Synopsis
One of the greatest mysteries in reconstructing the history of life on Earth has been the apparent absence of fossils dating back more than 500 million years. We have long known that fossils of sophisticated marine life-forms existed at the dawn of the Cambrian Period, but until recently scientists had found no traces of Precambrian fossils. The quest to find such traces began in earnest in the mid-1960s and culminated in one dramatic moment in 1993 when William Schopf identified fossilized micro-organisms three and a half billion years old. This find opened up a vast period of time - some 85 per cent of Earth's history - to new research and new ideas about life's beginnings. In this book, William Schopf, a pioneer of modern paleobiology, tells the story of the origins and earliest evolution of life and how that story has been unearthed.
From the Back Cover
"'I am born,' writes Dicken's David Copperfield, in simple statement of fact. Our knowledge of how the first cells and organisms were begotten is far less resolute. With focused vision, Cradle of Life probes one view of primordial Earth and the succor of its first cells and organisms, even as scientists explore and assemble evidence to advocate other possibilities. Schopf engages the reader with the magic of storytelling as he writes about such matters as the fables and foibles of scientists, the demands of discovery and documentation in attaining an understanding of how life evolved, the tempo of evolution, and, of course, the continuing saga of the Mars rocks."--Cindy Lee Van Dover, author of Deep-Ocean Journeys
"An entertaining and informative book. It provides an interesting perspective on how science is done. . . . Schopf's personal perspective provides a sense of the personalities involved and engages the reader. . . ."--Dawn Y. Sumner, University of California, Davis
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
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