October 15, 2006: Climate and Extinction - Peter Ward | Hawaii Earthquake - Stan Deyo

Art Bell opens with breaking coverage of a 6.6 magnitude earthquake that struck Hawaii, then speaks with earthquake researcher Stan Deyo and paleontologist Peter Ward across a broadcast packed with natural disasters and deep science. From Manila, Art reports on widespread damage across the Hawaiian islands, power outages on Oahu, and takes calls from residents on the Big Island describing shattered glass, shifted homes, and relentless aftershocks.

Stan Deyo explains that his Navy-derived seismic stress data detected signals west of Hawaii days before the quake. He raises concerns about the unusual pattern of aftershocks resembling a collapsing caldera edge and warns of potential stress building toward the San Francisco coast. The conversation touches on whether the quake could trigger volcanic eruptions or further instability beneath the islands.

Peter Ward, professor of biology and earth sciences at the University of Washington, shifts the focus to mass extinction. He describes how oxygen levels have swung dramatically over Earth history, argues that dinosaurs evolved specifically as low-oxygen specialists, and warns that rising carbon dioxide could push oceans into toxic hydrogen sulfide production. Ward points to growing oceanic dead zones as early evidence that the conditions behind past extinction events may be returning.