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The History of Life: A Very Short Introduction
Michael J. Benton
184 pages
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20 halftones
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174x111mm
978-0-19-922632-0
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Paperback
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27 November 2008
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- Each chapter describes a major step in the history of life - the breakthroughs that made new forms of life possible
- Explores the origins of sex, the first multicellular creatures, explains how hard skeletons evolved, why animals moved to land, and how the first forests were born
- Presents a completely up-to-date picture of the earliest origins of life, exploring new concepts such as the 'RNA world' and the Last Universal Common Ancestor
- Takes an interdisciplinary view - introducing new ideas from many areas including evolutionary biology, earth history, geochemistry, palaeontology, systematics, and astrobiology
- Covers life on land, and in the sea and air, and looks at animals and plants from algae and insects to dinosaurs and mammals
- Includes the latest perspectives on human evolution
There are few stories more remarkable than the evolution of life on earth. This Very Short Introduction presents a succinct guide to the key episodes in that story - from the very origins of life four million years ago to the extraordinary diversity of species around the globe today.
Beginning with an explanation of the controversies surrounding the birth of life itself, each following chapter tells of a major breakthrough that made new forms of life possible: including sex and multicellularity, hard skeletons, and the move to land. Along the way, we witness the greatest mass extinction, the first forests, the rise of modern ecosystems, and, most recently, conscious humans.
Introducing ideas from a range of
scientific disciplines, from evolutionary biology and earth history, to geochemistry, palaeontology, and systematics, Michael Benton explains how modern science pieces the evidence in this vast evolutionary puzzle together, to build up an accessible and up-to-date picture of the key developments in the history of life on earth.Readership: Readers seeking an up-to-date and accessible introduction to the history and origins of life on earth, readers of popular science, and all those interested in evolution, biology, earth history, and palaeontology. The book also forms a useful introduction to students on biology and geology courses.
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Michael J. Benton, Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology
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1: Introduction
2: The origin of life
3: The origin of sex
4: The origin of skeletons
5: The origin of life on land
6: Forests and flight
7: The biggest mass extinction
8: The origin of modern ecosystems
9: The origin of humans
References and Further Reading
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The specification in this catalogue, including without limitation price, format, extent, number of illustrations, and month of publication, was as accurate as possible at the time the catalogue was compiled. Occasionally, due to the nature of some contractual restrictions, we are unable to ship a specific product to a particular territory. Jacket images are provisional and liable to change before publication.
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