Remnants of ancient life : the new science of old fossils / Dale E. Greenwalt.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Greenwalt, Dale E., 1949- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Biomolecules, Fossil.

DNA, Fossil--Analysis.

Physical Description:

viii, 278 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Other Title:

New science of old fossils

Place of Publication:

Princeton, New Jersey : Princeton University Press, [2022]

Summary:

"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"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: 1. A Blood-Engorged Mosquito

2. In Situ

3. The Purple Fossil

4. The Black Pigment

5. Dino Feathers

6. Ancient Biometals

7. Proteins and Proteomes

8. Dino Bones

9. Ancient DNA's Tenuous Origins

10. Our Inner Neandertal

11. Plants

12. The Future of Studying the Past.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 229-255) and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Greenwalt, Dale E., 1949- Remnants of ancient life

ISBN:

9780691221144

0691221146

OCLC:

1334108884