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Hi Mike, This is news to me. I hadn't heard that Permian was caused by any kind of asteroid impact, I thought the Siberian traps were a far more likely source?

The key word is "skeptic". If you claim to be a climate change "skeptic", you're not, you're a climate change DENIER. A skeptic holds an open mind (which is good), but confronted with sufficient evidence would accept the reality of a proposition. That is exactly the situation with climate change. The science IS in, it has been in for at least a decade, and it all points in one direction. A denier is someone who denies reality in the face of mountains of evidence. And that is exactly the case with someone who refuses to acknowledge the fact of global warming. For two reasons. Either they are simply uninformed or ignorant, or more likely, their livelihood is threatened by any change to the fossil fuel industry. If you find someone on a public platform "doubting" climate science, they'll either have heavily vested interests or work for someone who does. There's an important distinction to make. If people think there is some kind of debate, but yes in the shockingly biased media perhaps, but not in the scientific community. The issue is well and truly settled there. Not that I'm expecting humanity to solve the catastrophe it's created for itself.

There's another good site too: www.realclimate.org

Presently reading Catastrophes by Donald Prothero, alongside Merchants of Doubt by Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway. Got two Steven Pinker books looking at me from the shelves too that I can't wait to dive into.

I'm not aware of anything of that ilk. Depending on him scientific interest, there's a very good boxed set of Darwin's books that came out a few years ago called "From So Simple a Beginning". It's a single volume of over 1700 pages with his 4 most well-known books - "Voyage of the Beagle", "Origin of Species", "Descent of Man", and "The Expression and Emotions of Man and Animals". I've read the first 2 and I'm about to tackle "Descent of Man". They're all 1st editions too.

Well he persuaded his father to let him go. That's the main contribution he made.

I wonder if they're going to start calling the Velociraptors "Deinonychus" now? (Which they actually are)

I remember watching it when it was released - and loving it - and being stunned at the inference that birds evolved from dinosaurs. I clearly recall thinking that this wasn't in the dinosaur books I read as a kid. Of course, a little bit of research later, and it turns out that Thomas Huxley proposed the exact same idea in 1863! Smart guy. They should put feathers on the velociraptors now too!

Correct. Mendel's work had been published in the UK, but Darwin was unaware of it when Origin of Species was written. I think Mendel knew about Darwin, can't be sure on that. To me almost the greatest evidence there is (and there is so much from so many disparate fields) is that the molecular evidence meshes perfectly with what Darwin surmised. That is mindblowing by itself.

Yeah, apparently in the early days they were literally "stacked" on board the ships. Not always pleasant reading from those times. Have to visit them at the Zoo this summer. They are magnificent animals.

I tend to agree. I'm completing a degree at the moment (part-time) as I work full-time, and I think the stricter timeframes forces you to knuckle down. Self-study is great to an extent, but I find for me anyway unless you have rigid deadlines to meet you can always put it off.

1. Why Evolution is True - Jerry Coyne 2. The Calendar - David Ewing Duncan 3. The Ancestor's Tale - Richard Dawkins

1. Peter the Great - Robert Massie Most brilliant history book I've ever read. Massie's writing style is so good, so easy to follow, so smooth, that it seems you're reading a short story rather than dramatic European history. An incredible subject with a support cast of equally amazing characters. Impressed me so much I travelled to Russia after reading it. Magnificent. 2. Byzantium - John Julius Norwich Lord Norwich's 3 volume history of the mostly-forgotten Byzantine Empire is a wonderful and absorbing read. Real life tales that are both true and horrible, from family murders, crusades, emperors without noses, it's got it all. 3. Last Place on Earth - Roland Huntford I've misplaced my copy of this and have to get another. Great account of the race to the South Pole in 1912 between Roald Amundsen and Robert Scott. Controversial as it demolishes the myth of Scott and shows him to be a rank amateur whereas Amundsen was coldly professional. Great book. 4. The Calendar - David Ewing Duncan Great account of man's constant tinkering with measuring time, right up until mid-1949 when it was finally achieved on a worldwide scale. Excellent. 5. Fingerprints of the Gods - Graham Hancock Even if you don't believe his theories, it's an intriguing and entertaining read. Great way to learn a little about Ancient Egypt, Mexico and South America too. 6. Man on the Moon - Andrew Chaikin Wonderful history of the Apollo program, covering every Apollo mission with fascinating stories of the incredibly driven and focused individuals involved. 7. True Adventures of the Rolling Stones - Stanley Booth The definitive rock and roll band on their definitive tour. The music biography that all others are judged against. 8. Why Evolution is True - Jerry Coyne Masterful demonstration of the fact of evolution, with numerous overwhelming examples. Mandatory reading for anyone with an interest in the natural world. Actually it should be just mandatory reading. 9. The Ancestor's Tale - Richard Dawkins Not quite as good as the one above, but still brilliant. 10. 1984 - George Orwell Brilliant, scary, troubling, Orwell looks into the future superbly in this classic.

Yep, and as mentioned already they suckle their young with milk, and have hair (around the blowholes, at least in whales). Jerry Coyne's excellent Why Evolution is True has a good section on the evolution of whales.