Product Description

Explains how the cataclysmic-collision theory of dinosaur extinction came about and the scientific melee that ensued.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #463632 in Books
• Published on: 1998-07-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 268 pages

From the Author
Learn what killed the dinosaurs and how we know!
I started this book mainly to find out for myself the solution to the greatest scientific mystery: what killed the dinosaurs? I knew, as did everyone with an interest in dinosaurs, that some scientists had concluded that the culprit was an impacting asteroid. But I also knew that this theory violated geologic orthodoxy and that many geologists opposed it. Who was right, the defenders of orthodoxy or the pro-impactors? The answer mattered, for if an asteroid killed the dinosaurs, then the science of geology, and our view just how safe a place is our solar system, would never be the same. I have a Ph. D. in geology but had not worked on the asteroid theory before, which meant that I had to research the subject from scratch. This turned out to be a great advantage. Almost every other book on the subject had as its author someone who had taken sides in the bitter scientific debate that grew up around the theory. Not surprisingly, these books without exception defend the position that the author took in previous writings. But I had no previous position to defend and therefore could try to be more objective. This is not to say that I wrote a wishy-washy, bend-over-backwards-to-be-fair-to-all book. I did not—I came to firm conclusions that I clearly reveal. I enjoyed writing this book, learned a great deal, and did what I set out to do; that’s all one can ask and I am satisfied. If you read it, I hope you feel the same. Good luck and happy reading.

Customer Reviews

Required reading for every science student!
Powell's book is a scientific detective story that meticulously, exhaustively, and painstakingly lays out his case for why he thinks the dinosaurs got wiped out by a meteorite impact. And Powell makes his case by combining such disciplines as geology, paleontology, chemistry, ecology, astronomy, and biology.

Although many scientists still think the meteor impact theory is "controversial," Powell's diligent research makes his conclusion appear certain. He convinced me!

But scientists are human, too, and Powell's book recounts how some scientists rejected this theory so strenuously that they lost their sense of proportion, particularly geophysicist Charles Officer.

On pages 216-217, Powell asks, "How far will scientists on the losing end of an argument go? They employ a set of stratagems that seem hauntingly familiar; they are the very ploys used by creationists and others who have no platform or logic."

The following examples paraphrase Powell's findings against Charles Officer:

1. Officer's confident assertion: "There IS no evidence for a meteor impact at the KT boundary." 2. His straw men: "Nobody has found big dinosaur piles." 3. His red herrings: "There are similarities between livestock fatalities and dinosaur extinctions." 4. His plea for equal time: "The journal Science published eleven favorable impact articles, but only two against." 5. His blame of the media: "The Earth science community is biased." 6. His impugned motives: "Scientists fabricate theories and evidence." 7. His false alarms: "The meteor impact theory is pathological and dangerous!"

Ironically, Powell says that Officer's tireless efforts to debunk the meteor impact theory forced geologists to vigilantly reinforce their case. And in the end, the earth science community has a lot to thank Charles Officer for.

But the previous Amazon.com reviewer is wrong when he claims that Powell believes all mass extinctions are attributed to extraterrestrial impacts. Powell does, however, point out that we've found approximately 150 terrestrial impact craters all over the globe, and scientists claim to discover between three and five new craters annually. And these don't include impacts that might've struck the oceans.

Also, you only have to look at the surface of every moon and terrestrial planet in our solar system to see that impacts once occurred regularly. And when a three-mile wide chunk of comet Shoemaker Levy 9 struck Jupiter four years ago, it left a massive impact streak as large as the earth itself! And this bolide was only HALF the size of the rock that bore the Chicxulub crater.

Powell only suggests the POSSIBILITY that periodic impacts triggered mass extinctions. And he thinks this premise deserves a fair hearing instead of being rejected outright.

As a combined scientific detective story and riveting historical account, Powell's book is a masterpiece! Every science student should read it.

Detective story about demise of dinosaurs.
An excelent book written by a graduate of Berea College. I recently had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Powell speak on the subject of the extintion of the dinosaurs. The book was as good as the leacture.

Please create an audio abridged version ...
To the publisher I would appreciate it if the publisher could produce an audio adaptation of this book. I would love to listen to this while I drive to work and to let my 16 month old son listen to it as a bedtime story. My goal is to expose him to some of my favorite passions, maths, sciences, physics, geophysics, paleontology, astronomy, electronics, photonics, new science and discoveries etc. The more audio books you can produce of the above genre the more I will support you. Arnold D Veness