Evolution from the origin of life to the present and evidence that humans are likely next in line to become extinct. This book examines humans as another animal in the biosphere that is temporarily at the top of the food chain. Like other biosphere animals, humans are subject to the same stresses of nature that have caused the extinction of billions of species from the appearance of life to the present. It also looks at Creationism and challenges the Genesis myth and Intelligent Design. The geologic record is clear: larger and more complex organisms are the first animals to become extinct during stressful events in the biosphere. There is nothing inevitable about humans evolving on earth or humans surviving to the end of the solar system. Like other biosphere animals, humans are subject to the same stresses of nature that have caused the extinction of billions of species from the appearance of life to the present. This book is a short study of evolution from the origin of life to the present and examines humans as another animal in the biosphere that is temporarily at the top of the food chain. The first three chapters of this book are short accounts of the geologic and biologic sciences that document the origin of life, the unpredictability of subsequent evolution, the evolution of animals from their first visibility in the Cambrian era, 550 million years ago, and the superpredation of humans that has propelled them to the top of the food chain. The final three chapters are critical looks at the origins of American fundamentalism, intelligent design and human extinction. Additionally, there is a comprehensive bibliography and a table that lists the eras of geologic time.

Ronald E. Seavoy is professor emeritus of history at Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio.

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