Gigantism and the age of extinction | The Royal Society

Does gigantism always lead to extinction? 🦥🐧🐍And can the fossil record help us preserve the species on Earth today? Subscribe to our channel for exciting science videos and live events, many hosted by Brian Cox, our Professor for Public Engagement: #extinction #gigantism #fossils #dinosaurs Join Dr Philip Mannion and Dr Susannah Maidment at the Natural History Museum and meet creatures such as titanoboa, a 40 foot snake from prehistoric Columbia. A scientific rule called Cope’s Law says that evolution always tends towards gigantism, but mass extinctions come along regularly enough to weed out most of the giant animals. Is this true? And what can the study of giant fossils tell us about the human driven extinction the world currently faces? Dr Philip Mannion is a Royal Society University Research Fellow. Find out more about Dr Philip Mannion: With special thanks to the Natural History Museum Watch next: What did the last day of the dinosaurs look like? ▶ Sir David Attenborough on biodiversity ▶ As biodiversity collapse creates pandemics, can we stop zoonotic disease? ▶ The Royal Society is a Fellowship of many of the world’s most eminent scientists and is the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence. Visit our website to learn more: We’re also on Twitter Facebook: Instagram: And LinkedIn: