The extinction of the dinosaurs, 65 million years ago, has been the focus for debate for over 100 years. Yet only recently, have sudden and brief episodes of climate change in the Triassic (about 240 million years ago) been linked to the gradual increase in types and sizes of dinosaurs. This talk, by the world’s pre-eminent dinosaurologist, Professor Mike Benton of Bristol University, will explore the relationship between volcanic eruptions, mass extinctions, climate change and the rise of the dinosaurs before the Jurassic.