Explorers of deep time : paleontologists and the history of life / Roy Plotnick.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Plotnick, Roy E., author.

Contributor:

Edward Potts Cheyney Memorial Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Paleontology--Methodology.

Paleontology.

Paleontologists--Biography.

Paleontologists.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

viii, 334 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Columbia University Press, [2022]

Summary:

"Paleontology is one of the most visible yet most misunderstood fields of science. Children dream of becoming paleontologists when they grow up. Museum visitors flock to exhibits on dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals. The media reports on fossil discoveries and new clues to mass extinctions. Nonetheless, misconceptions abound: paleontologists are assumed only to be interested in dinosaurs and they are all too often pictured as bearded white men in battered cowboy hats. Roy Plotnick provides a behind-the-scenes look at paleontology as it exists today in all its complexity. He explores the field's aims, methods, and possibilities, with an emphasis on the compelling personal stories of the scientists who have made it a career. Paleontologists study the entire history of life on Earth; they do not only use hammers and chisels to unearth fossils but are just as likely to work with cutting-edge computing technology. Plotnick presents the big questions about life's history that drive paleontological research and shows why knowledge of Earth's past is essential to understanding present-day environmental crises. He introduces readers to the diverse group of people of all genders, races, and international backgrounds who make up the twenty-first-century paleontology community, foregrounding their perspectives and firsthand narratives. He also frankly discusses the many challenges that face the profession, with key takeaways for aspiring scientists. Candid and comprehensive, Explorers of Deep Time is essential reading for anyone curious about the everyday work of real-life paleontologists"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: pt. I DEEP TIME

1. Those Who Know the Past

2. We Have the Best Questions

3. I'm Not Ross (or Indiana Jones)

pt. II EXPLORING DEEP TIME

4. Attending Marvels

5. Safe Places

6. Cool Toys

7. Big Data and the Big Picture

8. The Ends of the Worlds as We Know Them

9. Lessons for and from the Living

pt. III EXPLORERS OF DEEP TIME

10. The Education of a Paleontologist

11. Living in the Real World

12. The Face of Paleontology

13. The Third Reviewer

14. Conferring, Conversing, and Otherwise Hobnobbing

15. Fighting Over Scraps

pt. IV DEEP TIME AND THE BROAD WORLD

16. This Land Is Your Land, Your Fossil Is My Fossil

17. For the Love of Fossils

18. Presenting the Past

19. Those Who Do Not Know the Past

20. Drawing on the Past

21. The World of Paleontology

22. Last Thoughts: SWOT-ing at Paleontology.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 287-319) and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Edward Potts Cheyney Memorial Fund.

Other Format:

Online version: Plotnick, Roy E. Explorers of deep time

ISBN:

9780231195348

0231195346

OCLC:

1260689632

Publisher Number:

99989255092