Define Books To Written in Stone: Evolution, the Fossil Record, and Our Place in Nature (Icon Science)
| ISBN: | 1934137294 (ISBN13: 9781934137291) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Series: | Icon Science |
Brian Switek
Paperback | Pages: 320 pages Rating: 4.03 | 737 Users | 65 Reviews
Present Of Books Written in Stone: Evolution, the Fossil Record, and Our Place in Nature (Icon Science)
| Title | : | Written in Stone: Evolution, the Fossil Record, and Our Place in Nature (Icon Science) |
| Author | : | Brian Switek |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 320 pages |
| Published | : | November 30th 2010 by Bellevue Literary Press (first published 2010) |
| Categories | : | Biology. Evolution. History. Nonfiction. Geology. Palaeontology. Science. Natural History |
Relation During Books Written in Stone: Evolution, the Fossil Record, and Our Place in Nature (Icon Science)
“Switek seamlessly intertwines two types of evolution: one of life on earth and the other of paleontology itself.”—Discover Magazine““In delightful prose, [Switek] . . . superbly shows that ‘[i]f we can let go of our conceit,’ we will see the preciousness of life in all its forms.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Highly instructive . . . a warm, intelligent yeoman’s guide to the progress of life.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Magisterial . . . part historical account, part scientific detective story. Switek’s elegant prose and thoughtful scholarship will change the way you see life on our planet. This book marks the debut of an important new voice.”—Neil Shubin
“Elegantly and engagingly crafted, Brian Switek’s narrative interweaves stories and characters not often encountered in books on paleontology—at once a unique, informative and entertaining read.”—Niles Eldredge
“If you want to read one book to get up to speed on evolution, read Written in Stone. Brian Switek’s clear and compelling book is full of fascinating stories about how scientists have read the fossil record to trace the evolution of life on Earth.”—Ann Gibbons
“[Switek's] accounts of dinosaurs, birds, whales, and our own primate ancestors are not just fascinating for their rich historical detail, but also for their up-to-date reporting on paleontology’s latest discoveries.”—Carl Zimmer
"After reading this book, you will have a totally new context in which to interpret the evolutionary history of amphibians, mammals, whales, elephants, horses, and especially humans.”—Donald R. Prothero
Spectacular fossil finds make today's headlines; new technology unlocks secrets of skeletons unearthed a hundred years ago. Still, evolution is often poorly represented by the media and misunderstood by the public. A potent antidote to pseudoscience, Written in Stone is an engrossing history of evolutionary discovery for anyone who has marveled at the variety and richness of life.
Rating Of Books Written in Stone: Evolution, the Fossil Record, and Our Place in Nature (Icon Science)
Ratings: 4.03 From 737 Users | 65 ReviewsJudge Of Books Written in Stone: Evolution, the Fossil Record, and Our Place in Nature (Icon Science)
Evolution seem so obvious today that it is hard to understand why it took so long for it to become widely known. In essence, evolution can be summed up with the phrase descent with modification. In every generation more offspring are produced than an environment can support, so there is a ruthless culling of all but the best adapted. Even small advantages can have big results if they allow an individual to survive long enough to reproduce and pass on their genes. Eventually, as generations pass,Exceptional book on the fossil record. Detailed history of how evolution grew as a scientific theory in addition to a good overview of paleontology and aspects of both environmental science and biology. Highly recommended!
Once upon a time, if you were rich enough then you could be a polymath. The word polymath comes from the Greek mathe for learning and poly for parrot, and as the etymology suggests it refers to people who know everything there is to know and can repeat it back to you when offered a cracker. True polymaths, those who know the sum total of extant human knowledge, probably haven't existed since the first group of homo sapiens in Ethiopia split into two. But there's a second etymology: polus from
I think this one is for paleontology geeks. It is a little too dry and in the weeds for the masses. But as a paleontology geek myself, this was an enjoyable read. Switek ends the book with this philosophical take:"If we can let go of our conceit, we may find that an understanding of evolution makes life on this planet all the more precious. Every living species is a unique, still-changing part of lineages that have persisted for billions of years, and once they are gone they are lost forever.
Written in Stone is a pretty interesting guide to the fossil record and especially theories of evolution related to it, and also our own ancestry. I found it a little bit dry by the end, but I did read it in the space of two days, and even a little bit during halftime at the Wales v. Italy game today (to the astonishment of the gentleman next to me). So it can't really have been that dry.It doesn't touch much on other aspects of paleontology, like genetic samples from fossils or even much about
One of the best non-fiction books I have read in the last couple years. Switek does a phenomenal job through his story telling to illuminate the beauty and brilliance of evolution.
This is a decent layman's summary of paleontology. I'd give this to a bright student interested in dinosaurs as a good introduction to the field. One star removed because there is no index.
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