The Sixth Extinction : Patterns of Life and the Future of Humankind

Rating:
Summary: excellent
Review: A beautifully written alarm call for the world, and yet short enough to be read by all those to whom it concerns which is everybody.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding!
Review: For anyone interested in ecology, geology, evolution or environmental science, this book is a MUST! A well documented, easy to understand, and clear look at where mankind is taking the planet.

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Summary: This book pwns joo
Review: In his book, Leakey raises valid and often disconcerting points regarding the latest mass extinction of species on Earth. He calls this the "Sixth Extinction" and in comparison to the relatively obscure or uncertain causes of the previous five mass
extinctions (The "Big Five"), the "culprit" is certain: "We (humans) are." Leakey disappointingly spends the majority of the book describing and explaining the Big Five and effects of extinction on biodiversity. His descriptions are lucid although rather annoying and painstaking at times. We would recommend this book only to those really interested in mass extinctions and how humanity has brought about the lastest one. If the reader can move past the overtly condescending tone and fatherly attitiude, the material is certainly worthwhile.

Rating:
Summary: Extinction in a nutshell
Review: In his book, Leakey raises valid and often disconcerting points regarding the latest mass extinction of species on Earth. He calls this the "Sixth Extinction" and in comparison to the relatively obscure or uncertain causes of the previous five mass
extinctions (The "Big Five"), the "culprit" is certain: "We (humans) are." Leakey disappointingly spends the majority of the book describing and explaining the Big Five and effects of extinction on biodiversity. His descriptions are lucid although rather annoying and painstaking at times. We would recommend this book only to those really interested in mass extinctions and how humanity has brought about the lastest one. If the reader can move past the overtly condescending tone and fatherly attitiude, the material is certainly worthwhile.

Rating:
Summary: The Sixth Extinction
Review: Leakey's Sixth Extinction was a new spin on traditionally held bliefs. He compares trends in the modern world to patterns in the past five mass extinctions. He introduces new ideas like superior genes, and luck being a major deciding factor in an organism's survival. He also thinks that humans are the pinnacle of evolution. We still have the responsibility to protec and preserve organisms.
his book, though at times repetitiv and drag, intoduces new and innovative ideas bout evolution. He places a little too much emphasis on the superiority of his on work, byut what scientist wouldn't? His background in paleanthology gives him a quique outlook on life.

Rating:
Summary: The Sixth Book I've Ever Read
Review: Overall, this book presents an uncompariable insight into the future of mankind, but more importantly all life that is currently on Earth, and will be for years to come. Richard Leakey, the author of The Sixth Extinction, provides the reader with multiple theories and explanations of the evolution of species. We're in the midst of an intellectual revolution of which we as a species have two paths. One path leads to harmony and peace between man and nature, and the other path leads to a mass extinction- the sixth extinction

Rating:
Summary: Thumbs Up!
Review: Richard Leakey, a director of wildlife conservation and management department, started out hte book witha personal not of his life. Life's Salient Mystery, the Cambrian explosion, occured appoximately 530 million years ago. this topic was Leakey's fist topic, but he builds on it in later hcapeter. the Cambrian Explosion created manynew phyla. 99.9% of all the species that ever existed are now extinct. the species that are best adapted have the best chance of surviving, but luck and randomness play a role as well. We can conclude that the bigger the brain size, hte more complex the organism will be. after Leakey exlains components that shape biodiverstiy, he states that humans shoul value biodiversity. "It is what keeps us alive." Predator-prey interaction, although chaotic, is the key factor in stabilizing ecosystems. All of this analysis fromt he past led him to belive that humans are bringing a sixth extinction upon themselves.
The Sixth Extinction provided a new perspective on evolution and extinction while at the same time stating a contradicting point of view. For examle, when talking about the Cambrian Explosion, Leakey descrbes the theory that the edicarn fauna may be been the precursors to Cambrian phyla. HE then disproves this by explaining their differences in their fundamental structures. Although slightly boring at times, this book ended witha big bang.

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Summary: Lessons on Leaky 101
Review: The book was overall a history book on the evolution of life. The discussion of Darwin and his beliefs was prevelant throughout the book. The main theme of the novel itself was only presented through the last 2 chapters. Additional information should have been omitted in regards to Leakey's life and his experiences from living in Kenya. It should have been more focused on the actual human extinction rather than extra information on blah blah blah.

Rating:
Summary: the sixth extinction
Review: The overall opinions of this book are relatively positive . We all have come to the genteral consenses that Leakey's book is very informatibe and detailed. He explained the stages through tome that have come to the amount to the evolution of humans and the vairous results of each stage. However, we as a group did agree that Leakey was rather reprtitve. We believe that with a little less information reiterated again and again. The sixth extinction could be a very interesting and insightful book, offering qhuite a bit of useful knowledge.

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Summary: 6th extinction A.P.E.S.
Review: The Sixth Extinction by Richard Leakey outlined the five past major extinctions in the history of the Earth and the trends toward a sixth extinction of the Homo Sapien species. Leakey emphasized negative effects humans have on species diversity. He also stressed the importance of species diversity in the stability of ecosystems. With 30,000 species going extinct every year, humans are having adverse effects on the life on Earth, and eventually it will effect the human race. The book was intuitive and tied together wonderfully with references to many studies and research by various other scientists and philosophers.