The Great Dyings - Life After Death - Lecture 3

Explore the mysteries of mass extinction events and the remarkable recovery of life in this 59-minute Christmas Lecture delivered by palaeontologist Simon Conway Morris at The Royal Institution in 1996. Discover what happened to the dinosaurs and other extinct animal groups through an examination of meteorite impacts, including a detailed analysis of the 1908 Tunguska event in Siberia and demonstrations of what would occur if a meteorite struck London or the Atlantic Ocean. Learn how fossil evidence and bone analysis reveal the catastrophic events that led to dinosaur extinction, paving the way for the rise of modern mammals. Understand the crucial role that fossils play in reconstructing Earth's history and trace the development of life following major extinction events. Through engaging demonstrations and scientific evidence, uncover how paleontologists piece together the planet's dramatic past and the evolutionary processes that shaped life after mass dying events.