Episode 64: When life nearly died

Around 250 million years ago, the largest biotic crisis the world has ever known occurred. The Permo-Triassic Mass Extinction (PTME) was an event that saw the loss of up to 95% of all species. The extinction forever changed the face of life on this planet, but what caused it? How long did the PTME last? Who were the big winners and losers? And how long did it take for life to recover?

Prof. Mike Benton, University of Bristol, joins us to discuss these questions and more. Read even more about the PTME in Mike’s book When Life Nearly Died (2015). We also discuss the PTME as part of our look at Mass Extinctions in Episode 23.