The Life and Death of Planet Earth by Peter Ward and Donald
Brownlee, Times Books/Henry Holt, $25, ISBN 1591020638 TWO
phrases spring to mind when you read this book: "you never had
it so good" and "the end of the world is nigh". These
pessimistic and doom-provoking thoughts echo continuously
throughout this riveting read. Authors Peter Ward and Donald
Brownlee are both professors at the University of Washington in
Seattle. Ward, a palaeontologist, uses the fossil record to
explain how Earth got to its present state. Brownlee, an
astronomer, gazes into the celestial crystal ball and foretells
how our planet is going to change. Neither has good news.
Palaeontological evidence shows that life began as soon as the
physical and chemical conditions allowed. Slimy, single-celled
organisms originated about 3800 million years ago, 800 million
years after Earth formed. A mere 500 million years ago animals
appeared, and quickly dominated the ... To continue reading this
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