From the author of Optics and Shifting Shores comes a detailed and mesmerizing look into the mystery of mass extinctions. Vanishing Life takes readers into the fascinating phenomenon of mass extinction as Jeff Hecht bust myths with shocking facts in this spellbinding book. In clear and lucid style, Hecht explores the geological evidence of extinction and its interpretation, the evolution of species, fossilization, and the theories by which science attempts to explain various "dyings.".