Paleontology : : An Illustrated History / / David Bainbridge.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter EBOOK PACKAGE COMPLETE 2022 English
• VerfasserIn: Bainbridge, David,
• Place / Publishing House: Princeton, NJ : : Princeton University Press, , [2022]; ©2022
• Year of Publication: 2022
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (256 p.) :; 100+ color illus.

An illustrated look at the art and science of paleontology from its origins to todayHumans have been stumbling upon the petrified remains of ancient animals since prehistoric times, leading to tales of giant dogs, deadly dragons, tree gods, sea serpents, and all manner of strange and marvelous creatures. In this richly illustrated book, David Bainbridge recounts how legends like these gradually gave rise to the modern science of paleontology, and how this pioneering discipline has reshaped our view of the natural world.Bainbridge takes readers from ancient Greece to the eighteenth century, when paleontology began to coalesce into the scientific field we know today, and discusses how contemporary paleontologists use cutting-edge technologies to flesh out the discoveries of past and present. He brings to life the stories and people behind some of the greatest fossil finds of all time, and explains how paleontology has long straddled the spheres of science and art. Bainbridge also looks to the future of the discipline, discussing how the rapid recovery of DNA and other genetic material from the fossil record promises to revolutionize our understanding of the origins and evolution of ancient life.This panoramic book brings together stunning illustrations ranging from early sketches and engravings to eye-popping paleoart and high-tech computer reconstructions.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- CONTENTS -- FOREWORD: THE PLEASURE OF RUINS -- INTRODUCTION: WHEN FOSSILS BECAME LIFE -- Chapter One ORGANIC REMAINS OF A FORMER WORLD 1800 –1860 -- ORGANIC REMAINS OF A FORMER WORLD -- WILLIAM SMITH (1769–1839) A Layered Chronology of Fossils -- MARY ANNING (1799–1847) “The Greatest Fossilist the World Ever Knew” -- CHARLES DARWIN (1809–1882) Fossil Hunting in South America -- Chapter Two A PRETERNATURAL SELECTION 1860–1920 -- A PRETERNATURAL SELECTION -- CHARLES MARSH (1831–1899) AND EDWARD DRINKER COPE (1840–1897) The Bone Wars -- CHARLES KNIGHT (1874–1953) Leaping Laelaps and its Co-stars -- CHARLES WALCOTT (1850–1927) The Burgess Shale and the Cambrian Explosion -- Chapter Three FROM INDIANA JONES TO IRIDIUM ANOMALY 1920–1980 -- FROM INDIANA JONES TO IRIDIUM ANOMALY -- ROY CHAPMAN ANDREWS (1884–1960) The Ends of the Earth -- REG SPRIGG (1919–1994) AND TREVOR FORD (1925–2017) Life Before Ancient Life -- MARY LEAKEY (1913–1996) Consuls, Nutcrackers, and Footprints in the Ash -- LUIS AND WALTER ALVAREZ (1911–1988 AND 1940–) Did an Extraterrestrial Impact Kill the Dinosaurs? -- Chapter Four THE MODERN ANCIENT 1980–PRESENT -- THE MODERN ANCIENT -- JENNY CLACK (1947–2020) Gaining Ground -- KING KONG (1933) AND JURASSIC PARK (1993) Paleontology and Popcorn -- YURI KHUDI (BIRTH DATE UNKNOWN, DISCOVERY IN 2007) Reawakening Mammuthus primigenius -- LIFE ON EARTH (4,500,000,000 YEARS AGO TO THE PRESENT) Fossils From When the World Was Young -- CREDITS -- INDEX