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Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures In The Search For The Origin Of Species (2006)

by Sean B. Carroll(Favorite Author)

4.06 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

015101485X (ISBN13: 9780151014859)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

review 1: Hard to imagine a more readable book on the history of natural science than this one. Every chapter is a story from the last 150 years or so of natural science's explosive development, beginning of course with Darwin. Each story shares a similar archetype, and indeed, the book mostly follows the "great men" model of history, although their colleagues and wives are included as well. The discoveries covered include the "Wallace line", feathered dinosaurs, the incredible discovery of the story of the dinosaurs' extinction (that one blew me away, for its scientific ingenuity and forensics), the Leakeys' discovery of early man, the controversy after molecular dating was developed, etc etc. Carroll is a very adept storyteller, and this is what's so enjoyable about this book: it ... morereads like a fascinating conversation with a passionate expert. The blurb on the cover compares these tales to detective stories, and I think that's apt.
review 2: Loved this book! An excellent exploration of the great discoveries in evolutionary biology since (and including) Darwin. This book if full of adventure and insight, and does an amazing job of explaining complex scientific concepts and discoveries in a super accessible and entertaining way. Recommended for anyone with the slightest interest in natural history, evolution, paleontology, anthropology, genetics, dinosaurs, neanderthals, human origins -- anyone with a curious mind, really! less

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