The Story of Life
Oxford University Press (Verlag)
978-0-19-860786-1 (ISBN)
How did life begin? What really was 'snowball earth'? Why did the dinosaurs go extinct? Are we all descended from 'African Eve'? Will humans be responsible for the next major extinction? All these are addressed in this fascinating book.
The story unfolds with the formation of the earth around four thousand million years ago, though it took until after massive bombardment by asteroids a hundred million years later for life to emerge and another fifteen million years until more complex life began to appear. Periods of relatively calm, like a kaleidoscope held still, were punctuated by five vigorous shakes of the kaleidoscope representing major extinctions, with innumerable minor jolts along the way. Five million years ago an able ape evolved that gradually came to dominate and control the other animals and plants. Evolution in all its complexity has been put aside and the future lies in the hands of single species.
Southwood's love for his subject, and for the life he describes, shines through this carefully and straightforwardly crafted story. It is generously illustrated with line drawings showing the creatures and plants that inhabited the changing world and reconstructions of entire habitats, with maps of the globe that show the progress of the land itself.
Professor Sir Richard Southwood FRS, ex-head of Imperial College and Oxford Zoology Departments, ex-Vice-Chancellor of Oxford, holder of thirteen honorary degrees is, above all, a life long natural historian with an enduring curiosity about the lives of the other inhabitants of Earth. As well as writing and researching, he has played a major role in public policy related to the environment - with direct responsibility for the elimination of lead additives from petrol, inter alia.
Introduction ; 1. Special chemistry ; 2. A quick start ; 3. Cells with Nuclei ; 4. Jellyfish, polyps and worms? ; 5. Claws, rasps and shells ; 6. Sand, mud and shallow seas ; 7. The giant continent forms ; 8. A sparse start ; 9. The world of the dinosaurs ; 10. Today's world dawns ; 11. The evolution of the able ape ; 12. Humans - the great modifiers ; Further reading ; Acknowledgements ; Index
| Erscheint lt. Verlag | 4.9.2003 |
|---|---|
| Zusatzinfo | numerous, maps figures and line drawings |
| Verlagsort | Oxford |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Maße | 156 x 233 mm |
| Gewicht | 421 g |
| Themenwelt | Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Natur / Technik ► Natur / Ökologie |
| Naturwissenschaften ► Biologie ► Evolution | |
| Naturwissenschaften ► Geowissenschaften ► Geologie | |
| Naturwissenschaften ► Geowissenschaften ► Mineralogie / Paläontologie | |
| ISBN-10 | 0-19-860786-5 / 0198607865 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0-19-860786-1 / 9780198607861 |
| Zustand | Neuware |
| Informationen gemäß Produktsicherheitsverordnung (GPSR) | |
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