters doomsday thinking with evidence-based hope for building better worlds on Earth and beyond.
Genres: adaptations, science, environment, non-fiction, academic, apocalyptic
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: evidence-based, found-family
Period: 4.5 Billion Years, 21st Century
305 pages · Hardcover · Doubleday