Sex, Disasters, And The Extinction Of Dinosaurs By Stephen Jay Gould

Dinosaurs ruled the earth for millions of years before the human species inhabited the planet, and thankfully for the human race, they became extinct. Ultimately, only a major catastrophe could completely dismantle an entire species, let alone a body of dinosaurs. Consequently, the debacle on the causes of dinosaur extinction have baffled the minds of paleontologists for centuries. Geologist and zoologist Stephen Jay Gould published “Sex, Drugs, Disasters, and the Extinction of Dinosaurs,” to compare scientific and speculative causes of dinosaur extinction. This passage is highly informative and enjoyable. Gould provides three theories-- sex, drugs, and disasters-- that capture the reader’s curiosity, allowing room for consideration. Defining science in his own words, Gould states that science is a fruitful inquiry, not a list of conclusions (Gould 400). Gould is unhappy with the failure scientists have in separating claims from methods when establishing facts; furthermore, he proposes three ideas to explain the extinction of dinosaurs, two of which are speculations and the other one science (Gould 400). The first theory, sex, proposes that because of a worldwide rise in temperature during the Cretaceous period, the male reproduction system can't operate (Gould 402). Moreover, male …show more content…
Stephen Jay Gould, geologist and zoologist, thankfully interprets each proposition in his essay “Sex, Drugs, Disasters and the Extinction of Dinosaurs” to determine which of these theories are genuinely scientific or merely speculation. Ultimately, the theory of asteroidal zapping was proven by Gould to be the most scientific proposal. In conclusion, Gould’s essay is not only informative and entertaining, but it's extensive in a way that makes the readers want further their knowledge on dinosaur