Sci-Fi September: The Rise and Reign of the Mammals

Paleontologist, professor and best-selling author Steve Brusatte will discuss his latest book, The Rise and Reign of the Mammals.

Stretch back 325 million years to follow our mammalian forebearers as they persevere in the shadow of the dinosaurs, survive the worst day in the history of Earth, and then rapidly diversify and claim the world as their own. From woolly mammoths and saber-toothed tigers and countless spectacular extinct species, and eventually the 6000+ species of mammals that rule the Earth today, including ourselves.

Steve Brusatte, professor at the University of Edinburgh and paleontology consultant on Jurassic World: Dominion, discusses his new book The Rise and Reign of the Mammals. He reveals the new fossil finds and technologies that are allowing us to understand the evolution of mammals in unprecedented detail. By doing so, he uncovers how our single human species is affecting the world like no mammal before, and if things continue at the current pace, more than half of all mammal species may succumb to extinction. Now at the most perilous point in mammal history since our ancestors stared down the asteroid, the lecture builds an understanding and revelling in our history, enabling us to make a better future.