Synopses & Reviews
In the last two decades the study of fossils has come of age, taking a central role in the formulation of ideas on evolution. The unravelling of the fossil record by continual new discoveries has played a major role in stimulating new ideas on patterns and rates of evolution, and on our understanding of the underlying processes and mechanisms of evolution. The Twentieth Century has seen an extraordinary increase in the rate and the range of palaeontological research worldwide. Fossil specimens in world collections have increased a million-fold since Charles Darwins day. These new fossil finds have filled in many pieces in the great jigsaw of life . We are now experiencing a revolution in the way in which the fossil record is contributing to our understanding of the patterns and processes that have crafted the living world as we see it today. Witty vignettes on the "lucky" rise of the vertebrates, polar dinosaurs, and many other interesting narratives
a fun but educational excursion throughout the history of life. Michael L. McKinney, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
immensely enjoyable
a fascinating book, nicely illustrated, exciting and often humorous on the one hand, but seriously scientific on the other. I would recommend it to anyone interested in the fossil record and what it has to tell us. Euan N. K. Clarkson, University of Edinburgh Popular Science
About the Author
Ken McNamara, is Senior Curator of invertebrate palaeontology, and John Long is Curator of Vertebrate Palaeontology, at the Western Australian Museum.
Table of Contents
Partial table of contents:
We are the Champions!: The Long-Playing Microbial Fossil Record.
Rise of the Gutless Wonders: Early Animal Evolution.
Head or Tails?: The Incredibly Lucky Rise of the First Vertebrates.
Tracking Down the Bugs: The Evolution of Insects.
Say it with Flowers: Evolution in Plants.
Reign of Pterosaurs: The First Flying Vertebrates.
Battle of the Bulge: Why Did Dinosaurs Grow so Big?
Children of the Evolution: Human Evolution from the Inside.
Final Thoughts.
References.
Index.