Written in stone : the hidden secrets of fossils and the story of life on Earth
Switek, Brian2011
Book
Darwin's theory was for more than a century dogged by a major problem: the evidence proving the connections between the main groups of organisms were nowhere to be found. By the 1970s this absence of 'transitional fossils' was hotly debated; some palaeontologists wondering if the these 'missing links' had been so quick that no trace of them was left. However, during the past three decades fossils of walking whales from Pakistan, feathered dinosaurs from China, fish with feet from the Arctic Circle, ape-like humans from Africa, and many more bizarre creatures that fill in crucial gaps in our understanding of evolution have all been unearthed. These discoveries have revolutionised the way in which the fossil record is read to make sense of life on Earth, including the evolution of human beings. This is the first account of the remarkable discovery of these gap fossils and of the new stories they tell about the evolution of life.
Main title:
Author:
Imprint:
London : Icon Books, 2011.
Collation:
320 p. : ill. ; 22 cm.
Notes:
First published : New York : Bellevue Literary Press,2010.Includes index.Bibliography p. [282]-303.
Contents:
Missing links -- The living rock -- Moving mountains -- From fins to fingers -- Footprints and feathers on the sands of time -- The meek inherit the Earth -- As monstrous as a whale -- Behemoth -- On a last leg -- Through the looking glass -- Time and chance.
ISBN:
9781848312623
Dewey class:
599.938
Language:
English
BRN:
187974
| Location | Collection | Call number | Status/Desc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Library at the Dock | -Science and Nature | SCIENCE 599.938 SWIT | Available |