Wonderful Life

Fülszöveg

Wonderful Life
The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History
STEPHEN JAY GOULD
High in the Canadian Rockies is a small limestone quarry formed 530
million years ago called the Burgess Shale. It holds the remains of an
ancient sea where dozens of strange creatures lived—a forgotten corner of
evolution preserved in awesome detail. In this book Stephen Jay Gould
explores what the Burgess Shale tells us about evolution and the nature
of history.
"[An] extraordinary book____Mr. Gould is an exceptional combination of
scientist and science writer He is thus exceptionally well placed to tell
these stories, and he tells them with fervor and intelligence."
—James Gleick, New York Times Book Review
"Gould at his best____The message of history is superbly conveyed----
Recommended reading for scientists and nonscientists of all persuasions."
—Walter C. Sweet, Science
"Luminous____Filled with profound and upsetting ideas like the Burgess
Shale itself and just as solid. It is... Tovább

Fülszöveg

Wonderful Life
The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History
STEPHEN JAY GOULD
High in the Canadian Rockies is a small limestone quarry formed 530
million years ago called the Burgess Shale. It holds the remains of an
ancient sea where dozens of strange creatures lived—a forgotten corner of
evolution preserved in awesome detail. In this book Stephen Jay Gould
explores what the Burgess Shale tells us about evolution and the nature
of history.
"[An] extraordinary book____Mr. Gould is an exceptional combination of
scientist and science writer He is thus exceptionally well placed to tell
these stories, and he tells them with fervor and intelligence."
—James Gleick, New York Times Book Review
"Gould at his best____The message of history is superbly conveyed----
Recommended reading for scientists and nonscientists of all persuasions."
—Walter C. Sweet, Science
"Luminous____Filled with profound and upsetting ideas like the Burgess
Shale itself and just as solid. It is surely one of nature's best stories, told
with a light touch by a master of the field." —Lewis Thomas, M.D.
"There is no question about the historical importance of the Burgess Shale,
and Gould is right when he says that it deserves a place in the public
consciousness along with big bangs and black holes____A compelling
story, told with characteristic verve." —Richard A. Fortey, Nature
"Wonderful____Professor Gould has brought to light one of the least known
but most spectacular paleontological discoveries of all time, and woven
around it a brilliant tapestry of facts, theories, and ideas."
—Martin Gardner
cover design by mike mciver
cover painting by charles knight, courtesy national geographic society Vissza