It is old news, I admit. Two hundred and fifty-one million years old, to be precise. But the story of whathappened then, which has now been told for the first time, demands our urgent attention. Its implications aremore profound than anything taking place in Iraq, or Washington, or even (and I am sorry to burst your bubble)Wimbledon. Unless we understand what happened, and act upon that intelligence, pre-history may very soonrepeat itself, not as tragedy, but as catastrophe.