The Paleobiological Revolution: Essays on the Growth of Modern Paleontology - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 022627571X ISBN 13: 9780226275710

Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 2015

Synopsis

The Paleobiological Revolution chronicles the incredible ascendance of the once-maligned science of paleontology to the vanguard of a field. With the establishment of the modern synthesis in the 1940s and the pioneering work of George Gaylord Simpson, Ernst Mayr, and Theodosius Dobzhansky, as well as the subsequent efforts of Stephen Jay Gould, David Raup, and James Valentine, paleontology became embedded in biology and emerged as paleobiology, a first-rate discipline central to evolutionary studies. Pairing contributions from some of the leading actors of the transformation with overviews from historians and philosophers of science, the essays here capture the excitement of the seismic changes in the discipline. In so doing, David Sepkoski and Michael Ruse harness the energy of the past to call for further study of the conceptual development of modern paleobiology.

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[ The Paleobiological Revolution: Essays on the Growth of Modern Paleontology By ( Author ) Mar-2015 Paperback

Review:

"Tom Schopf elevated the term "paleobiology" to new heights when he assembled his 1972 book "Models in Paleobiology" and spearheaded the founding of the journal "Paleobiology"--a journal, I am happy to say, that is read by many who do not work directly with fossils. If there is still some distance to go before paleobiology is fully integrated with evolutionary theory, the importance of the fossil record in understanding--not only the course of evolution, but also its pulse and pace, and even some of its mechanics--is nonetheless undeniable. The twenty-six papers in this volume probe the early days of this resurgence, and capture some of the excitement rippling through the field as paleontologists rediscovered the powerful evolutionary implications of their data."
--Niles Eldredge, Division of Paleontology, The American Museum of Natural History

"The 26 scholarly essays in "The Paleobiological Revolution "document and celebrate the rise of paleobiology--paleontology as a biological science--which established the study of the fossil record as a unique contributor to evolutionary biology. Fossils became considered as once-living organisms with real physiologies and ecologies, populating ancient environments and forming ecosystems that may have no close modern analogs....In this volume we find the scientific bones of the paleobiology revolution carefully examined both by historians of science and as personal accounts from many of those who played a part in shaping the transformation. Together they tell the tale, heralded by John Maynard Smith, of the return of paleontologists to the 'high table' of evolutionary biology."
--Rachel Wood"Science" (08/21/2009)

"The twenty-six scholarly essays in "The Paleobiological Revolution "document and celebrate the rise of paleobiology--paleontology as a biological science--which established the study of the fossil record as a unique contributor to evolutionary biology. Fossils became considered as once-living organisms with real physiologies and ecologies, populating ancient environments and forming ecosystems that may have no close modern analogs. . . . In this volume we find the scientific bones of the paleobiology revolution carefully examined both by historians of science and as personal accounts from many of those who played a part in shaping the transformation. Together they tell the tale, heralded by John Maynard Smith, of the return of paleontologists to the 'high table' of evolutionary biology."

--Rachel Wood"Science" (08/21/2009)

"A stimulating and eminently readable, historical account of the revolution in paleontology and the emergence of the field that became known as paleobiology."--J. Thompson "Evolution "

"This insightful volume should serve as a foundation for future work in the largely unexplored realm of history and philosophy of paleontology."--Keynyn Brysse "Isis "

Tom Schopf elevated the term "paleobiology" to new heights when he assembled his 1972 book "Models in Paleobiology" and spearheaded the founding of the journal "Paleobiology" a journal, I am happy to say, that is read by many who do not work directly with fossils. If there is still some distance to go before paleobiology is fully integrated with evolutionary theory, the importance of the fossil record in understanding not only the course of evolution, but also its pulse and pace, and even some of its mechanics is nonetheless undeniable. The twenty-six papers in this volume probe the early days of this resurgence, and capture some of the excitement rippling through the field as paleontologists rediscovered the powerful evolutionary implications of their data.
--Niles Eldredge, Division of Paleontology, The American Museum of Natural History"

The twenty-six scholarly essays in "The Paleobiological Revolution "document and celebrate the rise of paleobiology paleontology as a biological science which established the study of the fossil record as a unique contributor to evolutionary biology. Fossils became considered as once-living organisms with real physiologies and ecologies, populating ancient environments and forming ecosystems that may have no close modern analogs. . . . In this volume we find the scientific bones of the paleobiology revolution carefully examined both by historians of science and as personal accounts from many of those who played a part in shaping the transformation. Together they tell the tale, heralded by John Maynard Smith, of the return of paleontologists to the high table of evolutionary biology.

--Rachel Wood"Science" (08/21/2009)"

A stimulating and eminently readable, historical account of the revolution in paleontology and the emergence of the field that became known as paleobiology. --J. Thompson "Evolution ""

This insightful volume should serve as a foundation for future work in the largely unexplored realm of history and philosophy of paleontology. --Keynyn Brysse "Isis ""

The utter transformation of paleontology over the past forty years is too often viewed as either obvious and inevitable (by its enthusiasts), or misguided and unimportant (by its critics). Both of these extreme views could be avoided by a greater familiarity with the history of this revolution, which is unfortunately viewed by most professionals as of merely antiquarian interest, and this sense has been passed on to our students. The varied chapters in this fine volume provide an excellent antidote to this situation. Every paleontologist, and especially every graduate student, should read this book!"
--Warren Allmon, Cornell University"

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 022627571X
• ISBN 13: 9780226275710
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 580
• Editor: Sepkoski David, Ruse Michael