Riley Black

Riley Black
Alma materRutgers University
Occupation(s)Paleontologist and science writer
Known forAuthor of natural history books and articles
AwardsNCSE Friend of Darwin award (2024);[1] AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books (2023)[2]

Riley Black (formerly Brian Switek) is an American paleontologist and science writer.[3][4] As “a widely-recognized expert on paleontology,”[5] she is the author of natural history books such as When the Earth was Green, The Last Days of the Dinosaurs, Skeleton Keys, and My Beloved Brontosaurus.

Biography

Black studied Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at Rutgers University.[6][7] She is a prolific author,[8] known for her “accessible and beautiful writing,”[9] who encourages everyone to learn from the experts and embrace the sciences, regardless of educational background.[10]

Riley Black’s books include When the Earth was Green[11] (released in 2025), The Last Days of the Dinosaurs, Skeleton Keys, and My Beloved Brontosaurus;[12] her engaging style of writing is consistently informed by science.[13] Her work vividly provides the deep knowledge necessary—knowledge of geology, evolution, ecology, paleontology, and more—to understand and appreciate the history and future of life on our planet.[14] She began her career as a science writer by launching the blog Laelaps, eventually branching out to write columns for a number of popular periodicals.[7] Black was hired as "resident paleontologist" for the 2015 film Jurassic World.[15] She is a regular guest on the radio show/podcast Science Friday.[16] She also starred in the 2022 documentaries Alaskan Dinosaurs and Dinosaur Apocalypse.[15]

Black previously wrote under the name Brian Switek.[17] In 2019, she came out publicly as transgender and non-binary and started hormone replacement therapy.[3][18] In the journal Nature she remarks that “palaeontology presents queer people with terrain as challenging as any fossil-flecked desert.”[3]

Bibliography

Books

  • Written in Stone: Evolution, the Fossil Record, and Our Place in Nature. New York: Bellevue Literary Press. 2010. ISBN 9781934137291
  • My Beloved Brontosaurus: On the Road with Old Bones, New science, and Our Favorite Dinosaurs. New York: Scientific American/Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 2013. ISBN 9780374534264
  • The T. Rex Handbook. Kennebunkport, ME: Applesauce Press. 2016. ISBN 9781604336030
  • Skeleton Keys: The Secret Life of Bone. New York: Riverhead Books. 2019. ISBN 9780399184901
  • Deep Time: An Illustrated Exploration of 4.5 Billion Years of Time Through Artefacts, Places and Phenomena. 2021. London: Welbeck. ISBN 9781787397439
  • Dinosaurs: Profiles from a Lost World. New York: Shelter Harbor Press. 2022. ISBN 9781627951838
  • The Last Days of the Dinosaurs: An Asteroid, Extinction, and the Beginning of Our World. New York: St. Martin's Press. 2022. ISBN 9781250271044
  • Prehistoric Predators. Kennebunkport, ME: Appleseed Press Book Publishers. 2022. ISBN 9781604642612
  • Deep Water. London: Welbeck. 2023. ISBN 9781802792584
  • When the Earth was Green: Plants, Animals, and Evolution's Greatest Romance. New York: St. Martin's Press. 2025. ISBN 9781250288998

References

  1. ^ "Friend of Darwin and Friend of the Planet Awards ceremony 2024 | National Center for Science Education".
  2. ^ "The Last Days of the Dinosaurs: An Asteroid, Extinction, and the Beginning of Our World".
  3. ^ a b c Black, Riley (2019). "Queer voices in palaeontology". Nature. doi:10.1038/d41586-019-02113-6. PMID 32620880. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  4. ^ "Articles by Riley Black from Smithsonian Magazine". Smithsonian Magazine.
  5. ^ Suburu of America, Inc. (March 1, 2023). "Subaru of America and AAAS announce winners of 2023 Prize for Excellence in Science Books". PR Newswire. Retrieved 2025-06-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ "Riley Black". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Riley Black — Museum of the Earth". Museum of the Earth. 20 August 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  8. ^ The King's English Bookshop. "Riley Black & Dallin Kohler, Tuesday Jul 8th, 2025". King’s English. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
  9. ^ Breitinger, Jim (June 7, 2022). "Science writer Riley Black illuminates the day that changed life on earth forever". Natural History Museum of Utah. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
  10. ^ Tripathy-Lang, Alka (2024-07-25). "Riley Black: Bringing fossils to life". Eos (American Geophysical Union). Retrieved 2025-06-30.
  11. ^ Horan, Richard (March 7, 2025). "Earth's green evolution gave rise to everything from dinosaurs to dandelions". CSMonitor. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
  12. ^ "Riley Black". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  13. ^ St. Louis County Library (March 19, 2025). "Paleontologist and bestselling author Riley Black on "When the Earth Was Green"". www.slcl.org. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
  14. ^ Kendall, George (January 1–15, 2025). "When the Earth Was Green: Plants, Animals, and Evolution's Greatest Romance [book review]". Booklist. 121 (9/10): 11 – via Academic Search Complete (EBSCO).
  15. ^ a b "About Riley". Riley Black. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  16. ^ "Riley Black". Science Friday. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
  17. ^ "My Own Personal Extinction". Scientific American Blog Network. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  18. ^ "Riley Black". Geobiology & Geomicrobiology Division. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
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