The story of life / T.R.E. Southwood.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Southwood, Richard, Sir

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Evolution (Biology).

Biology.

Evolution.

Paleontology.

Paleoecology.

Medical Subjects:

Biology.

Evolution.

Paleontology.

Physical Description:

viii, 264 pages : illustrations, map ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2003.

Summary:

How did life begin? What was 'snowball earth'? Why did the dinosaurs go extinct? Are we all descended from 'African Eve'? Will humans be responsible for the next major extinction? All these, and many other questions, are addressed in this fascinating book. The story unfolds with the formation of the earth around four thousand million years ago, Life emerges a hundred million years later, and it took another fifteen million years for more complex life to appear. Periods of relatively calm, like a kaleidoscope held still, were punctuated by five vigorous shakes of the kaleidoscope representing major extinctions, with innumerable minor jolts along the way. Then five million years ago an able ape evolved that gradually came to dominate and control the other animals and plants. The future lies in the hands of a single species. Southwood's love for his subject, and for the life he describes, shines through this carefully and straightforwardly crafted story. It is generously illustrated with line drawings showing the creatures and plants that inhabited the changing world and with maps of the globe that show the varying forms of the land itself.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Special Chemistry: Pre- and Early Archaean: 4550-3500 Mya 7

Chapter 2 A Quick Start: Middle and Late Archaean: 3500-2500 Mya 14

Chapter 3 Cells with Nuclei: Proterozoic: 2500-600 Mya 25

Chapter 4 Jellyfish, Polyps and Worms? Late Proterozoic: 700-545 Mya 36

Chapter 5 Claws, Rasps and Shells: Cambrian-Ordovician: 545-438 Mya 43

Chapter 6 Sand, Mud and Shallow Seas: Silurian-Devonian: 438-362 Mya 65

Chapter 7 The Giant Continent Forms: Carboniferous-Permian: 362-248 Mya 89

Chapter 8 A Sparse Start: Triassic: 248-206 Mya 118

Chapter 9 The World of the Dinosaurs: Jurassic-Cretaceous: 206-65 Mya 136

Chapter 10 Today's World Dawns: Tertiary-Quaternary: 65 Mya-Today 176

Chapter 11 The Evolution of the Able Ape: 20 Mya-30,000 Years Ago 213

Chapter 12 Humans: The Great Modifiers: 40,000 Years Ago, Today and Tomorrow 233.

Notes:

Map on lining paper.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [257]-258) and index.

ISBN:

0198525907

OCLC:

51000006