Download or read book Remnants of Ancient Life written by Dale E. Greenwalt and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2023-01-17 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The revolution in science that is transforming our understanding of extinct life We used to think of fossils as being composed of nothing but rock and minerals, all molecular traces of life having vanished long ago. We were wrong. Remnants of Ancient Life reveals how the new science of ancient biomolecules—pigments, proteins, and DNA that once functioned in living organisms tens of millions of years ago—is opening a new window onto the evolution of life on Earth. Paleobiologists are now uncovering these ancient remnants in the fossil record with increasing frequency, shedding vital new light on long-extinct creatures and the lost world they inhabited. Dale Greenwalt is your guide to these astonishing breakthroughs. He explains how ancient biomolecules hold the secrets to how mammoths dealt with the bitter cold, what colors dinosaurs exhibited in mating displays, how ancient viruses evolved to become more dangerous, and much more. Each chapter discusses different types of biomolecules and the insights they provide about the physiology, behavior, and evolution of extinct organisms, many of which existed long before the age of dinosaurs. A marvelous adventure of discovery, Remnants of Ancient Life offers an unparalleled look at an emerging science that is transforming our picture of the remote past. You will never think of fossils in the same way again.
Download or read book Remnants of Ancient Life written by Dale Greenwalt and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2023-01-17 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "We usually think of fossils as being composed of rock, the original contents of the organisms lost to time. However, this is changing. Due to new technologies scientists are able to access the ancient biomolecules--the pigments, proteins, chemicals, and DNA--that once performed critical roles in organisms and have been preserved accross millions of years. In this book, Dale Greenwalt introduces readers to the new science of ancient biomolecules and what it tells about the lives of long extinct life. Ancient biomolecules, as we learn, give us a whole new view into the past. After an introductory explanation of what biomolecules are (and are not), each chapter treats an ancient biomolecule and what it can teach us about a long-dead organism and how it may have lived. For example, analysis of preserved pigmentation has improved our understanding of the evolution of camouflage, feathered dinosaurs, and flight. Ancient proteins aid taxonomic identification and determinations of sex. And ancient DNA-perhaps the best-known ancient biomolecule-can shed light on species' ancestry, including our own. Drawing on a wealth of paleontological research, including his own, Greenwalt traces ancient organic material back millions of years. Throughout, he emphasizes the infancy of this science while the book's conclusion looks ahead to its possible future in everything from the search for life on other planets to de-extinction"--
Download or read book A History of Life in 100 Fossils written by Paul D. Taylor and published by Smithsonian Institution. This book was released on 2014-10-14 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Ancient and Fossil Bone Collagen Remnants written by Brian Thomas (Science writer) and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 137 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Do creation scientists do actual science, or do they just propagate religious talking points? Ancient and Fossil Bone Collagen Remnants, based on Dr. Brian Thomas’ PhD dissertation, answers this question. Intended for the technical science reader, it reveals results from research projects designed to address questions about the presence or absence, geographic and stratigraphic extent, and decay rate of collagen in ancient bones. Not only do the experiments and descriptions found in this volume show that yes, creation scientists do real science, but they also provide the solid technical background needed to address the question of why short-lived collagen has been found in supposedly very old dinosaur bones"--Publisher's description.
Download or read book Cradle of Life written by J. William Schopf and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2021-10-12 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book The Remnants of War written by John Mueller and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2013-02-15 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "War... is merely an idea, an institution, like dueling or slavery, that has been grafted onto human existence. It is not a trick of fate, a thunderbolt from hell, a natural calamity, or a desperate plot contrivance dreamed up by some sadistic puppeteer on high. And it seems to me that the institution is in pronounced decline, abandoned as attitudes toward it have changed, roughly following the pattern by which the ancient and formidable institution of slavery became discredited and then mostly obsolete."—from the Introduction War is one of the great themes of human history and now, John Mueller believes, it is clearly declining. Developed nations have generally abandoned it as a way for conducting their relations with other countries, and most current warfare (though not all) is opportunistic predation waged by packs—often remarkably small ones—of criminals and bullies. Thus, argues Mueller, war has been substantially reduced to its remnants—or dregs—and thugs are the residual combatants. Mueller is sensitive to the policy implications of this view. When developed states commit disciplined troops to peacekeeping, the result is usually a rapid cessation of murderous disorder. The Remnants of War thus reinvigorates our sense of the moral responsibility bound up in peacekeeping. In Mueller's view, capable domestic policing and military forces can also be effective in reestablishing civic order, and the building of competent governments is key to eliminating most of what remains of warfare.
Download or read book Remnants of an Ancient Past written by Bill E. Crowley and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 415 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Book of Naturalists written by William Beebe and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 1988-04-21 with total page 524 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This anthology covers animals, nature, and the history of biology. Reflecting his infectious enthusiasm for "the best natural history," the editor has excerpts from massive sources and intriguing pieces from lesser known authors. Among the naturalists included are Pliny, Frederick II, Linnaeus, White, Bartram, Waterton, Thoreau, Wallace, Huxley, Faber, Theodore Roosevelt, Digby, Seton, and Klingel. Arranged in chronological order, the small masterpieces here range from Aristotle to Rachel Carson. Each excerpt is introduced by an incisive and sometimes humorous description of its author.
Download or read book Remnants of the First Earth written by Ray Young Bear and published by Open Road + Grove/Atlantic. This book was released on 2007-12-01 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The American Indian author of Black Eagle Child paints “a portrait of a writer struggling both to preserve his people’s heritage and to turn it into art” (The New York Times Book Review). Ray A. Young Bear’s work has been called “magnificent” by the New York Times and “a national treasure” by the Bloomsbury Review. Dazzlingly original, but with deep roots in his traditional Mesquakie culture, Young Bear is a master wordsmith poised with trickster-like aplomb between the ancient world of his forefathers and the ever-encroaching “blurred face of modernity.” Remnants of the First Earth continues the story of Edgar Bearchild—Young Bear’s fictionalized alter ego—which began with Black Eagle Child, a New York Times Notable Book for 1992. Young Bear revisits the Black Eagle Child Settlement and its residents, including Ted Facepaint, Rose Grassleggings, Junior Pipestar, Lorna Bearcap, and Luciano Bearchild. At the center of the novel is a murder investigation involving a powerful shaman holding court at the local Ramada Inn, negligent white cops from nearby Why Cheer, and corrupt tribal authorities. This lyrical narrative swirls through the present and into the mysteries of the age-old stories and myths that still haunt, inform, and enlighten this uniquely American community. “Young Bear’s prose pulses with lyrical ferocity, blending narrative, verse and tribal myth in a seamless web . . . Young Bear, an acclaimed poet, here emerges as a major Native novelist.” —Publishers Weekly
Download or read book Natural History written by and published by . This book was released on 1926 with total page 776 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Earth System History written by Steven M. Stanley and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2005 with total page 604 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Designed for a new generation of readers, Stanley's Earth System History is a reforging of his Exploring Earth and Life Through Time. Adopting an earth system approach throughout, Earth System History shows students how Earth's ecosystem has developed over time and how events in the past provide a perspective for dealing with present and future changes. Clear and concise, the new Second Edition of this introduction to historical geology is perfect for one-term non-majors courses and contains lots of new content and improved visuals.
Download or read book Timefulness written by Marcia Bjornerud and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2020-02-11 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explains why an awareness of Earth's temporal rhythms is critical to planetary survival and offers suggestions for how to create a more time-literate society.
Download or read book The Age of Mammals written by Chris Manias and published by University of Pittsburgh Press. This book was released on 2023-06-27 with total page 456 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When people today hear “paleontology,” they immediately think of dinosaurs. But for much of the history of the discipline, dramatic demonstrations of the history of life focused on the developmental history of mammals. The Age of Mammals examines how nineteenth-century scholars, writers, artists, and public audiences understood the animals they regarded as being at the summit of life. For them, mammals were crucial for understanding the formation (and possibly the future) of the natural world. Yet, as Chris Manias reveals, this combined with more troubling notions: that seemingly promising creatures had been swept aside in the “struggle for life,” or that modern biodiversity was impoverished compared to previous eras. Why some prehistoric creatures, such as the saber-toothed cat and ground sloth, had become extinct, while others seemed to have been the ancestors of familiar animals like elephants and horses, was a question loaded with cultural assumptions, ambiguity, and trepidation. How humans related to deep developmental processes, and whether “the Age of Man” was qualitatively different from the Age of Mammals, led to reflections on humanity’s place within the natural world. With this book, Manias considers the cultural resonance of mammal paleontology from an international perspective—how reconstructions of the deep past of fossil mammals across the world conditioned new understandings of nature and the current environment.
Download or read book Our Living Ancestors written by John Bates and published by . This book was released on 2018-03-07 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Old-growth forests touch the soul of many people. Some hear the echoes of Native Americans or the first settlers. Some feel the great age of the trees and revere them, while others feel they are in the presence of an overwhelmingly rare beauty. Still others understand the profound scientific value of old-growth forests as reference systems for what forests can be. Despite the remarkable emotional appeal and scientific value of old-growth forests, they are rare in Wisconsin. Only 0.3% of Wisconsin¿s old-growth forests remain, but these scattered, small parcels still retain their ability to amaze hikers with their size, beauty, and elegance. Where are they? This book directs visitors to the 50 best old-growth sites left in Wisconsin. Each site has clear directions, a listing of ownership, size, and age, and a description of its ecological features, with perhaps a story of why it was saved. A map and photo(s) illustrates each site. An additional shorter chapter includes the ¿50 Best-of-the-Rest.¿The book is for a general audience, but its wealth of rigorously-researched and profusely-illustrated data may also serve as a general reference for professional ecologists and conservationists.
Download or read book Geological facts or the crust of the earth what it is and what are its uses written by W. G. Barrett and published by Prabhat Prakashan. This book was released on 2024-05-24 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dive into the fascinating world of geology with "Geological Facts; or, The Crust of the Earth, What It Is, and What Are Its Uses" by W. G. Barrett. Join us as we unravel the mysteries of the Earth's crust and discover the hidden treasures that lie beneath the surface. But what if the Earth's crust is more than just a layer of rock? Delve into Barrett's exploration and uncover the intricate processes that have shaped our planet over millions of years, from volcanic eruptions to tectonic shifts. As we journey through the pages of this book, you'll gain a deeper understanding of the importance of geology in our everyday lives. From the minerals we use in construction to the fossil fuels that power our modern world, "Geological Facts" sheds light on the myriad ways in which the Earth's crust enriches and sustains human civilization. Are you ready to embark on a journey of discovery and exploration? Prepare to be captivated by the wonders of geology as we delve into the inner workings of our planet and uncover its hidden treasures. Immerse yourself in the beauty and complexity of the Earth's crust as you learn about the diverse landscapes, natural resources, and geological phenomena that shape our world. Let Barrett's insights inspire you to see thEarth in a new light and appreciate the intricate balance of forces that govern our planet. Here's your chance to experience the awe-inspiring beauty of the Earth's crust. Don't miss out on the opportunity to learn from "Geological Facts" by W. G. Barrett. Will you answer the call to explore the wonders of the natural world? Secure your copy now and embark on a journey of discovery that will deepen your appreciation for the Earth's crust and its vital role in sustaining life on our planet. It's more than just a book; it's a gateway to a deeper understanding of the world around us. "
Download or read book A History of Plants in Fifty Fossils written by Paul Kenrick and published by Smithsonian Institution. This book was released on 2020-03-20 with total page 158 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An illustrated history of plants presented through the stories of 50 key fossil discoveries This is the lively, fully illustrated story of plant life on Earth as revealed through some of the most significant fossil discoveries ever made. Beginning with the origins of plant life in the sea, where photosynthesis first evolved in bacteria, the book traces the evolution of land plants, ferns, conifers and their relatives, and flowering plants. Each fossil is depicted with stunning full-color photography alongside narrative from paleobotanist Paul Kenrick explaining its significance and revealing the story behind its discovery. Interspersed throughout the book are contextual "snapshots" of landscapes and environments at various periods of geological time, focusing on plants and plant-animal interactions. A History of Plants in Fifty Fossils is perfect for anyone interested in plants, fossils, and the stories they tell us about life on Earth.
Download or read book Geological Facts Or the Crust of the Earth what it Is and what are Its Uses written by William Garland Barrett and published by . This book was released on 1855 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
