The Evolution RevolutionIn the last two decades the study of fossils has come of age, taking a central role in the formulation of ideas on evolution. The unravelling of the fossil record by continual new discoveries has played a major role in stimulating new ideas on patterns and rates of evolution, and on our understanding of the underlying processes and mechanisms of evolution. The Twentieth Century has seen an extraordinary increase in the rate and the range of palaeontological research worldwide. Fossil specimens in world collections have increased a million-fold since Charles Darwin’s day. These new fossil finds have filled in many pieces in the great jigsaw of life . We are now experiencing a revolution in the way in which the fossil record is contributing to our understanding of the patterns and processes that have crafted the living world as we see it today. Witty vignettes on the "lucky" rise of the vertebrates, polar dinosaurs, and many other interesting narratives … a fun but educational excursion throughout the history of life. Michael L. McKinney, University of Tennessee, Knoxville … immensely enjoyable … a fascinating book, nicely illustrated, exciting and often humorous on the one hand, but seriously scientific on the other. I would recommend it to anyone interested in the fossil record and what it has to tell us. Euan N. K. Clarkson, University of Edinburgh Popular Science |
Contents
We are the Champions The longplaying microbial fossil | 1 |
Rise of the Gutless Wonders Early animal evolution | 15 |
Cambrian Dreamtime Menagerie Hallucigenia Jianfengia | 31 |
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Acanthostega adult amphibians ancestors animals Antarctica Archaeopteryx argued arthropods body bone brain Burgess Shale burrowing Cambrian cassids changes Chengjiang chordate colleagues complex conodonts creatures deposits developmental Devonian dinosaurs discovery diversity earliest Early Cambrian Early Cretaceous Ediacaran Ediacaran fossils enantiornithines euthycarcinoids evidence evolution evolutionary evolved extinct fauna fishes forms fossil record fossilised gill Gondwana growth heart urchins hominid Homo increase insects Jurassic juvenile land larger legs limbs lineages living look lower jaw mammals marine Mesozoic metres long million years ago million years old modern birds morphology mosasaurs Museum occur organisms osteolepiform palaeontologists Pikaia placoderms plants plesiosaurs Precambrian predation preserved primitive pterosaurs Quetzalcoatlus recent relatively reptiles rocks sand sandstone sauropod sea-urchins sediment shape sharks similar skeleton skull South species specimen spines stromatolites structures suggested teeth terrestrial tetrapods theropod tissue tooth trace fossils trackways tyrannosaurids University vertebrates Western Australia whales wings