Extinct! (BBC Radio 4 Documentary)

Extinct!

From BBC Radio 4. Presented by Adam Rutherford.

Episode 1:

Adam Rutherford explores the four mass extinctions in Earth's pre-history, meeting experts to discover the causes of these events. He visits an unassuming suburb in Pennsylvania, where geologist Paul Olsen has found a thin layer of rock that contains evidence of a global catastrophe that wiped out at least three quarters of the world's species approximately 202 million years ago.

Episode 2:

Adam Rutherford reveals why many biologists believe humanity has set Earth on course for its sixth global mass extinction. He assesses the roles of hunting, habitat destruction and climate change in making researchers draw this conclusion, and visits a project in India aiming to save the Ganges river dolphin from extinction.

Episode 3:

Adam Rutherford examines the fate of Homo erectus, one of the first and longest-surviving hominid species. He also details theories as to why the Neanderthals became extinct around 30,000 years ago, including suggestions that they were absorbed by Homo sapiens through inter-species breeding.