Mass extinctions, their causes and consequences: an interview with Douglas H. Erwin and Shuzhong Shen

'Mass extinctions' have been a hot topic for several decades. What triggers a mass extinction? How does a mass extinction impact the evolution of life? How does our ecosystem recover after a mass extinction? These questions attracted the interest of both scientists and the public alike. NSR spoke to two renowned researchers in the field of mass extinctions: Prof. Douglas H. Erwin from the National Museum of Natural History of the USA, and Prof. Shuzhong Shen from Nanjing University, China. Prof. Erwin has been interested in the end-Permian mass extinction since graduate school. He has worked on a variety of problems, from Permian gastropod systematics to the origin of animals. Currently his work focuses on the nature of evolutionary novelty and innovation. Prof. Shen's research career is centered upon the end-Permian mass extinction, Permian stratigraphy and global correlations, with taxonomic expertise on brachiopods and conodonts. The International Commission on Stratigraphy recognizes his outstanding singular contribution to stratigraphy and awarded him the ICS Stratigraphy Medal in 2019.