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Author: Paul D. Taylor
Publisher: Smithsonian Institution
ISBN: 1588345025
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 212
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Book Description
A History of Life in 100 Fossils showcases 100 key fossils that together illustrate the evolution of life on earth. Iconic specimens have been selected from the renowned collections of the two premier natural history museums in the world, the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, and the Natural History Museum, London. The fossils ahve been chosen not only for their importance in the history of life, but also because of the visual story they tell. This stunning book is perfect for all readers because its clear explanations and beautiful photographs illuminate the significance of these amazing pieces, including 500 million-year-old Burgess Shale fossils that provide a window into early animal life in the sea, insects encapsulated by amber, the first fossil bird Archaeopteryx, and the remains of our own ancestors.
Author: Paul D. Taylor
Publisher: Smithsonian Institution
ISBN: 1588345025
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 212
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Book Description
A History of Life in 100 Fossils showcases 100 key fossils that together illustrate the evolution of life on earth. Iconic specimens have been selected from the renowned collections of the two premier natural history museums in the world, the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, and the Natural History Museum, London. The fossils ahve been chosen not only for their importance in the history of life, but also because of the visual story they tell. This stunning book is perfect for all readers because its clear explanations and beautiful photographs illuminate the significance of these amazing pieces, including 500 million-year-old Burgess Shale fossils that provide a window into early animal life in the sea, insects encapsulated by amber, the first fossil bird Archaeopteryx, and the remains of our own ancestors.
Author: Donald R. Prothero
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231539428
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 404
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Book Description
Every fossil tells a story. Best-selling paleontology author Donald R. Prothero describes twenty-five famous, beautifully preserved fossils in a gripping scientific history of life on Earth. Recounting the adventures behind the discovery of these objects and fully interpreting their significance within the larger fossil record, Prothero creates a riveting history of life on our planet. The twenty-five fossils portrayed in this book catch animals in their evolutionary splendor as they transition from one kind of organism to another. We witness extinct plants and animals of microscopic and immense size and thrilling diversity. We learn about fantastic land and sea creatures that have no match in nature today. Along the way, we encounter such fascinating fossils as the earliest trilobite, Olenellus; the giant shark Carcharocles; the "fishibian" Tiktaalik; the "Frogamander" and the "Turtle on the Half-Shell"; enormous marine reptiles and the biggest dinosaurs known; the first bird, Archaeopteryx; the walking whale Ambulocetus; the gigantic hornless rhinoceros Paraceratherium, the largest land mammal that ever lived; and the Australopithecus nicknamed "Lucy," the oldest human skeleton. We meet the scientists and adventurers who pioneered paleontology and learn about the larger intellectual and social contexts in which their discoveries were made. Finally, we find out where to see these splendid fossils in the world's great museums. Ideal for all who love prehistoric landscapes and delight in the history of science, this book makes a treasured addition to any bookshelf, stoking curiosity in the evolution of life on Earth.
Author: M. J. S. Rudwick
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226731030
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 303
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Book Description
"An absorbing history of changing views of what fossils are and how they contribute to an understanding of the history of the earth. Rudwick makes ample use of primary sources ranging in time from the first book with illustrations of fossils (1565) to O.C. Marsh's study of horse evolution in the 1870s. He documents the first attempts to collect groups of fossils, determine whether they were the remains of organisms, relate the fossils to their surrounding rock strata, and integrate fossil evidence into the concept of evolution"--Back cover.
Author: David Sepkoski
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022627294X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 441
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Book Description
Rereading the Fossil Record presents the first-ever historical account of the origin, rise, and importance of paleobiology, from the mid-nineteenth century to the late 1980s. Drawing on a wealth of archival material, David Sepkoski shows how the movement was conceived and promoted by a small but influential group of paleontologists and examines the intellectual, disciplinary, and political dynamics involved in the ascendency of paleobiology. By tracing the role of computer technology, large databases, and quantitative analytical methods in the emergence of paleobiology, this book also offers insight into the growing prominence and centrality of data-driven approaches in recent science.
Author: Donald R. Prothero
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231543166
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 891
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Book Description
Donald R. Prothero’s Evolution is an entertaining and rigorous history of the transitional forms and series found in the fossil record. Its engaging narrative of scientific discovery and well-grounded analysis has led to the book’s widespread adoption in courses that teach the nature and value of fossil evidence for evolution. Evolution tackles systematics and cladistics, rock dating, neo-Darwinism, and macroevolution. It includes extensive coverage of the primordial soup, invertebrate transitions, the development of the backbone, the reign of the dinosaurs, and the transformation from early hominid to modern human. The book also details the many alleged “missing links” in the fossil record, including some of the most recent discoveries that flesh out the fossil timeline and the evolutionary process. In this second edition, Prothero describes new transitional fossils from various periods, vividly depicting such bizarre creatures as the Odontochelys, or the “turtle on the half shell”; fossil snakes with legs; and the “Frogamander,” a new example of amphibian transition. Prothero’s discussion of intelligent design arguments includes more historical examples and careful examination of the “experiments” and observations that are exploited by creationists seeking to undermine sound science education. With new perspectives, Prothero reframes creationism as a case study in denialism and pseudoscience rather than a field with its own intellectual dynamism. The first edition was hailed as an exemplary exploration of the fossil evidence for evolution, and this second edition will be welcome in the libraries of scholars, teachers, and general readers who stand up for sound science in this post-truth era.
Author: Richard A. Fortey
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 9780674311350
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 220
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Book Description
This introduction offers an explanation of how fossils are a product of our evolving habitat. The emphasis is on what paleontology is really about, how the paleontologist tries to find out the ways in which fossil animals lived and how geological processes have interacted with the history of life.
Author: Gary E. Parker
Publisher: New Leaf Publishing Group
ISBN: 0890514380
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 82
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Book Description
Fossils have fascinated humans for centuries. From the smallest diatoms to the largest dinosaurs, finding a fossil is an exciting and rewarding experience. But where did they come from, and how long have they been around? These and many other questions are answered in this remarkable book.
Author: Wilson J. Wall
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1119698480
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 256
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Book Description
INVESTIGATING FOSSILS INVESTIGATING FOSSILS A HISTORY OF PALAEONTOLOGY Investigating Fossils – A History of Palaeontology is a concise and accessible look at changing attitudes to palaeontology in general, and fossils in particular. From the existential and philosophical debates arising from fossils – such as their implications for the age of the Earth – to their role as markers in Darwin’s theory of evolution, fossils have been the centre of highly charged debate for over two centuries. This book, which is aimed at anyone with an interest in the history and philosophy of science, not only describes the process of fossil formation and the history of the discovery of fossils. It goes further, and highlights the continuing importance of fossils to our ever-developing understanding of where the planet and its myriad species have come from. Painting a vivid, lively portrait of the history and development of palaeontology, Investigating Fossils is a fascinating and informative tour of the recent history – and possible future – of the science of fossils.
Author: Pat Shipman
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780674530867
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 222
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Book Description
Pat Shipman sets forth the taphonomic methods of analyzing how animal remains are acted upon and altered, both by biological and by geographic phenomena, in their passage from the biosphere of bones and carcass into the lithosphere of fossils. She explains the role of disease, predation, accidents, postmortem destruction, and transport in the life history of a fossil, and provides an introduction to the relevant geological concepts and to faunal analysis.
Author: Paul Giller
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9400911998
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 577
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Book Description
Biogeography may be defined simply as the study of the geographical distribution of organisms, but this simple definition hides the great complexity of the subject. Biogeography transcends classical subject areas and involves a range of scientific disciplines that includes geogra phy, geology and biology. Not surprisingly, therefore, it means rather different things to different people. Historically, the study of biogeogra phy has been concentrated into compartments at separate points along a spatio-temporal gradient. At one end of the gradient, ecological biogeography is concerned with ecological processes occurring over short temporal and small spatial scales, whilst at the other end, historical biogeography is concerned with evolutionary processes over millions of years on a large, often global scale. Between these end points lies a third major compartment concerned with the profound effects of Pleistocene glaciations and how these have affected the distribution of recent organisms. Within each of these compartments along the scale gradient, a large number of theories, hypotheses and models have been proposed in an attempt to explain the present and past biotic distribution patterns. To a large extent, these compartments of the subject have been non-interactive, which is understandable from the different interests and backgrounds of the various researchers. Nevertheless, the distribu tions of organisms across the globe cannot be fully understood without a knowledge of the full spectrum of ecological and historical processes. There are no degrees in biogeography and today's biogeographers are primarily born out of some other discipline.
