Quote:
Originally Posted by greenfeather
Which book is this...the one by Peter Ward?
I've read reviews of his stuff, isn't he the "rare earth" guy who thinks Earth is the only planet with advanced life in the universe? Depressing if you ask me. Oh yeah, this guy also wrote GORGON, about the Permian Extinction, another topic that keeps me up at night with its unrelenting, compelling depressiveness.
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Yeah, I'm one of only two grad students in Peter's lab.
Gorgon is actually one of his few books (I think he has about 12 now?) I haven't yet read, but he has spent the better part of his career studying the Permian extinction, and it is the basis for a new set of experiments we're doing (I'm a mass extinction guy too).
He is indeed the co-author of
Rare Earth although it's interesting you mention David Grinspoon, as I tend to side more with his perspective on the matter. (David's a great guy too, by the way, and he smokes more dope than almost any scientist I can name.) I much preferred the sequel to
Rare Earth, but it's about how the world is going to end, so you might find that a depressing topic as well.
Similar story for
The End of Evolution, another excellent read.
However, his newest book (which is the one considered in this thread) is more about possibilities and ideas, I guess you could read more optimism into that...