Steve Brusatte is Professor of Palaeontology and Evolution at the University of Edinburgh. He studies the evolution of dinosaurs and mammals, and has written over 170 research papers and several books, including the bestselling popular science books The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs and the Rise and Reign of the Mammals. He is an avid communicator of science and was recently palaeontology consultant on the 2022 film Jurassic World: Dominion.

The fall of the dinosaurs and rise of the mammals

Dinosaurs ruled the world for over 150 million years, evolving into spectacular beasts like Tyrannosaurus rex and long-necked species that were larger than Boeing 737 airplanes. Some of them sprouted feathers and wings and learned to fly, and became the birds of today. But all other dinosaurs died suddenly when a giant asteroid fell from the sky 66 million years ago. The devastating extinction that followed opened the door for surviving species to forge a new world, and our tiny mammalian ancestors did just that. This talk will weave together the stories of dinosaurs and mammals to show how our modern world emerged. It will also share stories of field adventures and new fossil discoveries, including 170-million-year-old Jurassic dinosaurs found on the Isle of Skye in Scotland.