Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origins of Species - Softcover

B. Carroll, Sean

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1849160724 ISBN 13: 9781849160728

Publisher: Quercus, 2009

Synopsis

In 1809, when Darwin was born, much of the world was an unexplored wilderness. Our knowledge of the past was nonexistent, and our picture of our species' history little more than a set of fantastic myths and fairytales. But a new era was dawning. Five decades later, On the Origin of the Species was able to draw on the pioneering work of explorers and naturalists to produce a theory that revolutionized our conception of our world. And the revolution didn't stop with the publication of Darwin's masterwork. 150 years later, his 'dangerous idea' is still headline news, denied by many, capable of enraging and dividing, even as biologists decipher the 3-billion-year history of life as written in our very DNA. This book tells the stories of the most dramatic adventures and important discoveries in two centuries of natural history - from Alexander von Humboldt's epic journeys in South America to the hi-tech genome-reading projects making headlines today - and how they gave birth to and have nourished the evolution revolution.

About this title

Review

'Leaves you with an overwhelming sense of awe and respect for the most remarkable of creatures, the men and women who...gave us a profound sense of place among life on Earth.' --Guardian.

'A bracing tonic for those whose rational enjoyment of the natural universe currently seems in danger of being overwhelmed by the strident infantilism of creationists' --Spectator.

'This year's double Darwin anniversary has inspired an outpouring of excellent books. This may be the best of all.' Financial Times.
'Sean Carroll is... a forceful public advocate for biological science as one of the glories of our culture... As Remarkable Creatures vividly shows, this is not yet another trip down the heritage nostalgia trail but the celebration of a vital tradition' Daily Mail. --Reviews.

From the Back Cover

Remarkable Creatures tells the story of the making of the theory of evolution - two centuries of exploration, adventure and discovery that changed our view of life, our plant and ourselves forever.
Sean Carroll introduces us to ape-men, rhino-sized giant sloths, and the almost hallucinogenic life forms that squirmed across Earth's sea floors 500 million years ago. But these aren't by any means the most remarkable creatures in this story: that distinction belongs to the men and women whose drive to discover powered the evolution revolution.
Circumnavigating the globe with Humboldt, Darwin, Alfred Russel Wallace and Henry Bates, examining palaeontology's loveliest bones, and deciphering the DNA record of life, Remarkable Creatures tells the exhilarating story of the scientists who walked where no one else had walked, saw what no one else had seen, thought what no one else had thought. It is a celebration of the infinite miracle of life and our quest to understand it.

Edition details

• Publisher: Quercus
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1849160724
• ISBN 13: 9781849160728
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 352