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The story behind Dr. Gerta Keller's world-shattering scientific discovery that dinosaur extinction was NOT caused by asteroid impact, but rather by volcanic eruptions on the Indian peninsula, a discovery that highlights today's existential threat of greenhouse gasses and climate change—and one that sparked an all-out war waged by the scientific establishment.Part scientific detective story, part personal odyssey, The Last Extinction: The Real Science Behind the Death of the Dinosaurs (Diversion Books, 2025) is the definitive account of a radical theory that has reshaped how we understand our planet's past and, as we face the possibility of a sixth extinction, how we might survive its future.For decades, the dominant theory held that an asteroid impact caused the dinosaurs' extinction. But Princeton Geologist Dr. Gerta Keller followed the evidence to the truth: Deccan volcanism, a series of massive volcanic eruptions in India, triggered a long-term climate catastrophe and Earth's fifth mass extinction. Her findings upended the field and ignited a bitter feud in modern science—what became known as the “Dinosaur Wars.”Raised in poverty on a Swiss farm and told she could never be a scientist, Keller defied expectations, earning her PhD at Stanford and battling her way into the highest ranks of Geology, eventually becoming a Professor of Paleontology and Geology at Princeton University. Her refusal to back down in the face of ridicule, sabotage, and sexism makes her story as thrilling as her science, which offers urgent insight into today's climate crisis: Sustained planetary upheaval—not a single cataclysmic event—can plunge the planet into an age of death. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
The story behind Dr. Gerta Keller's world-shattering scientific discovery that dinosaur extinction was NOT caused by asteroid impact, but rather by volcanic eruptions on the Indian peninsula, a discovery that highlights today's existential threat of greenhouse gasses and climate change—and one that sparked an all-out war waged by the scientific establishment.Part scientific detective story, part personal odyssey, The Last Extinction: The Real Science Behind the Death of the Dinosaurs (Diversion Books, 2025) is the definitive account of a radical theory that has reshaped how we understand our planet's past and, as we face the possibility of a sixth extinction, how we might survive its future.For decades, the dominant theory held that an asteroid impact caused the dinosaurs' extinction. But Princeton Geologist Dr. Gerta Keller followed the evidence to the truth: Deccan volcanism, a series of massive volcanic eruptions in India, triggered a long-term climate catastrophe and Earth's fifth mass extinction. Her findings upended the field and ignited a bitter feud in modern science—what became known as the “Dinosaur Wars.”Raised in poverty on a Swiss farm and told she could never be a scientist, Keller defied expectations, earning her PhD at Stanford and battling her way into the highest ranks of Geology, eventually becoming a Professor of Paleontology and Geology at Princeton University. Her refusal to back down in the face of ridicule, sabotage, and sexism makes her story as thrilling as her science, which offers urgent insight into today's climate crisis: Sustained planetary upheaval—not a single cataclysmic event—can plunge the planet into an age of death. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/environmental-studies
Dr. Keller, a professor emeritus of paleontology and geology at Princeton, shared her journey from a childhood in poverty to becoming a leading expert on mass extinctions and impact events. She discussed her unconventional path, including traveling the world during wars and surviving a shooting, before eventually pursuing a career in science. Dr. Keller's research challenges the traditional asteroid impact theory for the extinction of dinosaurs, proposing instead that volcanic activity played a significant role. The Space Show audience was introduced to her work and invited to learn more about her findings and career. Read the full summary at www.theswpaceshow.com and at doctorspace.substack.com. In addition, you can watch the Zoom video at the Substack address, both of which are dated Sept. 134, 2025.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Read Gerta's book here: https://a.co/d/huTwvvG Part scientific detective story, part personal odyssey, The Last Extinction is the definitive account of a radical theory that has reshaped how we understand our planet's past and, as we face the possibility of a sixth extinction, how we might survive its future. For decades, the dominant theory held that an asteroid impact caused the dinosaurs' extinction. But Princeton Geologist Dr. Gerta Keller followed the evidence to the truth: Deccan volcanism, a series of massive volcanic eruptions in India, triggered a long-term climate catastrophe and Earth's fifth mass extinction. Her findings upended the field and ignited a bitter feud in modern science—what became known as the “Dinosaur Wars.” Check out our new bi-weekly series, "The Crisis Papers" here: https://www.patreon.com/bitterlakepresents/shop Thank you guys again for taking the time to check this out. We appreciate each and everyone of you. If you have the means, and you feel so inclined, BECOME A PATRON! We're creating patron only programing, you'll get bonus content from many of the episodes, and you get MERCH! Become a patron now https://www.patreon.com/join/BitterLakePresents? Please also like, subscribe, and follow us on these platforms as well, (specially YouTube!) THANKS Y'ALL YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG9WtLyoP9QU8sxuIfxk3eg Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Thisisrevolutionpodcast/ Twitter: @TIRShowOakland Instagram: @thisisrevolutionoakland
This week on Talk World Radio, we're talking about what actually killed the dinosaurs. Our guest, Gerta Keller, is Professor of Paleontology and Geology Emeritus in the Geosciences Department of Princeton University. Her new book is called The Last Extinction: The Real Science Behind the Death of the Dinosaurs.
In this episode, I speak with Yinan Wang, a mineral and fossils expert. Yinan is also the author of “50 State Fossils”. We speak about how to find fossils, why meteorites are so valuable, how to tell if amber is fake, and we learn more about what books Yinan wants to write next! Join Julie’s World for additional content! Go to https://www.patreon.com/juliesworld Yinan is a jack of all trades (0:00:27) How Yinan got interested in fossils and minerals (0:01:20) Yinan’s book “50 State Fossils” (0:02:12) State Fossils quiz (0:03:10) Can you keep stuff you find? (0:04:34) Finding stuff in amber (0:07:18) What is amber? (0:08:22) Fake amber (0:09:14) Where to find amber (0:11:09) What can you find in a random hole? (0:12:09) Diamonds in Canada (0:13:10) Can anyone mine diamonds? (0:14:26) Yinan has tried prospecting (0:16:19) What is opal? (0:16:39) Have all minerals been identified? (0:17:58) Mineral hunting and buying (0:19:00) Yinan’s favorite mineral (0:19:45) How do you know when something is interesting? (0:20:43) How does rock/mineral hunting work? (0:21:18) Modern minerals and age of fossils (0:22:55) How is the age of a fossil determined? (0:23:52) What to do with a fossil you find? (0:24:45) Yinan’s favorite fossil (0:25:21) Living out the childhood dream (0:26:15) Do treasure hunters still exist today? (0:26:52) How they track meteorites. (0:28:46) How often do meteors fall? (0:30:12) Meteorites on the market (0:31:10) What are meteorites made out of? (0:32:12) Where to get a meteorite? (0:33:30) What tools should rockhounds have? (0:35:31) Yinan’s Patreon account (0:38:00) Tech tools (0:38:54) What other interests does Yinan have? (0:40:05) Yinan’s education (0:41:20) Yinan’s upbringing (0:42:51) Life at Princeton (0:44:06) Talking about music (0:44:57) What does Yinan tell people he does for a living? (0:45:55) Yinan is writing more books (0:46:20) Yinan talks about Dr. Gerta Keller (0:48:53) What websites does Yinan recommend for beginners? (0:53:43) Yinan Wang on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FossilLocator Yinan Wang on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/fossillocator Visit Planet B612 on the web: http://planetb612.fm/ Follow Planet B612 on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PlanetB612fm Support Planet B612 on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/juliesworld
La théorie de l’astéroïde est trop facile pour expliquer la disparition des dinosaures. Depuis plus de 30 ans, une femme, Gerta Keller, se bat contre l’establishment pour prouver ses propres théories, pleines de bon sens. Voici son histoire. Avec Charles Trahan
Gerta Keller is a professor of paleontology and geology in the geo sciences department at Princeton University with a wonderful […]
The idea behind this show is pretty simple: A university campus is a destination for all kinds of interesting people, so why not invite some of these folks out to brunch, where we’ll have an informal conversation about their work, and then we’ll turn those brunches into a podcast?It’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it.With apologies to Jack Kerouac, this is the first of two “on the road” episodes we recorded in Brooklyn, New York, while attending On Air Fest 2019. It features two of our favorite podcasters, Elah Feder and Annie Minoff, who co-host and produce Undiscovered, the podcast from WNYC’s iconic radio show Science Friday.Through the hums and hisses of a Brooklyn coffee shop, Elah and Annie talked with host Ted Fox about how they look for stories that haven’t been told, the importance of good communication between the scientific community and the rest of us, and the paleontologist at the center of one of their most memorable episodes—who also might be the one person you’d want at your side in the event of the zombie apocalypse.
La théorie de l’astéroïde est trop facile pour expliquer la disparition des dinosaures. Depuis plus de 30 ans, une femme, Gerta Keller, se bat contre l’establishment pour prouver ses propres théories, pleines de bon sens. Voici son histoire. Avec Charles Trahan.
Since the 1980s, Gerta Keller, professor of paleontology and geology at Princeton, has been speaking out against an idea most of us take as scientific gospel: That a giant rock from space killed the dinosaurs. Nice story, she says—but it’s just not true. Gerta's been shouted down and ostracized at conferences, but in three decades, she hasn’t backed down. And now, things might finally be coming around for Gerta’s theory. But is she right? Did something else kill the dinosaurs? Or is she just too proud to admit she’s been wrong for 30 years? GUESTS Gerta Keller, professor of paleontology and geology at Princeton James Powell, geologist and author of Night Comes to the Cretaceous: Dinosaur Extinction and the Transformation of Modern Geology (St. Martin's Press) FOOTNOTES Michael Benton reviews the many, sometimes hilarious explanations for the (non-avian) dinosaurs’ extinction. Note: Ideas marked with asterisks were jokes! More in Benton’s book. Walter Alvarez tells his own story of the impact hypothesis in T. Rex and the Crater of Doom. The New York Times interviews Luis Alvarez before he dies, and he takes some parting shots at his scientific opponents. The impact and the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary were simultaneous according to this paper. Learn more about how volcanoes are major suspects in mass extinctions. Read more about Gerta Keller, the holdout. CREDITS This episode of Undiscovered was reported and produced by Elah Feder and Annie Minoff. Our senior editor is Christopher Intagliata. Original music by Daniel Peterschmidt. Fact-checking help from Robin Palmer. Lucy Huang polled visitors to AMNH about what killed the dinosaurs. Our theme music is by I Am Robot And Proud. Excerpts from All Things Considered used with permission from NPR.
Since the 1980s, Gerta Keller, professor of paleontology and geology at Princeton, has been speaking out against an idea most of us take as scientific gospel: That a giant rock from space killed the dinosaurs. Nice story, she says—but it’s just not true. Gerta's been shouted down and ostracized at conferences, but in three decades, she hasn’t backed down. And now, things might finally be coming around for Gerta’s theory. But is she right? Did something else kill the dinosaurs? Or is she just too proud to admit she’s been wrong for 30 years? GUESTS Gerta Keller, professor of paleontology and geology at Princeton James Powell, geologist and author of Night Comes to the Cretaceous: Dinosaur Extinction and the Transformation of Modern Geology (St. Martin's Press) FOOTNOTES Michael Benton reviews the many, sometimes hilarious explanations for the (non-avian) dinosaurs’ extinction. Note: Ideas marked with asterisks were jokes! More in Benton’s book. Walter Alvarez tells his own story of the impact hypothesis in T. Rex and the Crater of Doom. The New York Times interviews Luis Alvarez before he dies, and he takes some parting shots at his scientific opponents. The impact and the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary were simultaneous according to this paper. Learn more about how volcanoes are major suspects in mass extinctions. Read more about Gerta Keller, the holdout. CREDITS This episode of Undiscovered was reported and produced by Elah Feder and Annie Minoff. Our senior editor is Christopher Intagliata. Original music by Daniel Peterschmidt. Fact-checking help from Robin Palmer. Lucy Huang polled visitors to AMNH about what killed the dinosaurs. Our theme music is by I Am Robot And Proud. Excerpts from All Things Considered used with permission from NPR.