★ Latest work by Korea’s top science storyteller, Director Teolbo! ★
★ Hit lectures featured on JTBC Differentiated Class and tvN Accidentally Adult ★
★ Strongly recommended by Gwedo and Professor Kim Sang-wook! ★
★ Selected Recommended Book for the 2024 Youth Nonfiction Book of the Year
“More entertaining than fiction, more moving than documentaries!”
Orcas, Neanderthals, corals, trilobites…The astonishing 4.6-billion-year adventure told by Earth’s living beings.

Lee Jeong-mo, Korea’s premier science storyteller known as Director Teolbo, returns with a new book after a three-year hiatus. Having captivated audiences with lectures on Earth’s history and mass extinctions on broadcasts including JTBC Differentiated Class, tvN Accidentally Adult, and his YouTube channel, amassing over 11 million cumulative views, the author now delivers a full narrative retelling of Earth’s 4.6-billion-year history through the lens of extinction in Brilliant Extinction.

Breaking away from conventional big-history narratives that unfold chronologically, this book opens with a story narrated by artificial intelligence in the year 2150, after humanity’s demise. The timeline travels backward: from the 2100s when Mars terraforming is carried out, to 2024, when glaciers still remain on Earth, all the way back to the birth of our planet 4.6 billion years ago. This sweeping history is woven together with vivid illustrations.
Furthermore, Earth’s creatures—including orcas, Neanderthals, corals and trilobites—each share their own stories, overturning all conventional human perspectives on our planet. True to his reputation as “Korea’s Bill Bryson,” Lee Jeong-mo’s signature laid-back, witty storytelling keeps readers smiling throughout. As readers turn the pages, absorbed as if reading a novel, they effortlessly grasp Earth’s 4.6-billion-year history.

This explains why physicist Professor Kim Sang-wook praised him: “Lee Jeong-mo is the only writer who can tackle such a timely topic with this much flair.” Science communicator Gwedo also gave a powerful recommendation, commenting: “It inspires us to imagine our brilliant future after overcoming extreme hardship.”

Balancing knowledge and entertainment, the book has been named a Selected Recommended Title for the 2024 Youth Nonfiction Book of the Year, captivating readers from teenagers to adults alike.

Earth has endured five mass extinctions, yet each time life evolved into even more wondrous forms. Through Brilliant Extinction, readers will gain a remarkable experience: learning to imagine the approaching future with curiosity rather than fear. Discover this essential new nonfiction work for humanity living through Earth’s sixth mass extinction.

“The Earth has endured five mass extinctions, yet each time life evolved into something even more wondrous!”
Discover Earth’s history through the ingenious imagination of Director Lee Jeong‑mo, Korea’s own Bill Bryson.
When we hear the word “extinction,” we usually picture something negative. But extinction is also the starting point for new life. For new species to emerge, others must make way. The history of life is equally a history of extinction.
Lee Jeong‑mo, affectionately known as the “Bearded Curator,” spent twelve years in museum leadership: five years as Director of Seodaemun Natural History Museum, four years as Director of Seoul Science Museum, and three years as Director of Gwacheon National Science Museum. He has long brought scientific stories to general readers with wit. In this new work, he explores Earth’s astonishing 4.6‑billion‑year history through the lens of extinction, examining the vitality of life that evolved into ever more brilliant forms after surviving five mass extinctions.
Lee’s lectures on mass extinction, featured on JTBC’s Differentiated Class, tvN’s Accidentally Adult, and his YouTube channel, have accumulated over 11 million views. Now, in Brilliant Extinction, he enriches those stories with bold creative imagination to craft an even more gripping narrative.
True to his reputation as Korea’s Bill Bryson, Lee does not simply list historical events. Instead of following chronological order, the book travels backward from 2150 — a future era imagined after humanity’s collapse — all the way to 4.6 billion years ago, when Earth was born. It unfolds seventeen pivotal scenes from the perspectives of living beings that triggered dramatic shifts on our planet. Readers will encounter fresh accounts of humanity’s mass extinction, Mars terraforming, the rivalry between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens, the emergence of sex and death, and the dawn of life sparked by the Moon and oceans.
Blending cutting‑edge science and vivid imagination, this title was selected as a recommended book for the 2024 Youth Nonfiction Book of the Year. Physicist Professor Kim Sang‑wook praised it: “As far as I know, Lee Jeong‑mo is the only writer who can tackle such a timely subject with this flair and captivating style.” Science communicator Gwedo offered strong endorsement for general readers concerned about Earth and humanity’s future: “The book alone merits reading, for it inspires us to envision our brilliant future after overcoming extreme hardship.”
Readers will confront the meaning of “brilliant extinction” and experience profound wonder stirred by life’s great irony.
“It reads as engagingly as a novel —
and suddenly you grasp 4.6 billion years of history!”
Orcas, Neanderthals, corals, trilobites…
Hear startling new history straight from Earth’s living beings.
Brilliant Extinction delivers unique delight unavailable in any other book. Unlike most works about Earth’s history that present knowledge from a detached human viewpoint, this book lets roughly twenty species that shaped the planet share their own stories: orcas, Neanderthals, corals, trilobites, and more.
The narrative opens in 2150, when artificial intelligence, and later Mars robots in 2100, uncover the causes and progression of humanity’s mass extinction. From there, the stories unfold: global warming as told by orcas in 2024; the extinction of Neanderthals 40,000 years ago; the secret behind great white sharks’ 400‑million‑year survival, having outlived four mass extinctions; and the grand origin of Earth and life narrated by the Moon and oceans 4.5 billion years ago. Scientific insights seen through the eyes of Earth’s creatures unfold seamlessly.
A master storyteller, the “Bearded Curator” Lee Jeong‑mo tells tales with playful nonchalance and his signature dry humour, keeping readers smiling throughout. As you turn pages absorbed as if reading fiction, Earth’s 4.6‑billion‑year history clicks into place effortlessly.
Lee never misses moments of deep emotion. Readers easily immerse themselves in each character’s perspective and discover feelings unlike those evoked by human‑centred narratives. You come to understand the history of life more profoundly by stepping into the shoes of other Earth dwellers. Familiar events — the rise of Homo sapiens and civilisation, the extinction of dinosaurs following an asteroid impact, oceans generating oxygen to spawn life — feel completely fresh.
There is a clear reason to examine Earth’s history in reverse: to view our familiar home planet with new eyes. This remarkable book encourages you to experience everyday surroundings anew — the soil beneath your feet, the scent of grass drifting past your nose, the chirp of insects on summer nights — and awakens awe for the beauty of the Earth we inhabit.
“Will humans still live on Earth in 2150?”
Essential scientific knowledge for humanity in an age of extreme climate crisis.
Earth’s climate is changing rapidly every single day. Rising sea temperatures trigger mass fish die‑offs; erratic rainfall sends food prices soaring. Sudden violent downpours causing injury and death have become commonplace. Is climate crisis an unavoidable fate? How long can humanity survive on Earth?
To seek answers, Brilliant Extinction structures Earth’s history into three parts:
The Era of Climate Crisis, covering humanity’s present risk of extinction;
The Age of Homo Sapiens, tracing how dinosaurs vanished during a mass extinction and Homo sapiens rose to become Earth’s apex predator;
and The Era of Life’s Birth, capturing the miraculous moments when Earth and life first formed.
Illustrations aid comprehension, alongside a geologic time scale for quick reference, a geologic clock that condenses 4.6 billion years into a 24‑hour day, and artwork reconstructing extinct creatures. Paired with Lee’s lively prose, these elements bring joy and emotion, making the book accessible to readers young and old.
Over 4.6 billion years, Earth has experienced five mass extinctions — and we are now living through the sixth. Climate change ultimately triggered all five earlier catastrophes. Back then, life could do nothing to stop volcanic eruptions, continental drift, or meteor impacts. Yet the sixth mass extinction is different. Today’s climate change stems not from natural forces, but human activity. Lee Jeong‑mo shares a message of hope: most technologies needed to overcome the climate crisis already exist; with resolve, humanity can survive this sixth extinction.
The Earth has weathered five mass extinctions, and each time life evolved into something more extraordinary. As readers journey through the vast history of our planet, life and humankind, they will move beyond fear of the future and embrace the joy of imaginative wonder.

Lee Jeong‑mo
Served 5 years as director of Seodaemun Natural History Museum, 4 years as director of Seoul Science Museum, and 3 years as director of Gwacheon National Science Museum. Over 12‑year tenure known as “Bearded Curator”, he has strived to make science accessible and enjoyable for readers of all ages, from children to adults. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Biochemistry from Yonsei University. In 2019, he received the Science and Technology Medal (Jinbo‑jang) for his contributions to popularizing science.
His previous book Brilliant Extinction, which narrates Earth’s history like a novel, became an instant science‑category bestseller upon release. It was selected as Book of the Year 2025 by Daegu, Gwangyang, Changwon, Pyeongtaek and Siheung, and named a Recommended Title in the 2024 Youth Non‑fiction Book Awards by the Publication Culture Promotion Foundation, establishing itself as essential reading for all age groups.
He rose to fame by explaining scientific knowledge in an engaging, approachable style on cultural‑education TV programs including tvN Useless‑yet‑Fun Earth Trivia Dictionary, EBS Hobby: Science, and JTBC Differentiated Class. Today he runs the Penguin Miscellaneous Science Museum and continues to popularize science through writing and public lectures.

Foreword
Prologue – Can We Survive on Earth Forever?
Geologic Time Scale
Geologic Clock
PART 1. The Ongoing Mass Extinction: The Era of Climate Crisis
Extinction Marks the Beginning of New Life
– The Extinction of Humanity as Told by Artificial Intelligence in 2150
The Final Fate of Humans Who Migrated to Mars
– Terraforming as Told by Mars Robots in 2100
The Myth That Melting Arctic Icebergs Will Submerge Islands
– Global Warming as Told by Orcas in 2024
Is Global Warming Unstoppable?
– The Extinction of Corals as Told by Charles Darwin and Corals
The Sixth Mass Extinction Has Begun
– The Anthropocene as Told by the Earth
PART 2. The Apex Predator Born from the Dinosaur Extinction: The Age of Homo Sapiens
A World Where Nomadism Is No Longer Possible
– The Confession of Paleolithic Humans 10,000 Years Ago: Our Own Extinction
Why Only Homo Sapiens Survived
– The Confession of Neanderthals 40,000 Years Ago: Our Own Extinction
Giant Cats That Vanished from Starvation
– Smilodon Tells Its Own Story of Extinction, 12,000 Years Ago
Unknown Hunters Have Arrived
– Woolly Mammoths Tell the Story of Large Herbivorous Mammal Extinction, 12,000 Years Ago
A Fireball That Destroyed Nearly Everything
– Dinosaurs Tell the Story of the Fifth Mass Extinction, 66 Million Years Ago
PART 3. The Grand Dawn of Evolution and Symbiosis: The Era of Life’s Birth
Dinosaurs That Survived Volcanic Eruptions
– Postosuchus Tells the Story of the Fourth Mass Extinction, 210 Million Years Ago
95 Percent of All Life Disappeared
– Dimetrodon Tells the Story of the Third Mass Extinction, 251 Million Years Ago
The Birth of Coal, the Trigger of Climate Crises
– Meganeura Tells Its Own Story of Extinction, 300 Million Years Ago
The Only Animal to Survive Four Mass Extinctions
– Modern Great White Sharks Reveal the Secret of 400 Million Years of Survival
Eyes Finally Evolve
– Trilobites Tell the Story of Evolution’s Beginning, 541 Million Years Ago
Do You Know How Sex Began?
– Mitochondria Tell the Story of Evolution’s Beginning, One Billion Years Ago
The Beginning and End of All Stories
– The Moon and the Ocean Tell the Story of Life’s Birth, 4.5 Billion Years Ago
References
Image Credits