Mike Hannah is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. He completed his PhD at Adelaide University, specialising in palaeontology and biostratigraphy. This was followed by a stint in industry after which he took up the position at Victoria University. Throughout his career he has been fascinated by the story of the evolution of early life on Earth and the terrifying consequences of the mass extinctions that are evident in the fossil record. He has published a book (Extinctions – living and dying in the margin of error – Cambridge university Press) which focuses on the Earth System, mass extinctions and assesses the likelihood that we are in the early stages of such an event.