Evolution : what the fossils say and why it matters

Description

An entertaining and rigorous history of the transitional forms and series found in the fossil record. Its engaging narrative of scientific discovery and well-grounded analysis has led to the book's widespread adoption in courses that teach the nature and value of fossil evidence for evolution. Evolution tackles systematics and cladistics, rock dating, neo-Darwinism, and macroevolution. It includes extensive coverage of the primordial soup, invertebrate transitions, the development of the backbone, the reign of the dinosaurs, and the transformation from early hominid to modern human. The book also details the many alleged "missing links" in the fossil record, including some of the most recent discoveries that flesh out the fossil timeline and the evolutionary process. --Publisher's description.  Read more... Foreword: Why people do not accept evolution -- To the reader: Is evolution a threat to your religious beliefs? -- Prologue: Fossils and evolution -- Preface to the second edition -- Acknowledgments -- Part I. Evolution and the fossil record. The nature of science Science and creationism The fossil record The evolution of evolution Systematics and evolution -- Part II. Evolution? : the fossils say yes! Life's origins Cambrian "explosion" -- or "slow fuse"? Spineless wonders of evolution Fish tales Fish out of water Onto the land and back to the sea : the amniotes Dinosaurs evolve -- and fly Mammalian explosion Bossies and blowholes The ape's reflection? Why does it matter?