Living Fossil (Paper): The Story of the Coelacanth - Softcover

Thomson, K S

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0393308685 ISBN 13: 9780393308686

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 1992

Synopsis

In the winter of 1938, a fishing boat by chance dragged from the Indian Ocean a fish thought extinct for 70 million years. It was a coelacanth, which thrived concurrently with dinosaurs and pterodactyls-an animal of major importance to those who study the history of vertebrate life. Living Fossil describes the life and habitat of the coelcanth and what scientists have learned about it during fifty years of research. It is an exciting and very human story, filled with ambitious and brilliant people, that reveals much about the practice of modern science.

About this title

Review:

[A] fantastic fish story. . . . [Thomson] succesfully snags the reader's attention. -- James Ferrell

[A] fantastic fish story. . . . [Thomson] successfully snags the reader's attention. --James Ferrell"

Authoritative and eminently readable, deserving of a wide audience.--James D. Ebert, National Academy of Sciences

One of the classic stories of zoology, told with uncommon authority and grace.--Edward O. Wilson, Harvard University

A marvelous book describing the discovery of the coelacanth and its importance to evolutionary biology. . . . Fascinating reading for scientist and non-scientist alike.--George D. Langdon, president, American Museum of Natural History

From the Back Cover:

Living Fossil describes the life and habitat of the coelacanth and what scientists have learned about it during fifty years of research. It is an exciting and very human story, filled with ambitious and brilliant people, that reveals much about the practice of modern science.

About this edition

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 1992
• ISBN 10: 0393308685
• ISBN 13: 9780393308686
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 252