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The next species : the future of evolution in the aftermath of man / Michael Tennesen.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York : Simon & Schuster, [2015]Copyright date: ©2015Edition: First Simon & Schuster hardcover editionDescription: x, 322 pages ; 24 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 1451677510 (hbk.)
  • 9781451677515 (hbk.)
Subject(s):
Contents:
The geologic time scale -- We have no idea what we're in for -- Visit to the past. A mass extinction : the crime scene ; Original synergy ; The ground below the theories ; Evolving our way toward another species -- Warning : danger ahead. Warning sign I : the soil ; Warning sign II : our bodies ; Warning sign III : squid and sperm whales -- No-man's-land. The end ; The long renewal ; Troubled seas : the future of the oceans ; Predators will scramble -- Now what? The decline and return of megafauna ; Invaders to Mars? ; Is human evolution dead? ; Beyond Homo sapiens.
Summary: Delving into the history of the planet and based on reports and interviews with scientists, a science writer--traveling to rain forests, canyons, craters, and caves all over the world to explore the potential winners and losers of the next era of evolution--describes what life on earth could look like after the next mass extinction.
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Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Dr. James Carlson Library NonFiction 576.8 T297 Available 33111007726389
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library NonFiction 576.8 T297 Available 33111007985472
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

While examining the history of our planet and actively exploring our present environment, science journalist Michael Tennesen describes what life on earth could look like after the next mass extinction.

A growing number of scientists agree we are headed toward a mass extinction, perhaps in as little as 300 years. Already there have been five mass extinctions in the last 600 million years, including the Cretaceous Extinction, during which an asteroid knocked out the dinosaurs. Though these events were initially destructive, they were also prime movers of evolutionary change in nature. And we can see some of the warning signs of another extinction event coming, as our oceans lose both fish and oxygen. In The Next Species , Michael Tennesen questions what life might be like after it happens.

Tennesen discusses the future of nature and whether humans will make it through the bottleneck of extinction. Without man, could the seas regenerate to what they were before fishing vessels? Could life suddenly get very big as it did before the arrival of humans? And what if man survives the coming catastrophes, but in reduced populations? Would those groups be isolated enough to become distinct species? Could the conquest of Mars lead to another form of human? Could we upload our minds into a computer and live in a virtual reality? Or could genetic engineering create a more intelligent and long-lived creature that might shun the rest of us? And how would we recognize the next humans? Are they with us now?

Tennesen delves into the history of the planet and travels to rainforests, canyons, craters, and caves all over the world to explore the potential winners and losers of the next era of evolution. His predictions, based on reports and interviews with top scientists, have vital implications for life on earth today.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 297-311) and index.

The geologic time scale -- We have no idea what we're in for -- Visit to the past. A mass extinction : the crime scene ; Original synergy ; The ground below the theories ; Evolving our way toward another species -- Warning : danger ahead. Warning sign I : the soil ; Warning sign II : our bodies ; Warning sign III : squid and sperm whales -- No-man's-land. The end ; The long renewal ; Troubled seas : the future of the oceans ; Predators will scramble -- Now what? The decline and return of megafauna ; Invaders to Mars? ; Is human evolution dead? ; Beyond Homo sapiens.

Delving into the history of the planet and based on reports and interviews with scientists, a science writer--traveling to rain forests, canyons, craters, and caves all over the world to explore the potential winners and losers of the next era of evolution--describes what life on earth could look like after the next mass extinction.

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