J. David. Archibald - Böcker

The first book to approach the Cretaceous extinction-the period during which dinosaurs disappeared from Earth-from the perspective of the fossil record.

Leading paleontologist J. David Archibald explores the rich history of visual metaphors for biological order from ancient times to the present and their influence on humans' perception of their place in nature, offering uncommon insight into how we went from standing on the top rung of the biological ladder to embodying just one tiny twig on the tree of life. He begins with the ancient but still misguided use of ladders to show biological order, moving then to the use of trees to represent seasonal life cycles and genealogies by the Romans. The early Christian Church then appropriated trees to represent biblical genealogies. The late eighteenth century saw the tree reclaimed to visualize relationships in the natural world, sometimes with a creationist view, but in other instances suggesting evolution. Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species (1859) exorcised the exclusively creationist view of the "tree of life," and his ideas sparked an explosion of trees, mostly by younger acolytes in Europe.Although Darwin's influence waned in the early twentieth century, by midcentury his ideas held sway once again in time for another and even greater explosion of tree building, generated by the development of new theories on how to assemble trees, the birth of powerful computing, and the emergence of molecular technology. Throughout Archibald's far-reaching study, and with the use of many figures, the evolution of "tree of life" iconography becomes entwined with our changing perception of the world and ourselves.

In On the Origin of Species (1859), Charles Darwin presented his evidence for evolution and natural selection as its mechanism. He drew upon his earliest data gathered during his voyage on the HMS Beagle, which included collecting mammalian fossils in South America clearly related to living forms, tracing the geographical distributions of living species across South America, and sampling the peculiar fauna of the geologically young Galapagos Archipelago that showed evident affinities to South American forms. By the end of the voyage, he came to the realization that instead of various centers of creation, species evolved in different regions throughout the world. However, except for some personal ponderings, he did not express this revelation explicitly in his notebooks until shortly after his return. Over the years, he collected more evidence supporting evolution, but his early work remained paramount: it became the first paragraph of On the Origin of Species and encompassed three separate chapters, as well as later appearing in his autobiography.Many discussions of Darwin's landmark book give scant attention to this wealth of evidence and today we still do not fully appreciate its significance in Darwin's thinking. In Origins of Darwin's Evolution, J. David Archibald explores this lapse. He also shows that Darwin's other early passion, geology, proved a more elusive corroboration of evolution. On the Origin of Species dedicated only one chapter to the rock and fossil record, as it appeared too incomplete for Darwin's evidentiary standards. Carefully retracing Darwin's gathering of evidence and the evolution of his thinking, Origins of Darwin's Evolution achieves a new understanding of how Darwin crafted his transformative theory.

Historical biogeography—the study of the history of species through both time and place—first convinced Charles Darwin of evolution. This field was so important to Darwin’s initial theories and line of thinking that he said as much in the very first paragraph of On the Origin of Species (1859) and later in his autobiography. His methods included collecting mammalian fossils in South America clearly related to living forms, tracing the geographical distributions of living species across South America, and sampling peculiar fauna of the geologically young Galápagos Archipelago that showed evident affinities to South American forms. Over the years, Darwin collected other evidence in support of evolution, but his historical biogeographical arguments remained paramount, so much so that he devotes three full chapters to this topic in On the Origin of Species.Discussions of Darwin’s landmark book too often give scant attention to this wealth of evidence, and we still do not fully appreciate its significance in Darwin’s thinking. In Origins of Darwin’s Evolution, J. David Archibald explores this lapse, showing how Darwin first came to the conclusion that, instead of various centers of creation, species had evolved in different regions throughout the world. He also shows that Darwin’s other early passion—geology—proved a more elusive corroboration of evolution. On the Origin of Species has only one chapter dedicated to the rock and fossil record, as it then appeared too incomplete for Darwin’s evidentiary standards. Carefully retracing Darwin’s gathering of evidence and the evolution of his thinking, Origins of Darwin’s Evolution achieves a new understanding of how Darwin crafted his transformative theory.

From shrews to blue whales, placental mammals are among the most diverse and successful vertebrates on the Earth. Arising sometime near the Late Cretaceous, this broad clade of mammals contains more than 1,000 genera and approximately 4,400 extant species. Although much studied, the origin and diversification of the placentals continue to be a source of debate. Paleontologists Kenneth D. Rose and J. David Archibald have assembled the world's leading authorities to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date evolutionary history of placental mammals. Focusing on anatomical evidence, the contributors present an unbiased scientific account of the initial radiation and ordinal relationships of placental mammals, representing both the consensus and significant minority viewpoints. This book will be invaluable to paleontologists, evolutionary biologists, mammalogists, and students. Contributors: J. David Archibald, San Diego State University; Robert J. Asher, Institut fur Systematische Zoologie; Jonathan I. Bloch, University of Michigan; Douglas M. Boyer, University of Michigan; Daryl P. Domning, Howard University; Eduardo Eizirik, National Cancer Institute; Robert J.Emry, Smithsonian Institution; Jorg Erfurt, Martin-Luther-University; John J. Flynn, The Field Museum; Timothy J. Gaudin, University of Tennessee; Emmanuel Gheerbrant, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle; Philip D. Gingerich, The University of Michigan; Patricia A. Holroyd, University of California, Berkeley; J. J. Hooker, The Natural History Museum; Leo F. Laporte, University of California, Santa Cruz; Jin Meng, American Museum of Natural History;William J. Murphy, National Cancer Institute; Jason C. Mussell, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Michael J. Novacek, American Museum of Natural History; Stephen J. O'Brien, National Cancer Institute; Kenneth D. Rose, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Guillermo W. Rougier, University of Louisville; Eric J. Sargis, Yale University; Mary T. Silcox, University of Winnipeg; Nancy B. Simmons, American Museum of Natural History; Mark S. Springer, University of California, Riverside; Gerhard Storch, Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg; Pascal Tassy, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle; Jessica M. Theodor, Illinois State Museum; Gina D. Wesley, The University of Chicago; John R.Wible, Carnegie Museum of Natural History; Andre Wyss, University of California, Santa Barbara.

In the geological blink of an eye, mammals moved from an obscure group of vertebrates into a class of planetary dominance. Why? J. David Archibald's provocative study identifies the fall of dinosaurs as the factor that allowed mammals to evolve into the dominant tetrapod form. Archibald refutes the widely accepted single-cause impact theory for dinosaur extinction. He demonstrates that multiple factors-massive volcanic eruptions, loss of shallow seas, and extraterrestrial impact-likely led to their demise. While their avian relatives ultimately survived and thrived, terrestrial dinosaurs did not. Taking their place as the dominant land and sea tetrapods were mammals, whose radiation was explosive following nonavian dinosaur extinction. Archibald argues that because of dinosaurs, Mesozoic mammals changed relatively slowly for 145 million years compared to the prodigious Cenozoic radiation that followed. Finally out from under the shadow of the giant reptiles, Cenozoic mammals evolved into the forms we recognize today in a mere ten million years after dinosaur extinction. Extinction and Radiation is the first book to convincingly link the rise of mammals with the fall of dinosaurs.Piecing together evidence from both molecular biology and the fossil record, Archibald shows how science is edging closer to understanding exactly what happened during the mass extinctions near the K/T boundary and the radiation that followed.

Charles Darwin: A Reference Guide to His Life and Works provides an important new compendium presenting a detailed chronology of all aspects Darwin’s life. The extensive encyclopedia section includes many hundreds of entries of various kinds related to Darwin – people, places, institutions, concepts, and his publications. The bibliography provides a comprehensive listing of the vast majority of Darwin’s works published during and after his lifetime. It also provides a more selective list of publications concerning his life and work.Includes a nearly year by year chronology detailing Charles Darwin’s life, family, and work.The A to Z section includes many entries on concepts and people important in Charles Darwin’s life and his work, emphasizing during his lifetime but extending somewhat backwards and forwards from there. The bibliography includes all of Charles Darwin's articles and books published in his lifetime in English and other languages, as well as a selective list of works about him and his work.The index thoroughly cross-references the chronological and encyclopedic entries.