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The Story of Life in 25 Fossils: Tales of Intrepid Fossil Hunters and the Wonders of Evolution, by Donald R. Prothero
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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.
- Sales Rank: #347120 in Books
- Published on: 2015-08-25
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 1.30" h x 5.90" w x 9.10" l, 1.50 pounds
- Binding: Hardcover
- 408 pages
Review
Donald R. Prothero is one of the most talented science writers of his generation―as a paleontological writer, he has no peer. This is an engaging, attractive book!
(David J. Bottjer, University of Southern California)There is no other book that brings together such diverse fossils and tells their unique stories in a way that is both accurate and approachable.
(Xiaoming Wang, curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County)The Story of Life in 25 Fossils shows the reader the joys of paleontological discovery as well as the stories behind some of the most important fossils. I loved reading it, and I suspect that most paleontologists, and many members of the general public, will feel the same way―the text is lucid, extremely easy to read, and highly informative. Anyone interested in ancient life-forms and the fossil record would be well served to buy this book.
(Bruce S. Lieberman, University of Kansas)Prothero, an outstanding paleontologist and skilled communicator, has written the best up-to-date account of the history of life as revealed by the fossil record that I have ever had the pleasure to read. His lucid prose brings these long-dead organisms back to life, while painting a picture of how all life has been interconnected through evolution. I was especially struck by the inclusion of field outcrops, as well as museums, where one can go to see these fossils. I will keep Prothero's book handy as a core reference for years to come!
(Niles Eldredge, author of Eternal Ephemera: Adaptation and the Origin of Species from the Nineteenth Century Through Punctuated Equilibria and Beyond)A guide to museums where the original fossils or high-quality reproductions are housed and more than 150 illustrations accompany Prothero's lively account of the science and politics that shaped the rich history of these discoveries.
(Kirkus Reviews)Engaging and accessible.... Ideal for anyone interested in the origins of life on earth.
(Library Journal (starred review))An accessible, well-done book that will better enable general readers to understand the fossil record and how paleontologists interpret it.
(Publishers Weekly)Prothero's careful description of 25 fossils... offer[s] an overview of the progression of plants and animals in the last 3.5 billion years.
(Ashley Yeager Sciece News)[Prothero] pays attention not just to the fossils themselves but to the continuing quest to uncover and understand how life has been changing since it first came into existence on Earth. Sure, The Story of Life in 25 Fossils includes snakes with legs, giant dinosaurs, walking whales and extinct primates whose existence confirms that our own species is a variety of modified ape. But most chapters also introduce us to the researchers who labored to pull back the curtain on lost worlds.
(Brian Switek Wall Street Journal)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.
(Ian Paulsen The Birdbooker Report)Prothero brings erudition and expert perspective to the material, but animates it in an entertaining and accessible manner. It reads like a fun conversation with a learned friend.
(Nathan H. Lents The Human Evolution Blog)Written with bright enthusiasm... [The Story of Life in 25 Fossils] is a wonderful primer.
(Rob Hardy The Commercial Dispatch)Chock full of excellent and interesting illustrations.... [Prothero] writes excellent, readable prose, and vigorously makes connections between evolutionary questions and evolutionary data.
(Greg Laden's Blog)A thoroughly enjoyable, highly readable, and entertaining book. Prothero is a masterful communicator of science and a lover of paleontology, and these traits have combined to produce one of the best books on the history of life I have read. If you want an introduction to the history of life on Earth, get this book.
(Jason S. Anderson BioScience)A great introduction to the history of life on the planet Earth... A solid primer on why evolution is true.... A fun read with lots of tales of paleontological adventure and derring-do.... I recommend this book without hesitation.
(John Dupuis Confessions of a Science Librarian)A magnificent journey through life's story told in such loving detail.... Highly recommended.
(Choice)[The book], written with bright enthusiasm and describing clearly how the fossil record shows evolution to have occured, is a wonderful primer about what paleontologists do.
(The Dispatch) About the Author
Donald R. Prothero has taught college paleontology and geology for almost four decades at the California Institute of Technology, Columbia University, Occidental College, Vassar College, and Knox College. He is adjunct professor of geological sciences at California State Polytechnic University at Pomona, adjunct professor of astronomy and earth sciences at Mt. San Antonio College, and research associate in vertebrate paleontology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. He is the author of more than thirty-five books, including Bringing Fossils to Life: An Introduction to Paleontology and the best-selling Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters. He has also published more than 300 scientific papers. In 1991, he received the award for Outstanding Paleontologist Under the Age of 40. In 2013, he was awarded the James Shea Award by the National Association of Geoscience Teachers for outstanding writing and editing in the geosciences.
Most helpful customer reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful.
"Goldilocks" science writing at its best: Not too technical and not too simplistic
By Dr. James L. Booker
There are twenty-five chapters that discuss hundreds of fossils, so the book is more comprehensive than the title implies. The author occasionally refers to his role as a consultant for documentary films, so that may explain how he so consistently manages to maintain technical integrity in his discussions without "dumbing down" or straying into nomenclature beyond the lay reader's ability. I am a Ph.D. Scientist, my grandson is a 14-year old high school freshman, and we both found this book to be readable, fascinating and enjoyable.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful.
The Best Popular Guide on the History of Life on Earth as Seen from its Most Notable Paleontological Discoveries
By John Kwok
Donald Prothero's "The Story of Life in 25 Fossils: Tales of Intrepid Fossil Hunters and the Wonders of Evolution" is a rare popular science treasure; one of the finest, most accessible, books on paleontology written for a public audience. It is a most ingenuous concept, telling the history of life on Planet Earth from the perspective of twenty-five extinct fossil taxa, that no other science writer - either a scientist or a science journalist - has ever attempted before. It is an especially compelling journey conveyed by Prothero's fine prose and storytelling talent. As much as I admire his superb "Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters" - written primarily as an eloquent defense from creationist attacks of the fossil record as key evidence in support of the fact of biological evolution - "The Story of Life in 25 Fossils" goes much further in conveying the excitement and wonder of paleontology, not least because of its superb appendices at the end of each chapter, indicating where the public can see fossils on display not only in the United States but elsewhere around the globe.
"The Story of Life in 25 Fossils" is a linear literary trek through the history of life, starting with the first appearance of stromatolites ("Chapter 1: Planet of the Scum") in the Precambrian and culminating with the evolution of humans ("Chapter 25: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"). Prothero excels in providing readers with terse biographies of some of the most notable fossil hunters, like Mary Anning, the semi-literate fossil hunter who discovered some of the earliest, most complete, ichthyosaur skeletons, best remembered today as the "Mary" who sells seashells by the seashore ("Chapter 14: King of the Sea-Lizards"). He doesn't hesitate in describing briefly, taxonomic disputes such as the lumping or splitting of taxa, especially amongst sauropod dinosaurs ("Chapter 17: Land of the Giants"). Nor does he omit relevant recent discoveries in molecular systematics that have either confirmed or rejected phylogenetic trees - in plain English, family trees - of related taxa, especially in a later chapters like the one on whale evolution ("Chapter 20: Walking into the Water". He also deserves ample credit in criticizing supporters of cryptozoological "descendants" of the some of the fossil taxa - which he discussed at length in a book co-authored with Daniel Loxton, "Abominable Science: The Origin of Yeti, Nessie, and other Cryptids"- that adds substantially to public understanding of science with regards to the existence of cryptids too often described as "real" on some late night talk radio programs here in the United States.
It is reasonable to conclude that "The Story of Life in 25 Fossils: Tales of Intrepid Fossil Hunters and the Wonders of Evolution" is one of the most notable popular science books published recently. It is also one of the best nonfiction books published so far this year, and for that reason alone, deserves to find a place on the bookshelves of anyone who has more than a terse interest in paleontology and the history of life on Earth; anyone who is interested in learning more about the lives and careers of those paleontologists - both amateur and professional - who made the major discoveries that Prothero describes eloquently, and, occasionally, poignantly, within its pages.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
What the Fossils Show Us
By Rob Hardy
Right at the beginning of _The Story of Life in 25 Fossils: Tales of Intrepid Fossil Hunters and the Wonders of Evolution_ (Columbia University Press), paleontologist Donald R. Prothero shows Darwin’s importance as a scientist. Oh, of course, Darwin had the brilliant insight about evolution, and had all sorts of admirable qualities as a scientist and as a human being. But one of his best traits was that he knew, and acknowledged publicly, where his theory was weak. He admitted that could not, when his _On the Origin of Species_ was published in 1859, answer questions about transitional species, those links between ancestors and progeny showing how animals changed in their lines of descent. Prothero explains that when Darwin was writing, almost nothing was known of transitional fossils. Darwin’s insights had to be made without their evidence. Now they are among the strongest confirmations of evolution, and Prothero here takes us through 25 examples to tell the stories about how the evidence was amassed and interpreted. There are millions of species he could have chosen, but these 25 show critical stages of evolution and also some of the most extreme examples of evolution at work. The resultant book, written with bright enthusiasm and describing clearly how the fossil record shows evolution to have occurred, is a wonderful primer about what paleontologists do. Sure, the fossil halls are among the most popular rooms of any natural history museum, but here is why the fossils are important.
The very first chapter has to do with the microbial mats and resultant domed stromatolites, which were the way the Earth manifested life for most of the history that it had life on it. The bacteria of the stromatolites formed colonies, but they were not multicellular creatures. Those showed up something like 630 million years ago and because they had no hard parts, their fossils are rare impressions of soft tissue onto sands or muds on the sea bottom. They were the first multicellular creatures, but didn’t last long after simple shelled organisms, and then trilobites, showed up. And so the chapters are laid down, with these earlier ones clearing up at least some questions about the initial origins of life and multicellularity. It takes a while to get to the gee-whiz specimens everybody knows, like _T. Rex_, and even longer to get to the line that produced humans. Over and over, in one chapter after another, the story is that gaps have been filled. The change from an invertebrate creature to the first unquestioned fish now has a demonstrable fossil lineage, as does the change from fish to amphibians. Each of these chapters, often concentrating on the researchers that made the insights happen, is a little essay on how evolution works and how we learn that it does.
One of the best parts of this entertaining book is that each chapter ends with a “See it for yourself” section, advising readers which museums to go to to see the specimens described, or in some instances, where they can go to collect their own specimens. It is pleasant to reflect that some of the younger readers of this book are going to follow Prothero’s exhortations to get into the collection rooms and out to the field, and to further our knowledge of how all the fantastically diverse forms of life came to be.
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