Podcast appearances and mentions of peter brannen

The carbon cycle is more dangerous than an asteroid.An asteroid killed the dinosaurs but unstable carbon cycles caused the worse mass extinctions in earth's history—and we are putting carbon dioxide into the air at a rate the earth has never seen before.I'm joined by science journalist Peter Brannen, author of The Ends of the World, to discuss how the carbon cycle has caused five out of the six mass extinction events — with the worst taking 10 million years for the planet to recover. Peter says all the drivers point that we are hurtling towards a sixth mass extinction if we don't change rapidly change course, an event totally unprecedented in its man-made nature. This is an experiment in planetary systems going horribly wrong. We still have time to stop. If we don't, the results could change the planet beyond recognition. Planet: Critical is 100% independent and community-powered. If you value it, and have the means, become a paid subscriber today! Get full access to Planet: Critical at www.planetcritical.com/subscribe

Science journalist Peter Brannen joins me to discuss the kill mechanisms of Earth's five mass extinctions. Humanity has developed the god like power's to mimic all of them. From altering the carbon cycle to eutrophication of oceans and to a far lesser degree our asteroid like thermonuclear weapon arsenal.

On this episode, Nate is joined by Peter Brannen, science journalist and author specializing in Earth's prior mass extinctions, to unpack our planet's geologic history and what it can tell us about our current climate situation. Humans have become very good at uncovering the history of our planetary home - revealing distinct periods during billions of years of deep time that have disturbing similarities to our own present time. How is the carbon cycle the foundation of our biosphere - and how have changes to it in the past impacted life's ability to thrive? On the scales of geologic time, how do humans compare to the other species who have inhabited this planet - 99% of which have gone extinct - and will we end up being just a blip in the fossil record? How can an understanding of geologic and climate science prepare us for the environmental challenges we'll face in the coming decades? About Peter Brannen Peter Brannen is an award-winning science journalist and contributing writer at The Atlantic. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Wired, Aeon, The Boston Globe, Slate and The Guardian among other publications. His 2017 book, The Ends of the World covers the five major mass extinctions in Earth's history. Peter is currently a visiting scholar at the Kluge Center at the Library of Congress and an affiliate at the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research at the University of Colorado-Boulder. He was formerly a 2018 Scripps Fellow at CU-Boulder, a 2015 journalist-in-residence at the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center at Duke University, and a 2011 Ocean Science Journalism Fellow at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, MA. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3l81C_11D7A More information, and show notes: https://www.thegreatsimplification.com/episode/103-peter-brannen  

Science writer Peter Brannen takes listeners on a tour of the world's five major mass extinctions.

Recommend this show by sharing the link: pod.link/2Pages Our inability to think long-term is encapsulated in a system we barely notice: the way that we write the year. Implicit in the number ‘2023' is that when we get to 9999, there's nowhere left to go. We've programmed into our lives that we can't imagine beyond eight thousand or so years into the future, which is nothing in the grand scheme of a geological age. The Long Now is an organization that writes the date with an extra digit. Alternatively, it's written as ‘02023,' expanding our ‘now' from a ten thousand-year span, to one that's a hundred thousand years. This change has allowed me to stop staring a few feet ahead of me, eyes fixed to the path, and instead look to the horizon and remember the bigger game afoot. Get‌ ‌book‌ ‌links‌ ‌and‌ ‌resources‌ ‌at‌ https://www.mbs.works/2-pages-podcast/  Peter Brannen is an author and science journalist, contributing to The Atlantic, The New York Times, Washington Post, and others.  Peter reads two pages from ‘Teaching a Stone to Talk' by Annie Dillard. [reading begins at 10:40]   Hear us discuss:  “Unless you're aware of what you're looking at, you go around the world blind to what's been lost.” [5:15]  | Maintaining a sense of awe and adventure. [16:00] | Is having a meaningful life worth it? [18:40] | Understanding the Earth's precarity: “The more I study Earth, the more I come to realize our cosmic luck.” [22:13] | Discovering the essentials of life on Earth. [26:45]

Science writer Peter Brannen takes listeners on a tour of the world's five major mass extinctions. 

Author Peter Brannen just happened to be driving through Kansas so Ray flagged him down to ask him about The Ends of the World, his recent book on mass extinctions, a fitting end to Season 3 of Paleo Nerds! 

Does it really matter if we're in the sixth mass extinction? Short answer: no. But it's actually a little more complicated. In this episode of the Stanford SciCast, Trevor Cambron and Keren Perla discuss the debate about whether or not we are currently in the sixth mass extinction, and what it would mean to be in one. We talk to Stanford's own Dr. Jonathan Payne, paleobiologist in the Department of Geological Sciences, about what the geologic record tells us about our current loss of biodiversity, and how knowledge of the past can influence our actions in the present. We also talk to Peter Brannen, award-winning science journalist and author of “Earth Is Not In the Midst of the Sixth Mass Extinction” about how to communicate the current unprecedented human-caused destruction of biodiversity, and what you can do to help prevent it. The big picture: ignore the sensationalist headlines, but take serious action against biodiversity loss. Resources: “Earth is Not In the Midst of the Sixth Mass Extinction,” Peter Brannen Jonathan Payne on Mass Extinction, Museum of Science, Boston “How Humans Cause Mass Extinctions,” Paul and Anne Elrich Credits: Image - Yuri_B, via Pixabay “Les Portes Du Futur,” Bill Vortex “Andante,” Dee Yan Kee “Waterfall,” Metre “Blessed Horizons,” Ketsa “Summer Rain,” Bio Unit “Submersible.mp3,” Xylo-Ziko “MidGrey Morning,” Niteffect “Bam,” BioUnit “Forces of Attraction,” Scott Holmes “Missing,” Scott Holmes “Space,” Chad Crouch “Pterodactyl”, Tony Phillips “Bomb Exploding”, Sound Explorer “Tree Frogs and Birds”, Mike Koenig

Drew and Roth talk to Peter Brannen about Boston sports, fava beans, and the downfall of man. Plus, questions from the Funbag! And the extended Guy of the Week universe. Brannen's book, The Ends of the World, is available everywhere books are sold. Visit Defector.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Karl Lengel hosted Wednesday's episode of Louisiana Considered. Peter Brannen and our Coastal Desk Reporter Tegan Wendland talk climate change, CO2, natural disasters, and discuss Brannen's recent article that appeared in the Atlantic last month. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A temperature rise of three or four degrees doesn’t seem like a big deal… Until you go back a few million years and start exploring what the world looked like the last time the Earth was that hot and CO2 levels were even higher than they are now. Peter Brannen is an award-winning science journalist. His work has appeared in The New York Times, WIRED and The Guardian, among many other national publications. He is also the author of The Ends of the World: Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, and Our Quest to Understand Earth’s Past Mass Extinctions. On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Peter joins Ross to discuss his most recent article in The Atlantic, ‘The Terrifying Warning Lurking in the Earth’s Ancient Rock Record.’ Peter explains what the planet was like during the Pliocene (the last time CO2 reached 400 PPM), the Miocene (500 PPM) and the Eocene (600-plus PPM), describing how rising levels of carbon dioxide might transform the Earth as we know it. Listen in for Peter’s insight on what an understanding of deep time can teach us about the impact climate change has on the planet and help us appreciate the difference three degrees can make. Connect with Nori Purchase Nori Carbon Removals Join Nori's Patreon book club Nori's website Nori on Twitter Resources Peter’s Website ‘The Terrifying Warning Lurking in the Earth’s Ancient Rock Record’ in The Atlantic The Ends of the World: Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, and Our Quest to Understand Earth’s Past Mass Extinctions by Peter Brannen Peter on Reversing Climate Change EP087 David Grinspoon David Grinspoon on Reversing Climate Change: Geology Cage Match! The Sapiezoic vs. the Anthropocene—w/ Dr. David Grinspoon, astrobiologist David Grinspoon on Reversing Climate Change S1E47: 47: David Grinspoon, Astrobiologist The Long Thaw: How Humans Are Changing the Next 100,000 Years of Earth’s Climate by David Archer Jessica Tierney on Twitter Ted Scripps Fellowship Program ‘Atmospheric CO2: Principal Control Knob Governing Earth’s Temperature’ in Science Wallace Broecker --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/reversingclimatechange/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reversingclimatechange/support

Do humans deserve to have an epoch named for us? On the one hand, we have irreparably changed the course of evolution. On the other hand, should things continue on their current trajectory, human civilization may not be around long enough to read as more than a blip on the fossil record. So, is Anthropocene the right name for the geologic period we’re in?    Peter Brannen is the award-winning science journalist and deep time aficionado behind The Ends of the World: Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, and Our Quest to Understand Earth’s Past Mass Extinctions. On this bonus episode of Reversing Climate Change, he comes back on the show to discuss his recently published articles in The Atlantic, ‘The Anthropocene is a Joke’ and ‘What Made Me Reconsider the Anthropocene.’ We discuss why deep time is such a foreign concept to the general public and Peter explains how the term Anthropocene has evolved to encompass all human activity.    Peter shares his initial argument against the Anthropocene being classified as an epoch, describing how our impact on the geologic record will present as a tiny line in the rocks and why it’s wildly optimistic to assume that we’ll persist far enough into geological time to merit the label. Listen in to understand why Peter’s point of view on the Anthropocene has shifted and learn how our actions may have initiated the mass extinction that introduces the next epoch.   Key Takeaways   [0:59] Why deep time is such a foreign concept to the general public Landscape of history infinitely longer than human history Hidden away in academic papers in language of geology   [1:40] Peter’s argument against the Anthropocene as an epoch Anthropocene used colloquially as ‘anything humans do’ Human layer = tiny line in rocks (event, not epoch) Optimistic to assume humans persist into geological time   [8:34] The biggest impact humans have had on the planet thus far Wave of extinctions follow humans for last 50K+ years Fossil fuels changing planet radically but indistinguishable on fossil record   [12:10] How Peter’s point of view on the Anthropocene has shifted Likely that humans have deflected course of evolution irreparably Our actions may have initiated mass extinction that will define new epoch   [16:21] How humans might earn our own epoch Could get to same level as previous mass extinctions in next century Anthropocene = blip on geological record if we don’t get house in order   [19:34] The Cambrian explosion vs. current technological innovation  Biological innovation caused explosion of animal life 543M years ago  Current tech reshaped world very quickly for better and worse New creative period if learn to live in simpatico with environment   Connect with Ross   Nori Nori on Facebook  Nori on Twitter Nori on Medium Nori on YouTube Nori on GitHub Nori Newsletter Email hello@nori.com Nori White Paper Subscribe on iTunes Carbon Removal Newsroom   Resources   Peter’s Website Peter on Twitter Peter Brannen on RCC EP087 The Ends of the World: Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, and Our Quest to Understand Earth’s Past Mass Extinctions by Peter Brannen ‘The Anthropocene is a Joke’ in The Atlantic ‘What Made Me Reconsider the Anthropocene’ in The Atlantic David Grinspoon on RCC EP047

Journalist and author Peter Brannen talks about his book The Ends of the World: Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, and Our Quest to Understand Earth’s Past Mass Extinctions .

00:00:00 - For this episode, we’re joined by Peter Brannen (@PeterBrannen1), author of the book The Ends of the World: Supervolcanoes, Lethal Oceans, and the Search for Past Apocalypses, which explains all the times when life has nearly been wiped out on our pale blue dot. Discussion ensues. 00:27:47 - In what may be the shortest drinks segment in the history of the show, we get right to it. Peter is having his favorite beer on planet earth, a Mexican Chocolate Stout from copper kettle brewing company in Aurora, CO. Ryan is also having a chocolatey beer from Off Color Brewing called Dino S’mores! 00:29:01 - Part 2 with Peter Brannen continues the chat about the worst days earth has ever had. No big deal. Probably not gonna happen again, except it probably will. Prepare. 01:03:39 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like mass extinctions; few get out alive. Ryan goes first with an e-mail from Joel S., who gives us an update on Tasmanian eucalyptus and their invasion of California as discussed in episode 296 and other forgotten comments, and then Ryan and Joe talk about Australia and other nonsense for a while. Joe has some feedback about Chessie from episode 312, left as a comment on Soundcloud by Taylor H. Ryan looks forward to the day where he can just type the show into existence, maybe coming soon? And we wrap up with a Patreon thesis for Charles L., who wants a t-shirt. Based on that and our discussion with Peter, his thesis is: Keep your shirt on: could smaller carbon footprints due to reduced fabric needs of deep v t-shirts significantly alter textile-based climatic impacts? And we’re happy to send Patrons shirts if we have them. More cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on our Patreon!

You've likely heard about the calamity dinosaurs underwent, but author Peter Brannen says that wasn't the worst catastrophe life on earth faced since the beginning. Brannen talks about the 5 major mass extinctions through earth's history and where we sit now in relation to them all. Brannen is the author of The Ends of the World: Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, and Our Quest to Understand Earth's Past Mass Extinctions.

Peter Brannen, Author of The Ends of the World & Science Journalist featured on "Designing Science" podcast with Arvind Gupta, Founder and Managing director of IndieBio. IndieBio is a leading seed-stage life science accelerator program devoted to funding and building startups dedicated to solving humanity’s most pressing problems through biology. We enable the best scientists to become entrepreneurs, and nurture the future leaders of movements and systemic change. Our technology focus is on reinventing the food and water supply chain, medicine, healthcare, diagnostics, agriculture, and biomaterial industries. To date, 116 companies have graduated from the program, with a combined current valuation of over $2B. IndieBio is a member of SOSV a $700M global fund focused on lasting impact. Follow on www.twitter.com/indbio

In an article for The Atlantic, science journalist Peter Brannen writes against the idea of the Anthropocene.In the simplest of terms, the Anthropocene is a new, present day epoch, in which scientists say we have significantly altered the Earth through human activity.Brannen says that geological time is deep beyond all comprehension and, using the analogy of running a marathon, he argues that geologically, all of recorded human history is irrelevant.He joined Kerre McIvor to further unpack his theory.LISTEN ABOVE 

“It’s not over yet. We still have time to save the planet, but it is worrying that—especially going forward—where in the past a lot of our damage has been done by hunting, now we’re starting to pull these levers that are really responsible for the worst things that have happened in Earth history, these big injections of CO2. So, before we go too far down that road, because we know it leads [to mass extinction], we should consult the rocks and learn what they have to tell us.”   Peter Brannen is an award-winning science journalist with expertise in ocean science, deep time, astrobiology and the carbon cycle. Peter’s work has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic and The Washington Post, among many other media outlets, and he is the author of the acclaimed The Ends of the World: Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, and Our Quest to Understand Earth’s Past Mass Extinctions. Today, Peter joins Ross and Christophe to walk us through the five major mass extinctions in Earth’s history, discussing what events triggered each extinction and how plant and animal life changed each time.   Peter covers the current threat to coral reefs and shares his definition of fossil fuels, explaining how past mass extinctions generated the fossil fuels we use today. Listen in for Peter’s insight around the eerie shadow of extinction that follows human migration and find out what we can learn about managing the carbon cycle from previous extinctions to avert another ‘end of times.’   Key Takeaways   [1:46] How to think about the scale of geology and deep time  Frame one footstep as century of time Walk 20 miles/day for four years to beginning of Earth’s history   [6:25] The Ordovician mass extinction (445M years ago) Underwater animal life gets off ground, reefs take off Ice age drops sea level and causes 85% of life to go extinct   [11:18] The Late Devonian mass extinction (375M years ago) Age of fish + first life appears on land Trees as mechanism of mass extinction, initiate ice age    [14:43] The End-Permian mass extinction (252M years ago) Big reptiles, animals related to mammals and reefs in oceans 96% of life wiped out by extreme volcanic eruptions   [19:50] How the Earth recovered after the End-Permian  Took 10M years to recoup, miserable time Life looks totally different in aftermath   [20:49] The ‘Permian Jr.’ mass extinction (200M years ago) Volcanic event causes breakup of Pangea Sets reign of dinosaurs in motion   [22:27] The instantaneous nature of the asteroid extinction May have taken < 20 minutes (hot as pizza oven) Less than 50K years considered fast geologically   [27:00] The current threat to the coral reefs Devastating bleaching events + acidification Tend to get wiped out in mass extinctions  Supply 25% of Earth’s biodiversity   [31:30] Peter’s definition of fossil fuels What happens when life preserved in rocks for long time Humans undo photosynthesis by releasing CO2   [32:40] What role mass extinctions play in generating fossil fuels Natural gas fracked today victim of Late Devonian Organic matter preserved at bottom of ocean   [34:36] What characterizes the current potential extinction Modern humans show up 300K years ago Eerie shadow of extinction follows where people go Foot on accelerator now but still time to avert   [41:38] Why it doesn’t matter if humans cause the rise in CO2 Geopolitical implications of immigration once tropics uninhabitable Wet bulb temperature = no way to cool off, die of overheating   [45:20] What we can learn about changing the atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gasses from previous mass extinctions Sequester CO2 in basalt rock, turn to limestone Same process cooled Earth 200M years ago   [47:08] Why Peter has cause to be optimistic Use information to energize vs. get depressed Area of opportunity for carbon removal industry   Connect with Ross & Christophe   Nori Nori on Facebook  Nori on Twitter Nori on Medium Nori on YouTube Nori on GitHub Nori Newsletter Email hello@nori.com Nori White Paper Subscribe on iTunes Carbon Removal Newsroom   Resources   Peter’s Website Peter on Twitter The Ends of the World: Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, and Our Quest to Understand Earth’s Past Mass Extinctions by Peter Brannen Techstars Sustainability Accelerator Lee Kump National Center for Atmospheric Research The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Dr. David Goldberg on RCC EP004 ‘We Need to Capture Carbon to Fight Climate Change’ in Nature Paris Agreement

This week Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stirred up the Republican Party when she warned that that if we don’t solve the climate crisis in 12 years, the Earth could be doomed. Peter Brannen, author of “The Ends of the World: Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, and Our Quest to Understand Earth's Past Mass Extinctions,” joins Nick to explain why Cortez is correct, and how the past 400 million years on Earth can explain how we might be heading towards an overheated world that we can’t cool down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Peter Brannen (@peterbrannen1) is an award-winning science journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Wired, Aeon, The Boston Globe, Slate and The Guardian among other publications. His book, The Ends of the World, about the five major mass extinctions in Earth's history.Peter is a 2018 Scripps Fellow at the University of Colorado Boulder, was a 2015 journalist-in-residence at the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center at Duke University, and a 2011 Ocean Science Journalism Fellow at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, MA. Peter got his start as a reporter for the Vineyard Gazette in Edgartown, MA.Peter is particularly interested in ocean science, deep time, astrobiology and the carbon cycle.You can listen right here on iTunesIn our wide-ranging conversation, we cover many things, including: * Why climate change isn't new but is accelerating * The history of mass extinctions on Earth * When 90% of species on the planet died off and what caused it * The problem with public perception of climate change * How species evolve and climate shifts cause adaptations * What life was like during the Ice Ages * Why we may be headed towards a mass extinction * Would humanity survive another Ice Age * Why whales are so darn big * The reason we need to all act now * Why global warming is a likely Fermi Paradox solution * The truth about evolution and it's origins * Why the dinosaurs were the dominant lifeform for 135M years * What happens to the Earth without humans Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support The Disruptors The Disruptors is supported by the generosity of its readers and listeners. If you find our work valuable, please consider supporting us on Patreon, via Paypal or with DonorBox powered by Stripe.Donate

Tommy helps a listener through pesky pen pessimism while Pete builds a strong case for the end of all medical science. • This week's tune: Little Picture by Arthur Dove Sponsor: This week's show is brought to you by Audible. Get a free audiobook to spice up your morning shower at AudibleTrial.com/ScentofaPodcast. From there, search for Pete’s recommended book for the week: The Ends of the World: Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, and Our Quest to Understand Earth's Past Mass Extinctions by Peter Brannen!

“The Ends of the World: Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, and Our Quest to Understand Earth’s Past Mass Extinctions” puts the history of Earth and our role in it in perspective. Too much perspective, probably. Host Jason Snell.

This week we're sharing stories about love that stands the test of time, transcending illness, differences, and even death. In other words -- break out that box of tissues, y'all. Part 1: Writer Alison Smith reconnects with her estranged father after he develops Alzheimer's disease.  Part 2: Science journalist Peter Brannen mourns the loss of his mother while studying the earth’s biggest mass extinction. Alison Smith is a writer and performer. Her writing has appeared in Granta, McSweeney’s, The London Telegraph, The New York Times, The Believer, Real Simple, Glamour and other publications.  Her memoir Name All the Animals was named one of the top ten books of the year by People and was shorted-listed for the Book-Sense Book-of-the-Year Award. Smith has been awarded Barnes & Noble Discover Award, the Judy Grahn Prize and a Lambda Literary Award. The grand-prize winner of 2017’s Ko Festival Story Slam, Smith portrays Jane Jacobs in the Amazon series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She lives in Brooklyn, NY. Peter Brannen is an award-winning science journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Wired, The Boston Globe, Aeon, Slate and The Guardian among other publications. His book, "The Ends of the World: Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans and Our Quest to Understand Earth's Past Mass Extinctions," is soon to be released in paperback. Published by Ecco in 2017, it was a New York Times Editor's Choice and was named one of the "10 Best Environment, Climate Science and Conservation Books of 2017" by Forbes. Note: This June, The Story Collider will be celebrating Pride Month by highlighting stories about the intersection of science and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer issues. Each of our five episodes this month will include one of these stories, and you can follow us on Twitter and Instagram this month as we also share highlights from our back catalog as well. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we decide to break the ice and watch the Star Trek movie First Contact. Is global thermonuclear war a necessary prerequisite for realizing the utopian vision of Star Trek? How did a Titan II ICBM help humanity go where no man has gone before? Why did Zefram Cochrane get a statue before Lily Sloane? Tim, Gabe, and special guest Manu Saadia (author of Trekonomics: The Economics of Star Trek) answer these questions and more. You can follow Manu Saadia on Twitter @Trekonomics. We greatly enjoyed his book, Trekonomics: The Economics of Star Trek (May 2016). (Tim edit on 9/18: There was an encoding error in the original podcast file. It should be fixed now) Before we get noticed by some Vulcans, we recommend checking out: -F. White, The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution, 1998 -Disaster at Silo 7, TV Movie,1988 -Command and Control, Documentary, 2016 -Peter Brannen, The Ends of the World: : Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, and Our Quest to Understand Earth's Past Mass Extinctions, June 2017 -The Next Generation, “The Best of Both Worlds,” Season 3, Episode 26, June 1990 Also check out the sources below to learn more about the subjects in this episode – you can also access these links on our website, SuperCriticalPodcast.com. Thanks to TrekCore.com for some of the sound effects used in this episode. We aim to have at least one new episode every month. Let us know what you think about the podcast and any ideas you may have about future episodes and guests by reaching out at on iTunes, Twitter @NuclearPodcast, GooglePlay Music, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Stitcher Radio, Facebook, SuperCriticalPodcast@gmail.com, and YouTube. Enjoy!

Did you know our world has ended five times? It has been broiled, frozen, poison-gassed, smothered, and pelted by asteroids. And in each of these catastrophic occurrences, climate change has been the culprit.You may be wondering, how do asteroids have anything to do with climate change? We will leave the details to our guest this week, but essentially there is a triggering event (asteroid, volcano, humans) that causes the oceans to become more acidic and very soon after the entire world dies. This is what happens every time...and it may be happening again.This week on the show we interview award-winning science journalist Peter Brannen about his new book, The Ends of the World: Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, and Our Quest to Understand Earth's Past Mass Extinctions. In his book and in this interview, Peter takes us on a tour of the 5 ways that the Earth has died, as well as what may be to come. Part road trip, part history, and part cautionary tale, The Ends of the World takes us on a tour of the ways that our planet has clawed itself back from the grave and casts our future in a completely new light.Peter Brannen is an award-winning science journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Wired, the Washington Post, Slate, the Boston Globe, Aeon, among other publications. A graduate of Boston College, he was a 2015 journalist-in-residence at the Duke University National Evolutionary Synthesis Center and a 2011 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Ocean Science Journalism Fellow.

Michael Fynan sits down with Peter Brannen, author of THE ENDS OF THE WORLD. Learn more: https://www.harperacademic.com/book/9780062364807/the-ends-of-the-world/.

Our world has ended five times: it has been broiled, frozen, poison-gassed, smothered, and pelted by asteroids. What else could possibly happen? Journalist Peter Brannen has taken a close look at the five mass extinctions our planet has gone through. What exactly happened to cause extinction on such a massive, planet-wide level? How did any life make it past these events? Do these past extinction level events provide any clues to how it could happen again? If life was able to continue after these past events, does that provide any hope for humans should something catastrophic happen? Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/ Connect with us: http://well.org/ Facebook - http://well.org/facebook Twitter - http://well.org/twitter Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel