The Sixth Extinction

Written by Elizabeth Kolbert

Narrated by Anne Twomey

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE
From the author of Field Notes from a Catastrophe, a powerful and important work about the future of the world, blending intellectual and natural history and field reporting into a compelling account of the mass extinction unfolding before our eyes.

Over the last half a billion years, there have been five mass extinctions, when the diversity of life on earth suddenly and dramatically contracted. Scientists around the world are currently monitoring the sixth extinction, predicted to be the most devastating extinction event since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs. This time around, the cataclysm is us.

The Sixth Extinction draws on the work of scores of researchers in half a dozen disciplines–geologists who study deep ocean cores, botanists who follow the tree line as it climbs up the Andes, and marine biologists who dive off the Great Barrier Reef. Elizabeth Kolbert, two-time winner of the National Magazine Award and New Yorker writer, accompanies many of these researchers into the field, and introduces you to a dozen species–some already gone, others facing extinction–that are being affected by the sixth extinction.

Through these stories, Kolbert provides a moving account of the disappearances occurring all around us and traces the evolution of extinction as concept, from its first articulation by Georges Cuvier in revolutionary Paris up through the present day. The sixth extinction is likely to be mankind's most lasting legacy; as Kolbert observes, it compels us to rethink the fundamental question of what it means to be human.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Feb 11, 2014
• ISBN: 9781442369467

Elizabeth Kolbert

Elizabeth Kolbert is the author of Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change and The Sixth Extinction, for which she won the Pulitzer Prize. She has also been awarded two National Magazine Awards for her writing at The New Yorker, where she has been a staff writer since 1999, and the Blake-Dodd Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She lives in Williamstown, Massachusetts, with her husband and children.

Reviews for The Sixth Extinction

[dandelionroots · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Kolbert puts our current rate and level of extinction in perspective with our understanding of past mass extinction periods and man's relatively recent awareness of extinction as a concept. Her interactions with researchers and travel commentary are mostly appreciated:"It's only fully modern humans who start this thing of venturing out on the ocean where you don't see land. Part of that is technology, of course; you have to have ships to do it. But there is also some madness there. How many people must have sailed out and vanished on the Pacific before you found Easter Island? It's ridiculous. Why do you do that - is it for the glory, immortality, curiosity? And now we go to Mars. We never stop."She makes a compelling case that man is largely responsible for the current unprecedented rate of extinction and subsequent decline in diversity cautioning we're likely contributing to our own demise. Yet somehow manages to end on a hopeful note - life will persevere, its form just won't be familiar to us.

[tarheel-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The geologic record has recorded five major mass extinctions that have occurred over the course of the Earth’s history. Elizabeth Kolbert’s The Sixth Extinction examines the growing body of evidence that we are in the midst of a sixth mass extinction due primarily to human interaction with the environment. The Sixth Extinction is an exceptional book and stands out from the growing herd of “general” science books covering climate change to its exceptional prose and Kolbert’s journalism and story-telling ability. The book is organized around an examination of thirteen animal species that have either gone extinct in the ancient past, more-recent past, or are currently becoming extinct right before our eyes today. The science is brought to life through the author’s travels across the world to visit the habitats of the extinct / threatened animals. Her interactions with the scientists and researchers are entertaining and sometimes humorous, but also educational and served to help the reader connect with the researchers and their work. The book is well researched; Kolbert draws conclusions from multiple lines of evidence including examination of the fossil record, ongoing field studies of animal populations and habitat, and laboratory experiments. The review of data is well presented; Kolbert demonstrates a knack for explaining complex systems, such as changes in ocean acidification, with clarity and makes the subject understandable without dumbing down the science too much. The conclusions are startling, but are not present in an alarmist or shrill manner. Rather, they are rooted in empirical evidence and presented in a manner that proves thoughtful consideration and should prompt interest in the growing concerns with manmade climate change.

[obtusata · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a very interesting book about past, present and future extinctions. Despite being about something that (in the current context - i.e., the result of human migration and activity) is uncomfortable to think about, it ends on a surprisingly positive note: yes, we're the cause of many extinctions, but we also have the dedication and ingenuity to help many species.

[stbalbach_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Sixth Extinction offers some perspectives. This isn't a guilt trip, Elizabeth Kolbert makes no judgements or prescriptions for change. Rather she shows patterns of life over millions of years and how they are playing out today. It puts extinction into greater perspective by way of particular animals going or gone extinct, the past "big 5" extinction events, stories about scientists and their discoveries. I sometimes felt misanthropic, and what observant person doesn't in this globalized age of homogenization when diversity is being eliminated not only in nature but culture. But Kolbert leaves us secure in the knowledge that nature will go on and do what it does regardless. It's all a matter of time and perspective.

[sylviac_43 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent. A look at various aspects of extinction. The author focuses on different species in each chapter, as she explains the science, history, and theories of extinction. Some of the subjects she covers are mass extinction events and the catastrophes that can cause them, the history of the science behind our understanding of extinction, current research being done in various parts of the world, the ability of species to adapt to environmental changes, and the impact of human behaviour on other species. I thought the book was interesting and easy to follow, and I learned some things I didn't already know. My only complaints are my usual ones for books written by journalists. The author inserted herself into the narrative rather more than I prefer, and, seriously, science writers, I do not need to know that a researcher has a "boyish face" and I couldn't care less about anybody's footwear. Other than that, I enjoyed her lightly humorous touches and literary allusions.

[addunn3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Are we in another major extinction, as "earth-shattering" as those caused by a meteorite slamming into the earth? The author gives some very clear examples to assure us that we are. Interesting theory - the large mammals of North America disappeared around the same time that man showed up! Seems we (humans) got an earlier start on extinction than we first thought.

[bereanna · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent book about the coming extinction. Somehow I read through the book without being despondent. The author has done impressive research, uses laymen's terms and humor to get her point across. This was an OLLI nonfiction book club choice.

[konastories · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Joy's review: Kolbert covers many aspects of both historical extinctions and the one presently underway. She has a very readable and accessible writing style (although several book club members noted spelling and other errors). The reasons for the current and future extinctions are many and it would seem, the actions we can take are few. However, everyone should read this book.

[muddyboy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A well researched and written book about the sixth major period of extinction on earth which is happening now. This is the first one caused by human behavior. The author is not really promoting the hope of stopping the phenomena through environmentalism. The book is more just an in depth explanation about what is happening all across the world since the human species has become dominant with a dramatic downturn in plant and animal species because of interaction with us. It is not coming folks, it is here.

[bowedbookshelf · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Kolbert’s premise, that we are likely in the midst of the Sixth Period of a great extinction in the world’s history, is “a most awful yet interesting” idea, to quote Darwin out of context. Kolbert shares recent (in the past forty years) scientific discoveries, theories, and test results which many of us may not have had a chance to follow with the diligence of a scientist. She is not a scientist but a journalist who has interviewed scientists, and her wonderful easy style makes it simple for us to understand.

What Kolbert has done here is to overlay a timeline transparency of extinctions over the history of the earth’s geologic record and mankind’s progress with which we are more commonly familiar. Kolbert is merely reporting in this book, not advocating, though the reader comes away with an awakened sense of attention and sense of the irony that man himself may be the instrument of his own destruction.

Kolbert is what could be called a “neocatastrophist.” She believes that the scientific record shows that conditions on earth change only very slowly, except when they don’t---“long periods of boredom interrupted by occasionally by panic. Though rare, these moments of panic are disproportionately important.” Her reportage brings her to the conclusion that we are in the midst of a great extinction and that in the future…far into the future, the geologic record will clearly show something extraordinary happened in the hundreds of thousands of years of human habitation. But it may be visible only to giant rats, the one species she concludes may be likely to survive and thrive.

While at first Kolbert shares current examples of species extinction happening right now, gradually she comes to zero in on probable cause: habitat modification caused by humans. She takes us through a riveting series of investigations scientists around the world are conducting to test how species adapt to changes in environment like carbon dioxide levels, for instance. Since continents are so well-travelled now, there are fewer areas uncontaminated by introduced species which may or may not be invasive or destructive to native species. Kolbert argues that man’s unparalleled and insatiable need to discover, innovate, and change his environment was like “bringing a gun to a knife fight.”
”To argue that the current extinction event could be averted if people just cared more and were willing to make more sacrifices is not wrong, exactly; still, it misses the point. It doesn’t much matter whether people care or don’t care. What matters is that people change the world.”That is not to say that we couldn’t slow the event down a little, at least for humans, if we began to pay attention at this point. “As soon as humans started using signs and symbols to represent the natural world, they pushed beyond the limits of that world.” We are just witnessing the outcomes now.

Kolbert writes “Though it may be nice to imagine there once was a time when man lived in harmony with nature, it’s not clear that he ever really did.” Perhaps American Indians with their roaming, nomadic habits, no fixed abode, and principles including commune with nature and not taking more than they needed to survive, may have been the last great environmentalists. They had a light footprint, didn’t they? Or am I completely wrong about that?

In the last couple of paragraphs, Kolbert points out that some scientists are seriously considering reengineering the atmosphere by scattering sulfates in the stratosphere to reflect sunlight back to space, or alternatively, to decamp to other planets. That, so far, is their best work. Perhaps if we just cut back on consumption, and left fossil fuels in the ground, we’d live long enough to figure out a better option.

Kolbert’s thesis ought to spark discussion, if nothing else. But we may also be witnessing the real-time devolution of our own species…no talk, no compromise. Get my gun.

[lynetterl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Kolbert thoroughly chronicles the history of extinctions on planet Earth, and shows how mankind is the vehicle of the current extinction phase we are in. There is no avoiding it, and we are so far down that path that it cannot be turned around despite the efforts humans have made to protect various species. We tend to think of large mammals that need protecting when we think of extinction, yet other smaller life forms have a more devastating impact on the planet. The efforts that are being made now to prevent total extinction of some life forms is certainly commendable, and does do some good, but it can lead to the belief that we are taking care of the problem when we are not. This was an enjoyable read, with plenty to think about.

[martinbodek · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the Debbie Downer of science books. If you're looking for something upbeat, positive, or hopeful, go look someplace else. If you're looking for well-researched examples of how we're setting ourselves up, and everything along with us, for shuffling off this mortal coil en masse, bingo. Kolbert gets major props for being on scene for everything that's relevant, to get a good sense of everything for herself, with her own eyes. She isn't a paper-pushing academic, comfortable in a loft, cranking out books. She is THERE. She keeps it real by staying with the overall tone of the book in the final paragraphs. She makes no illusions about the depression that this book is, does not even bother presenting a silver lining. She is the bearer of bad news, and is ready to take the lumps for it.

[befuddledpanda · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

5 stars. Initial thoughts: I really like the structure of the book and the writer's voice. The book was easy to read and to understand. It kept my attention and had me wanting more. It was deep enough but not dry. I really enjoyed it even though it is the most depressing thing I've read this year...maybe ever.

Update: Anthropocene has been officially designated as the current period. After a month of reading this book, I am still thinking about it. The part about invasive species has stuck with me the most. It's inevitable given globalization! What to do? Kill 'em rats, I guess.

[mamzel_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I found this book very understandable for a lay person. Any uncommon terms were explained. I wish our President would read it.The chapter about coral reefs just about broke my heart.

[iudita_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The content of this book was certainly interesting but I thought the structure of the book was choppy and messy. It jumped from one thing to the next and back again with absolutely no focus.

[btburt · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very well written, well researched, and sobering. I got a kick out of the description by some scientists characterizing humanity as a "weedy species" or as the most impactful invasive species in history. Anyone reading this book will have difficulty denying that human beings (whether through climate change or other mechanisms, such as habitat destruction or plain old predation) are changing global ecosystems in dramatic and dangerous ways. Ms. Kolbert makes it clear that it's hard to predict exactly where the trends will lead... but it's painfully evident that complacency is not an option.

[the_hibernator · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book documents the mass extinction that Kolbert (along with quite a few scientists) believes is due to humans. It's not only about hunting animals out of existence. It's about carrying invasive species (including animals, plants and fungus) into new environments. These species are destructive to foreign ecological systems because each system did not develop in parallel with the new species - thus the system did not develop immunity and protection against the invasive species. For instance, our travels around the world transport fungus that have caused plague among bats world-wide, and frogs in the Southern Americas. This book is mainly a scientific endeavor written by a journalist, but we also get to follow Kolbert as she shadows scientists around the world in their quests to study and prevent extinction. At first, this book made me feel guilty for the extinctions that humans have caused. But then I realized that we are a kind of invasive species too. Is it really our fault that we developed minds and then tools capable of carrying us around the world? Had we any idea of the destruction that we would cause? No. We were just doing what any species does - procreate, expand, and diversify. I also feel that Kolbert was catastrophizing a bit in her book. Although humans have certainly caused a lot of damage to our planet, I don't think we are capable of destroying a world that has survived so many other massively destructive events. We are just another blip in the planet's development.

[olivermagnus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In the first chapter of Pulitzer Prize winning The Sixth Extinction, Elizabeth Kolbert describes the global decline of amphibians to Hset the stage for this important book about the loss of species, both past and present. Through fossil records, scientists have pieced together compelling evidence about five mass-extinction events when the diversity of life on earth dropped suddenly and dramatically. The last of these occurred about 75 million years ago when an asteroid crashed into earth, wiping out the dinosaurs. Many scientists now believe we are in the midst of the sixth extinction, but instead of an asteroid, the driving force is humankind. The author says "It may seem impossible to imagine that a technologically advanced society could choose, in essence, to destroy itself, but that is what we are now in the process of doing.”

Kolbert chronicles her travels to unique locations around the world and joins researchers of various disciplines, each providing important perspectives, insights, and evidence supporting the argument that a mass-extinction is taking place right before our eyes. The book delivers tragic case studies of many individual species, some now gone, and some facing a similar fate. The great auk, a bird known as the “original penguin,” falls victim to brutal exploitation by European settlers. I found this chapter to be particularly heartbreaking.

Our history determines the course of life on the planet. Our species changes the world, and now the most urgent question is whether we can take responsibility for what we do. “The Sixth Extinction” is a bold and at times desperate attempt to awaken us to this responsibility. This book is a deeply disturbing story that will convince most readers that within a few generations we will see the collapse of our ecosystem as we know it.

Despite the positives of this book I found it only mildly interesting. I don't think I learned anything new from it, and some of the chapters were almost too technical for me to absorb. I don't think I'll remember much of it but I do think a lot of readers will enjoy learning more about this topic.


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[the7ken7petersen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

At times, this felt like reading Charles Dickens: why use one word when a paragraph can be eked out? That being said, there are many facts in this book which I didn't know. Any person, claiming green credentials, will know that we are in the midst of the 6th Mass Extinction, this book gives a great retrospective of the first five and shows why, this time it's different.I would label this a must read.

[susanbeamon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A book I read for book club, this is a combination science text and memoir of the author's research into the subject, which she didn't do in a library. We get to meet some of the current researchers into extinction and see the places where they are studying. Whether or not you believe in the conclusions, something is going on and this book is trying to tell us what it is.

[kakadoo202 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A very scary report. Makes u want to work or volunteer in environmental protection companies and wants to make u shake people up who don't believe in climate change

[castlelass · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Non-fiction about the previous five mass extinctions of world history and the probability of a sixth extinction being precipitated by humans. Kolbert investigates biological and environmental factors contributing to this phenomenon. She analyzes the current research being conducted by scientists across the globe as well as evidence of past mass extinctions. She travels to these locations and describes her experiences. She reports on a variety of species, some of which are already extinct and others on the verge of being wiped out. She analyzes the reasons behind the extinctions, many of which can be traced to the actions of humans.

This book covers a wide breadth of scientific disciplines, such as paleontology, anthropology, meteorology, geology, oceanography, and ecology. In addition to the expected analysis of climate change and deforestation, she covers the acidification of the oceans (something I had not heard before). Each chapter focuses on a different extinct or endangered species. I found myself rapidly turning to pages to learn more.

Highlights include the decline of the Neanderthal, ravages of invasive species, decreasing biodiversity, and perilous position of large mammals such as elephants, bears, and the big cats. It combines elements of scientific explanation, history, travelogue, and personal reflections. It is an intelligent and lively commentary that illuminates current issues and provides a warning.

It requires a keen interest in science and history, and if you are so inclined, this book is riveting. The historic ages of the earth are explained and what is known about the five previous extinctions. The history of scientific thought is traced, including Darwin’s (and Lyell’s and Wallace’s) theories and subsequent elaborations. It is a treasure trove of information and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Well, as much as one can “enjoy” a book about extinction.

[katiekrug · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's easy to see why this won a Pulitzer last year. It's informative without being dry, well-researched without being overly academic, and includes fascinating details and convincing arguments. Kolbert combines history, archaeology, anthropology, and science (as well as her own anecdotes and observations) to argue that we are in the midst of the sixth great extinction event, this one caused by humans themselves. It never becomes polemical or political, and Kolbert seems like the kind of person it would be fun to hang out with - smart, funny, and inquisitive. She reads the foreword herself but the rest of the book is narrated by someone else, and I almost wish she'd read the whole thing herself, though the professional narrator was fine. I may end up bumping this one to 4.5 stars - we'll see...

[streamsong_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The earth has endured five major extinction events. Some are massive extinctions that occurred globally – believed to be events following the large catastrophes such as an asteroid strike. Other extinctions have occurred much more slowly, beginning in more limited areas and spreading outward. These extinctions are probably the result of a new form of organism moving into an environment and outcompeting the previously dominant species and in doing so, changing the environment itself at a slow, but sure pace.The author makes a compelling case that we are in the midst of extinction event with hundreds of species becoming extinct each year (although we only tend to notice the extinctions of the larger species such as mammals and birds) . But she also makes a case that this extinction event may have actually begun as soon as Homo sapiens began spreading throughout the earth. Like the invader species wiping out the native animals of numerous islands, man has outcompeted both the native plants, animals and even the tiniest life forms, the microbiomes.In doing so, we are changing our environment forever; it may continue at a relatively slow pace or reach and tipping point and accelerate quickly. Recommended

[rivkat_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Kolbert examines previous waves of extinction, Darwin’s thoughts on whether extinction could be sudden (no, which was apparently the consensus until the 1990s), and all the species we’re getting rid of in all sorts of ways, from frogs and bats dying from imported fungus to species that just can’t adapt fast enough to climate change. It’s a depressing book.

[wareagle78 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I picked this book up on a random stroll through the new non-fiction books at my local library. I had not heard of the book, and frankly was expecting a fairly excited bit of environmental hand-waving. What I got was something completely different.Kolbert brings a clear head and eye to today's world. Looking at the juxtaposition of geologic history and past extinction events, she walks the reader through the whys and ways that we are losing a frightening number of species from the earth, and quickly. Is it global warming and pollution? Well, somewhat. However in many instances extinctions come simply because we have become a more mobile society. A fungus common in some parts of the world and on some amphibians travels with people and agriculture to another area of the world, and tropical frogs disappear. Ocean temperature and oxygenation variations change dramatically the ability of certain animals to survive, of shells to form and stay strong. According to the author, changes caused by mobility, combustion of fossil fuels, pollution, deforestation etc are causing moving the world towards an extinction event similar to the five previous ones in geologic history - at a rate slower than a meteorite hitting the earth but thousands of times faster than geologic change alone, and at a rate too quick for species to evolve.I found her work fascinating and varied, covering a wide variety of ecosystems and events/causes. The New York Times listed this as one of their best books for 2014, and I understand why. Recommended.

[msbaba · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, by Elizabeth Kolbert, is exactly what it’s title and subtitle implies. It is a natural history about an ongoing unnatural worldwide biological event: the sixth extinction. In the 4.5-billion-year history of planet earth, there have been five mass extinction events and many smaller events. Each was triggered by some cataclysmic phenomenon; each lasted many millions of years; each ushered in a new geologic era; each left the earth’s biological diversity immensely impoverished yet ripe for another many-million-year expansion of enormous evolutionary change. At the present time, most scientists believe that we are in the process of a sixth mass extinction event. What is unnatural about this event is that we are causing it. This mass extinction is antropogenic in origin. It is ongoing. When it started and when it might end—and whether it ends with the demise of our own species—is under scientific discussion.This book is not a popular literature review of the subject; rather, it is a work of stellar science journalism. Kolbert informs the reader about the subject through a series of stories. We become tag-alongs on an adventure journey of scientific curiosity.Kolbert is an outstanding prize-winning science journalist. Her style of writing is clear, easy to understand, and thoroughly engaging. When you read one of her books, you are part of the process of uncovering the truth. For this book, Elizabeth Kolbert traveled the world interviewing scientists, and often accompanying them on field research projects. In this manner, she manages to get a first-hand story angle on many of the most significant aspects of this immense and complex ongoing historical event. Even events of distant science history are related through some type of story that takes the reader on a present-day journey to discover what remains of the origins of these important, centuries- or many-decades-old discoveries. In her own words, Kolbert explains that the book is divided into thirteen chapters. “Each tracks a species that’s in some way emblematic…The creatures in the early chapters are already gone, and this part of the book is mostly concerned with the great extinctions of the past and the twisting history of their discovery…The second part of the book takes place very much in the present—in the increasingly fragmented Amazon rain forest, on a fast-warming slope of the Andes, on the outer reaches of the Great Barrier Reef. I chose to go to these particular places for the usual journalistic reasons—because there was a research station there or because someone invited me to tag along on an expedition.”I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I read it cover-to-cover with avid interest in a couple of days. I enjoyed tagging along with this journalist as she investigated this topic with a large range of scientists around the globe. Many times the book felt like a natural history adventure travelogue rather than a science book. I already knew a great deal about the Sixth Extinction, but this book provided me with a structure within which to experience the whole of it and try to comprehend the enormity of what is happening. Because this book took the form of a journalistic inquiry and investigation, it seemed very personal. Thus the impact was perhaps greater than it would have been had I read a scientific literature overview.I join with Scientific American in hoping that “this powerful, clear and important book” may not merely be “compared to Silent Spring” but that it might become “this era’s galvanizing text.”

[lilibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The 5 mass extinctions caused by changes in the earth's environment, and the sixth one we are living in - the anthropocene, human-caused environmental change and species extinction.

[bragan_8 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Scientists identify five great mass extinctions that have occurred throughout the history of life on Earth. We appear to now be in the middle of the sixth, this one caused by humans: as our species has grown, spread across the planet, and altered its environment, we have been responsible for the disappearance of many species and the decline towards probable future extinction of many, many more, sometimes by direct and deliberate action (hunting to extinction, destruction of habitats for farmland), and sometimes by indirect and inadvertent ones (the increasing acidification of the oceans caused by rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, the accidental or misguided introduction of invasive species to new environments).Elizabeth Kolbert talks about the scientific history of our understanding of mass extinctions, and of the very idea of extinction itself (which was once dismissed as impossible), and about the science behind the current loss of species in a very clear, very readable way. She also takes readers with her as she travels to various places to see endangered species and habitats firsthand, and to talk to biologists who are on the ground studying them.Kolbert never takes a histrionic, hand-wringing tone about the current state of affairs, but rather lets the facts -- and the people who are out there observing the facts -- speak for themselves. What they have to say is depressing, but it is also interesting and important.

[1greenprof · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Kohlbert is a fine author. She does her research, and writes cleanly and efficiently. She does a nice job of detailing the science and historical progression leading toward the Sixth Extinction. I've read quite a few good books on the science lately, and her work parallels the other works, perhaps with less scientific detail...but perfect for layperson readers. I really have no negative criticism of this book, other than to say that I would have liked to see her develop her view of the future a bit more. Regardless, good job, and worth reading.