Author: J. William Schopf
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691237573
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 404
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Book Description
One of the greatest mysteries in reconstructing the history of life on Earth has been the apparent absence of fossils dating back more than 550 million years. We have long known that fossils of sophisticated marine life-forms existed at the dawn of the Cambrian Period, but until recently scientists had found no traces of Precambrian fossils. The quest to find such traces began in earnest in the mid-1960s and culminated in one dramatic moment in 1993 when William Schopf identified fossilized microorganisms three and a half billion years old. This startling find opened up a vast period of time--some eighty-five percent of Earth's history--to new research and new ideas about life's beginnings. In this book, William Schopf, a pioneer of modern paleobiology, tells for the first time the exciting and fascinating story of the origins and earliest evolution of life and how that story has been unearthed. Gracefully blending his personal story of discovery with the basics needed to understand the astonishing science he describes, Schopf has produced an introduction to paleobiology for the interested reader as well as a primer for beginning students in the field. He considers such questions as how did primitive bacteria, pond scum, evolve into the complex life-forms found at the beginning of the Cambrian Period? How do scientists identify ancient microbes and what do these tiny creatures tell us about the environment of the early Earth? (And, in a related chapter, Schopf discusses his role in the controversy that swirls around recent claims of fossils in the famed meteorite from Mars.) Like all great teachers, Schopf teaches the non-specialist enough about his subject along the way that we can easily follow his descriptions of the geology, biology, and chemistry behind these discoveries. Anyone interested in the intriguing questions of the origins of life on Earth and how those origins have been discovered will find this story the best place to start.
Author: Vincent Carruthers
Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa
ISBN: 1775845990
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 419
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Book Description
The Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site situated in the heart of the Magaliesberg Biosphere Reserve is the jewel in South Africa’s evolutionary crown: an area ‘of outstanding universal value’, it has attracted world-wide interest and furnished key evidence about where, when and how we came to be. The greater Magaliesberg area is peppered with some 200 caves and has a unique geology, history and biodiversity. For decades now, specialists have been combing the area to uncover evidence of our heritage. In his spectacular new title, Vincent Carruthers guides readers along a timeline, from the birth of our planet through to developments of the twenty first century. Along the way he documents the formation of our landscapes and the emergence of life, the rise of hominins, the stone and iron ages, early settlement, migrations, wars and modern developments in the Magaliesberg – the entire evolution of life up to the present, as we know it. Vividly illustrated with photographs, maps and diagrams, Cradle of Life portrays the intrigue and importance of the site, taking readers on a magical journey of discovery. Sales points: Authoritative handling of a complex topic; lavishly illustrated with colourful photos and diagrams; chronological detailing of key events from the beginning of time up to the modern age; accessible and appealing to a wide range of users, from visitors to students, enthusiasts and academics
Author: Dave Stern
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0743483022
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 304
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Book Description
Within the long-lost Temple of Luna, built by Alexander the Great to store his most valuable possessions, Lara Croft discovers a device that leads the way to the deadliest artifact of all time: the legendary Pandora's Box. Hidden for centuries in a place known to the pharaohs as "the cradle of life," the box that once brought life to Earth now contains only a lethal plague. Unfortunately for Lara, a ruthless bioterrorist has uncovered the existence of this weapon as well. The only person who can help Lara get to the box first is a former Royal Marine -- once Britain's finest soldier and now an immoral mercenary who sells his deadly skills to the highest bidder. Once Lara trusted her heart to Terry Sheridan. Now she's not sure if she dares to turn her back on him. With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, Lara Croft must trust Sheridan once again. And watch him closely, lest he betray her -- and civilization itself -- one last, catastrophic time.
Author: William Ainger Wigram
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Kurdistan
Languages : en
Pages : 480
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Book Description
Author: Jeremy Lachlan
Publisher: Carolrhoda Books ®
ISBN: 1541546539
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 289
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Book Description
John Doe and his infant daughter, Jane, appeared on the steps of the Manor the night the earthquakes started and the gateway to the Otherworlds closed. The people on the remote island of Bluehaven have despised them ever since, blaming Jane and her father for their exile. Fourteen years after that night, the largest earthquake yet strikes. The Manor awakens, dragging John into its labyrinth. Accompanied by a pyromaniac named Violet and a trickster named Hickory, Jane must rescue her father and defeat an immortal villain who is trying to harness the mythical power of the Manor.
Author: Dave Stern
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780743424295
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 364
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Book Description
Lara Croft has been called a cross between Indiana Jones and James Bond. Her rivals are less charitable, they call her the Tomb Raider. But no one can dispute her remarkable success rate. Heedless of the dangers, Lara has criss-crossed the globe to uncover some of the most magnificent artefacts. A no-nonsense, take-no-prisoners attitude has kept her alive in some of the most dangerous trouble spots on the earth. But hidden in her own mansion is a treasure and a puzzle that could pose as her greatest and most deadly challenge. This Paramount feature has taken over the imagination of the countless fans of the video game. Shot in the remarkable Pinewood Studios, the home to the Bond films, the producers have created a stunning feature that will amaze fans of the game, and appeal to the summer audience.
Author: William McDonough
Publisher: North Point Press
ISBN: 1429973846
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 207
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Book Description
A manifesto for a radically different philosophy and practice of manufacture and environmentalism "Reduce, reuse, recycle" urge environmentalists; in other words, do more with less in order to minimize damage. But as this provocative, visionary book argues, this approach perpetuates a one-way, "cradle to grave" manufacturing model that dates to the Industrial Revolution and casts off as much as 90 percent of the materials it uses as waste, much of it toxic. Why not challenge the notion that human industry must inevitably damage the natural world? In fact, why not take nature itself as our model? A tree produces thousands of blossoms in order to create another tree, yet we do not consider its abundance wasteful but safe, beautiful, and highly effective; hence, "waste equals food" is the first principle the book sets forth. Products might be designed so that, after their useful life, they provide nourishment for something new-either as "biological nutrients" that safely re-enter the environment or as "technical nutrients" that circulate within closed-loop industrial cycles, without being "downcycled" into low-grade uses (as most "recyclables" now are). Elaborating their principles from experience (re)designing everything from carpeting to corporate campuses, William McDonough and Michael Braungart make an exciting and viable case for change.
Author: Neil B. Chambers
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 0230112048
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 319
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Book Description
Christopher Heaney takes the reader into the heart of Peru's past to relive the dramatic story of the final years of the Incan empire, the recovery of their final cities and the fight over their future. Drawing on original research in untapped archives, Heaney portrays both a stunning landscape and the complex history of a region that continues to inspire awe and controversy today. --from publisher description
Author: Frank D. Stacey
Publisher: World Scientific
ISBN: 9814508349
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 306
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Book Description
This book takes a long-term view of Earth's development as a habitable planet, incorporating physical, chemical and biological processes on the early Earth, through to human perturbations of the modern world and their implications for life in the future.
Author: Patrick Somerville
Publisher: Little, Brown
ISBN: 031607263X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 125
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Book Description
Early one summer morning, Matthew Bishop kisses his still-sleeping wife Marissa, gets dressed and eases his truck through Milwaukee, bound for the highway. His wife, pregnant with their first child, has asked him to find the antique cradle taken years before by her mother Caroline when she abandoned Marissa, never to contact her daughter again. Soon to be a mother herself, Marissa now dreams of nothing else but bringing her baby home to the cradle she herself slept in. His wife does not know -- does not want to know -- where her mother lives, but Matt has an address for Caroline's sister near by and with any luck, he will be home in time for dinner. Only as Matt tries to track down his wife's mother, he discovers that Caroline, upon leaving Marissa, has led a life increasingly plagued by impulse and irrationality, a mysterious life that grows more inexplicable with each new lead Matt gains, and door he enters. As hours turn into days and Caroline's trail takes Matt from Wisconsin to Minnesota, Illinois, and beyond in search of the cradle, Matt makes a discovery that will forever change Marissa's life, and faces a decision that will challenge everything he has ever known. Elegant and astonishing, Patrick Somerville tells the story of one man's journey into the heart of marriage, parenthood, and what it means to be a family. Confirming the arrival of an exuberantly talented writer, The Cradle is an uniquely imaginative debut novel that radiates with wisdom and wonder.
