Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County's Vertebrate Paleontology Research Associate is Donald R. Prothero. He has spent the last 40 years instructing college students in geology and paleontology at schools like Columbia University, Vassar College, Knox College, and Pierce College. Currently, he teaches at Cal Poly Pomona. He worked for 27 years as a lecturer in geobiology at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena and a professor of geology at Occidental College in Los Angeles. He graduated from Columbia University with an M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. in geological sciences. He has written more than 30 books on geology, paleontology, and evolutionary biology in addition to over 300 scientific publications that have been published in prestigious journals.
Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters by Donald R. Prothero is a fascinating and thorough history of the transitional forms and series discovered in the fossil record. Among the best books on evolution, the book has been widely used in classes that teach the nature and importance of fossil evidence for evolution due to its compelling narrative of scientific discovery and well-grounded analysis. Systematics and cladistics, rock dating, neo-Darwinism, and macroevolution are all topics covered by evolution. It goes into great detail about the evolution of the backbone, the primordial soup, invertebrate changes, the reign of the dinosaurs, and the transition from early hominid to modern human. The book also discusses the numerous supposed "missing links" in the fossil record, as well as some of the most recent findings that fill in the gaps in the fossil timeline and the course of evolution.
With vivid descriptions of such unusual creatures as the Odontochelys, or "turtle on the half shell," fossil snakes with legs, and the "Frogamander," a novel example of amphibian transition, Prothero describes new transitional fossils from various periods in this second edition. More historical examples and a comprehensive analysis of the "experiments" and observations that creationists use to discredit solid science instruction are included in Prothero's presentation of the arguments for intelligent design. Prothero reframes creationism as a case study in denialism and pseudoscience instead of a subject with its own intellectual dynamic using fresh approaches. This second edition will be welcomed in the libraries of academics, instructors, and ordinary readers who defend basic science in this post-truth period. The first edition was lauded as an exceptional investigation of the fossil evidence for evolution.
Author: Donald R. Prothero
Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0231180640/
Ratings: 4.4 out of 5 stars (from 244 reviews)
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