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The Crucible of Creation Simon Conway Morris (Professor of Evolutionary Palaeobiology, Professor of Evolutionary Palaeobiology, University of Cambridge)

The Crucible of Creation By Simon Conway Morris (Professor of Evolutionary Palaeobiology, Professor of Evolutionary Palaeobiology, University of Cambridge)

Summary

Located in the west of Canada, the Burgess Shale contains a unique collection of fossil remains, and has become an icon for those studying the history of life. This book takes us on a journey back in time through the Burgess Shale and its collection of pre-Cambrian creatures.

The Crucible of Creation Summary

The Crucible of Creation: The Burgess Shale and the Rise of Animals by Simon Conway Morris (Professor of Evolutionary Palaeobiology, Professor of Evolutionary Palaeobiology, University of Cambridge)

'tells a great story and manages to be informative at all levels. Conway Morris has a collector's eye for the sort of entertaining yet informative snippets that keep readers on their toes.' New Scientist Located in the west of Canada, the Burgess Shale contains a unique collection of fossil remains, and has become an icon for those studying the history of life. This remarkable book takes us on a fresh journey back in time through the Burgess Shale and its astonishing collection of pre-Cambrian creatures. In an entertaining and readable style, Simon Conway Morris paints a vivid picture of the critical period which saw the diversification of all the major animal groups, and takes a controversial stance on current evolutionary theories that is sure to provoke much interest and debate. 'It is less bleak in its assessment of life on earth and it is spiritually uplifting, rather than dry and mechanistic as some would have us believe' THES 'The centerpiece of The Crucible of Creation is a description, authoritative and readable, of the animals themselves. New York Times Book Review

The Crucible of Creation Reviews

'tells a great story and manages to be informative at all levels. * New Scientist *
spiritually uplifting * THES *
The centerpiece of The Crucible of Creation is a descripion, authoritative and readable, of the animals themselves * New York Times Book Review *

About Simon Conway Morris (Professor of Evolutionary Palaeobiology, Professor of Evolutionary Palaeobiology, University of Cambridge)

Simon Conway Morris is Professor of Palaeontology in the Department of Earth Sciences at Cambridge. He was one of the team of three scientists who uncovered many of the fossils and worked on the interpretation of the Burgess Shale in the 1970s, for which work Stephen Jay Gould said Palaeontology has no Nobel prizes though I would unhesitatingly award the first to Whittington, Briggs, and Conway Morris. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1990, and presented the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures in 1996. His search for fossils has taken him all over the world, including China, Mongolia, Australia, and Greenland.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION; 1. SETTING THE SCENE; 2. THE DISCOVERY OF THE BURGESS SHALE; 3. JOURNEY TO THE BURGESS SHALE; 4. THE SEARCH FOR NEW BURGESS SHALES; 5. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE BURGESS SHALE; 6. THE ORIGIN OF PHYLA; 7. OTHER WORLDS; 8. THE LAST WORD; ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS; APPENDIX 1: FURTHER READING; APPENDIX 2: EXHIBITIONS; APPENDIX 3: LOCALITIES; GLOSSARY; INDEX.

Additional information

GOR002763603
9780192862020
0192862022
The Crucible of Creation: The Burgess Shale and the Rise of Animals by Simon Conway Morris (Professor of Evolutionary Palaeobiology, Professor of Evolutionary Palaeobiology, University of Cambridge)
Used - Very Good
Paperback
Oxford University Press
19991007
272
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

Customer Reviews - The Crucible of Creation