Peter Ward (paleontologist)

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For other persons named Peter Ward, see Peter Ward (disambiguation).

Peter D. Ward is a paleontologist and professor of Biology and of Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington. Ward is co-author, along with Donald Brownlee, of the best-selling Rare Earth: Why Complex Life Is Uncommon in the Universe, published in 2000. In the work the authors suggest that the universe is fundamentally hostile to advanced life, and that while simple life might be abundant the likelihood of widespread lifeforms as advanced as those on Earth is marginal.

Ward also specializes in the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction and mass extinctions generally. Along with Rare Earth, he has published eight books on biodiversity and the fossil record. Ward also serves as an adjunct professor of zoology and astronomy.

1 Appearances
2 See Also
3 Selected works
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Appearances

Peter Ward was featured in the PBS Evolution Series [1] to discuss the evidence for evolution in the geologic record and has appeared on NOVA Science Now.

[edit] See Also

Gorgonopsia

[edit] Selected works

Rivers in Time (2000)
Rare Earth: Why Complex Life Is Uncommon in the Universe with Donald Brownlee (2000)
Future Evolution (2001) ISBN 0-7167-3496-6
The Life and Death of Planet Earth: How the New Science of Astrobiology Charts the Ultimate Fate of Our World with Donald Brownlee (2003) ISBN 0-8050-6781-7
Gorgon: Obsession, Paleontology, and the Greatest Mass Extinction (2004)
Life as We Do Not Know It (2005) ISBN 0-670-03458-4
Out of Thin Air: Dinosaurs, Birds, and Earth's Ancient Atmosphere (2006) ISBN 0-309-10061-5