![]() ![]() Then modern humans entered the biological scene. Change happened slowly and extinction was a rare occurrence. Since then, biological diversity slowly recovered, as new species of plants and animals evolved and covered the earth. The title of the book alludes to the five mass extinctions that have occurred on earth, the last being the asteroid that crashed into earth around 65 million years ago, wiping out the last of the dinosaurs and obliterating about three-fourths of species. ![]() Since our earliest human ancestors began to expand into new regions-from the Eurasian continent to the Americas and even remote areas of Oceania-they transformed their habitats on a scale no other species has ever accomplished. Much of our focus is on contemporary issues such as carbon emissions and ocean pollution however, as Elizabeth Kolbert demonstrates in her new book, The Sixth Extinction, the ability to alter the environment is not a new phenomenon but as much a part of human nature as our curious minds and penchant for exploration. Here at PopEd, we teach about the effects of a rapidly growing population on the natural world. ![]() “Though it must be nice to imagine there once was a time when man lived in harmony with nature, it’s not clear that he ever did.” Elizabeth Kolbert, The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2023
Categories |