World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!

D-Index & Metrics

Ecology and Evolution

D-Index
100
Citations
37010
World Ranking
279
National Ranking
43

Earth Science

D-Index
94
Citations
33256
World Ranking
196
National Ranking
22

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2014 - Fellow of the Royal Society, United Kingdom
  • 2008 - Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh

Overview

Michael J. Benton is affiliated with the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom and has a significant body of research within Earth and Planetary Sciences and Environmental Science. Their work extensively covers Paleontology and its related disciplines, contributing notably to both the fossil record and evolutionary biology.

The scientist's main research fields include:

  • Earth and Planetary Sciences
  • Environmental Science

Subfields of interest focus on:

  • Paleontology
  • Nature and Landscape Conservation
  • Global and Planetary Change
  • Geology
  • Atmospheric Science

Michael J. Benton's published topics emphasize:

  • Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology
  • Evolution and Paleontology Studies
  • Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
  • Ichthyology and Marine Biology
  • Amphibian and Reptile Biology
  • Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
  • Marine Biology and Ecology Research

Noteworthy recent publications include:

  • The Angiosperm Terrestrial Revolution and the origins of modern biodiversity, 2021, New Phytologist
  • The origin of endothermy in synapsids and archosaurs and arms races in the Triassic, 2020, Gondwana Research

In collaboration, Benton frequently partners with other researchers, including:

  • Emily J. Rayfield (20 joint publications)
  • Thomas L. Stubbs (19 joint publications)
  • David I. Whiteside (16 joint publications)
  • Christopher J. Duffin (13 joint publications)
  • Li Tian (11 joint publications)

The scientist has contributed multiple articles to key venues such as:

  • Proceedings of the Geologists Association
  • Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology
  • Current Biology
  • Palaeontology
  • Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)

Michael J. Benton has also authored books published by Princeton University Press, including titles focused on dinosaur behavior published in 2023.

Recognition includes fellowships awarded by authoritative scientific bodies:

  • Fellow of the Royal Society, United Kingdom (2014)
  • Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (2008)

Best Publications

  • Paleontological Evidence to Date the Tree of Life

    Michael J Benton;Philip C J Donoghue

  • Diversification and extinction in the history of life

    MJ Benton

  • The timing and pattern of biotic recovery following the end-Permian mass extinction

    Zhong-Qiang Chen;Michael J. Benton

  • Best practices for justifying fossil calibrations

    James F. Parham;James F. Parham;James F. Parham;Philip C. J. Donoghue;Christopher J. Bell;Tyler D. Calway

  • The fossil record 2

    M. J. Benton

  • The Red Queen and the Court Jester: Species Diversity and the Role of Biotic and Abiotic Factors Through Time

    Michael J. Benton

  • How to kill (almost) all life: the end-Permian extinction event

    Michael J. Benton;Richard J. Twitchett

  • When Life Nearly Died: The Greatest Mass Extinction of All Time

    Michael J. Benton

  • Superiority, Competition, and Opportunism in the Evolutionary Radiation of Dinosaurs

    Stephen L. Brusatte;Michael J. Benton;Marcello Ruta;Graeme T. Lloyd

  • Classification and phylogeny of the diapsid reptiles

    Michael J. Benton

  • Rocks and clocks: calibrating the Tree of Life using fossils and molecules

    Philip C.J. Donoghue;Michael J. Benton

  • Recovery from the most profound mass extinction of all time.

    Sarda Sahney;Michael J Benton

  • Dinosaurs and the Cretaceous Terrestrial Revolution

    Graeme T Lloyd;Katie E Davis;Davide Pisani;James E Tarver

  • Fossilized melanosomes and the colour of Cretaceous dinosaurs and birds

    Fucheng Zhang;Stuart L. Kearns;Patrick J. Orr;Michael J. Benton

  • Early Jurassic mass extinction: A global long-term event

    Crispin T. S. Little;Michael J. Benton

  • The origin and early radiation of dinosaurs

    Stephen L. Brusatte;Sterling J. Nesbitt;Randall B. Irmis;Richard J. Butler

  • Constraints on the timescale of animal evolutionary history

    Michael J. Benton;Philip C.J. Donoghue;Robert J. Asher;Matt Friedman

  • PHYLOGENY OF THE MAJOR TETRAPOD GROUPS - MORPHOLOGICAL DATA AND DIVERGENCE DATES

    Michael J. Benton

  • Ecosystem remodelling among vertebrates at the Permian–Triassic boundary in Russia

    M. J. Benton;V. P. Tverdokhlebov;M. V. Surkov

  • Dating the Tree of Life

    Michael J. Benton;Francisco J. Ayala

  • The Unity of Evolutionary Biology

    Michael J Benton

  • The age of dinosaurs in Russia and Mongolia

    Michael J Benton

Frequent Co-Authors

Zhong-Qiang Chen
Zhong-Qiang Chen China University of Geosciences
Xing Xu
Xing Xu Chinese Academy of Sciences
Jinnan Tong
Jinnan Tong China University of Geosciences
Philip C. J. Donoghue
Philip C. J. Donoghue University of Bristol
Howard J. Falcon-Lang
Howard J. Falcon-Lang Royal Holloway University of London
Richard J. Twitchett
Richard J. Twitchett Natural History Museum
James F. Parham
James F. Parham California State University, Fullerton
Haijun Song
Haijun Song China University of Geosciences
Ricard V. Solé
Ricard V. Solé Pompeu Fabra University
Walter G. Joyce
Walter G. Joyce University of Fribourg

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