Life on Earth has experienced at least five major events we call “mass extinctions,” during which a huge number of species have gone extinct in a short period of time. In this talk, paleontologist Phoebe Cohen will explore how scientists decide which extinctions get to be considered “mass,” the ways in which these events have reshaped life as we know it, and how a deep understanding of past extinctions can help us see the future.
Phoebe Cohen is a paleontologist and an Assistant Professor in Geosciences at Williams College where she pursues her interests in research and teaching. Cohen's research utilizes a wide variety of microscopic and microchemical techniques, combined with complementary data from field-based stratigraphy and sedimentology, to reconstruct ancient organisms and ecosystems.