Fossils: A Very Short Introduction

Fossils: A Very Short Introduction

Author: Keith Thomson

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2005-10-13

Total Pages: 161

ISBN-13: 0192805045

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Fossils have been vital to our understanding of the formation of the Earth and the origins of life on it. Keith Thomson presents an explanation of fossils as a phenomenon, highlighting their impact on mythology, philosophy and popular culture.


Human Evolution

Human Evolution

Author: Bernard A. Wood

Publisher:

Published: 2019

Total Pages: 161

ISBN-13: 0198831749

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The study of human evolution is advancing rapidly. New fossil evidence is adding ever more pieces to the puzzle of our past; the new science of ancient DNA is completely reshaping theories of early human populations and migrations. Bernard Wood traces the field of palaeoanthropology from its beginnings in the eighteenth century to the present.


The History of Life: A Very Short Introduction

The History of Life: A Very Short Introduction

Author: Michael J. Benton

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2008-11-27

Total Pages: 185

ISBN-13: 0199226326

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This Very Short Introduction presents a succinct and accessible guide to the key episodes in the story of life on earth - from the very origins of life four million years ago to the extraordinary diversity of species around the globe today.


Mammals: A Very Short Introduction

Mammals: A Very Short Introduction

Author: T. S. Kemp

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2017-09-21

Total Pages: 186

ISBN-13: 0191079588

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From a modest beginning in the form of a little shrew-like, nocturnal, insect eating ancestor that lived 200 million years ago, mammals evolved into the huge variety of different kinds of animals we see today. Many species are still small, and follow the lifestyle of the ancestor, but others have adapted to become large grazers and browsers, like the antelopes, cattle, rhinos, and elephants, or the lions, hyaenas, and wolves that prey upon them. Yet others evolved to be specialist termite eaters able to dig into the hardest mounds, or tunnel creating burrowers, and a few took to the skies as gliders and the bats. Many live partly in the water, such as otters, beavers, and hippos, while whales and dugongs remain permanently in the seas, incapable of ever emerging onto land. In this Very Short Introduction T. S. Kemp explains how it is a tenfold increase in metabolic rate - endothermy or "warm-bloodedness" - that lies behind the high levels of activity, and the relatively huge brain associated with complex, adaptable behaviour that epitomizes mammals. He describes the remarkable fossil record, revealing how and when the mammals gained their characteristics, and the tortuous course of their subsequent evolution, during which many bizarre forms such as sabre-toothed cats, and 30-tonne, 6-m high browsers arose and disappeared. Describing the wonderful adaptations that mammals evolved to suit their varied modes of life, he also looks at those of the mainly arboreal primates that culminated ultimately in Homo sapiens. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.


Teeth: A Very Short Introduction

Teeth: A Very Short Introduction

Author: Peter S. Ungar

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2014-03

Total Pages: 153

ISBN-13: 0199670595

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Teeth are a vital component of vertebrate anatomy and a fundamental part of the fossil record. It was the evolution of teeth, associated with predation, that drove the evolution of the wide array of fish, amphibians, reptiles, and then mammals. Peter S. Ungar looks at how, without teeth, none of these developments could have occurred.


Evolution

Evolution

Author: Brian Charlesworth

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2017

Total Pages: 169

ISBN-13: 0198804369

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This text is about the central role of evolution in shaping the nature and diversity of the living world. It describes the processes of natural selection, how adaptations arise, and how new species form, as well as summarizing the evidence for evolution


Evolution

Evolution

Author: Donald R. Prothero

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2017-08-22

Total Pages: 891

ISBN-13: 0231543166

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Donald R. Prothero’s Evolution is an entertaining and rigorous history of the transitional forms and series found in the fossil record. Its engaging narrative of scientific discovery and well-grounded analysis has led to the book’s widespread adoption in courses that teach the nature and value of fossil evidence for evolution. Evolution tackles systematics and cladistics, rock dating, neo-Darwinism, and macroevolution. It includes extensive coverage of the primordial soup, invertebrate transitions, the development of the backbone, the reign of the dinosaurs, and the transformation from early hominid to modern human. The book also details the many alleged “missing links” in the fossil record, including some of the most recent discoveries that flesh out the fossil timeline and the evolutionary process. In this second edition, Prothero describes new transitional fossils from various periods, vividly depicting such bizarre creatures as the Odontochelys, or the “turtle on the half shell”; fossil snakes with legs; and the “Frogamander,” a new example of amphibian transition. Prothero’s discussion of intelligent design arguments includes more historical examples and careful examination of the “experiments” and observations that are exploited by creationists seeking to undermine sound science education. With new perspectives, Prothero reframes creationism as a case study in denialism and pseudoscience rather than a field with its own intellectual dynamism. The first edition was hailed as an exemplary exploration of the fossil evidence for evolution, and this second edition will be welcome in the libraries of scholars, teachers, and general readers who stand up for sound science in this post-truth era.


Discovering Fossils

Discovering Fossils

Author: Frank A. Garcia

Publisher: Stackpole Books

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13: 9780811728003

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Complete beginner's guide, with vertebrate and invertebrate fossil descriptions.


Astrobiology: A Very Short Introduction

Astrobiology: A Very Short Introduction

Author: David C. Catling

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2013-10-24

Total Pages: 161

ISBN-13: 0199586454

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Examines the origins of life on Earth and the search for extraterrestrial life, through an understanding of the factors that have allowed life to exist on this planet and the commonalities on others that may enable life elsewhere.