Cradle of Life: The Discovery of Earth's Earliest Fossils by J. William Schopf (

Description: Cradle of Life by J. William Schopf In this book, William Schopf tells the story of the origins and earliest evolution of life and how that story has been unearthed. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description One of the greatest mysteries in reconstructing the history of life on Earth has been the apparent absence of fossils dating back more than 500 million years. We have long known that fossils of sophisticated marine life-forms existed at the dawn of the Cambrian Period, but until recently scientists had found no traces of Precambrian fossils. The quest to find such traces began in earnest in the mid-1960s and culminated in one dramatic moment in 1993 when William Schopf identified fossilized micro-organisms three and a half billion years old. This find opened up a vast period of time - some 85 per cent of Earths history - to new research and new ideas about lifes beginnings. In this book, William Schopf, a pioneer of modern paleobiology, tells the story of the origins and earliest evolution of life and how that story has been unearthed. Notes I am born, writes Dickens David Copperfield, in simple statement of fact. Our knowledge of how the first cells and organisms were begotten is far less resolute. With focused vision, Cradle of Life probes one view of primordial Earth and the succor of its first cells and organisms, even as scientists explore and assemble evidence to advocate other possibilities. Schopf engages the reader with the magic of storytelling as he writes about such matters as the fables and foibles of scientists, the demands of discovery and documentation in attaining an understanding of how life evolved, the tempo of evolution, and, of course, the continuing saga of the Mars rocks. -- Cindy Lee Van Dover, author of "Deep-Ocean Journeys" An entertaining and informative book. It provides an interesting perspective on how science is done... Schopfs personal perspective provides a sense of the personalities involved and engages the reader... -- Dawn Y. Sumner, University of California, Davis Back Cover "I am born, writes Dickens David Copperfield, in simple statement of fact. Our knowledge of how the first cells and organisms were begotten is far less resolute. With focused vision, Cradle of Life probes one view of primordial Earth and the succor of its first cells and organisms, even as scientists explore and assemble evidence to advocate other possibilities. Schopf engages the reader with the magic of storytelling as he writes about such matters as the fables and foibles of scientists, the demands of discovery and documentation in attaining an understanding of how life evolved, the tempo of evolution, and, of course, the continuing saga of the Mars rocks." --Cindy Lee Van Dover, author of Deep-Ocean Journeys "An entertaining and informative book. It provides an interesting perspective on how science is done. . . . Schopfs personal perspective provides a sense of the personalities involved and engages the reader." --Dawn Y. Sumner, University of California, Davis Author Biography J. William Schopf, a member of the Department of Earth and Space Sciences, the Molecular Biology Institute, and the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics (IGPP) at the University of California, Los Angeles, is Professor of Paleobiology and Director of the IGPP Center for the Study of Evolution and the Origin of Life. A Member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he is the recipient of medals from the National Science Board, the National Academy of Sciences, and the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life. He has also been awarded national book prizes for two edited volumes on lifes earliest evolution, an Alexander von Humboldt Senior Research Prize, and two Guggenheim Fellowships. Table of Contents Prologue xi Acknowledgments xv Chapter 1. Darwins Dilemma 3 Breakthrough to the Ancient Past 3 The Nature of Geologic Time 4 The "Schoolbook" History of Life 10 Darwins Dilemma 13 Denouement 34 Chapter 2. Birth of a New Field of Science 35 The Floodgates Crack Open 35 Famous Figures Enter the Field 48 A Youngster Joins the Fray 52 The Floodgates Open Full Bore 61 Chapter 3. The Oldest Fossils and What They Mean 71 "Trust but Verify" 71 "Real World Problems" in the Search for Early Life 71 Questions and Answers about the Oldest Records of Life 75 The Oldest Fossils Known 99 Chapter 4. How Did Life Begin? 101 The Basics of Biology 101 The Universals of Life 107 How Did Monomers of CHON Arise on the Lifeless Earth? 108 Organic Monomers beyond the Earth 131 How Did Monomers Become Linked into Polymers? 134 From Monomers to Polymers toward Life 138 Chapter 5. Metabolic Memories of the Earliest Cells 139 How Did Cells Begin? 139 The Essentials of Life 143 Lifes Earliest Way to Make a Living 150 Air and Light: A New Source of Glucose 155 Why Do We Breathe Oxygen? 158 The Four-Stage Development of Modern Metabolism 161 Chapter 6. So Far, So Fast, So Early? 164 How Old Is the Modern Ecosystem? 164 When Did Life Begin? 166 How Did Evolution Proceed So Far, So Fast, So Early? 168 Paleobiology: Fossils, Geology, and Geochemistry 169 Isotopic Evidence of Ancient Metabolisms 173 Paleobiology: Direct Evidence of Early Evolution 181 Chapter 7. Stromatolites: Earths First High-Rise Condos 183 Nature Is Not Compartmentalized 183 Stromatolites: Earths First High-Rise Condos 184 Stromatolites of the Geologic Past 195 What Are Stromatolites Good For? 201 Chapter 8. Cyanobacteria: Earths Oldest "Living Fossils" 209 Modes and Tempos in the Evolution of Life 209 The Status Quo Evolution of Cyanobacteria 215 Evolutions Most Successful Ecologic Generalists 231 Chapter 9. Cells Like Ours Arise at Last 236 Life Like Us Has Cells Like Ours 236 DNA and Development: Keys to Eukaryotic Success 237 How Old Are the Eukaryotes? 240 Eukaryotes Perfect the Art of Cloning 243 Sex: A New Lifestyle Brings Major Change 246 The Wax and Wane of Precambrian Acritarchs 252 Prelude to the Phanerozoic 259 Chapter 10. Solution to Darwins Dilemma 264 The Adventure of Science 264 Take-Home Lessons 269 Solution to Darwins Dilemma 269 EPILOGUE EXTRAORDINARY CLAIMS! EXTRAORDINARY EVIDENCE? 279 Chapter 11. Fossils, Foibles, and Frauds 281 The Goal Is to "Get It Right" 281 "Man, a Witness of the Deluge" 282 Beringers Lying Stones 291 Theories on the Nature of Fossils 299 Unearthing a Rosetta Stone 303 Chapter 12. The Hunt for Life on Mars 304 Hints of Ancient Martian Life? 304 NASA Stages a Press Conference 306 Meteorites from Mars 310 Search for the Smoking Gun 313 Lessons from the Hunt 324 Glossary 327 Further Reading 349 Index of Geologic Units and Genera and Species 357 Subject Index 361 Review Winner of the 2000 Phi Beta Kappa Book Award in Science "A book that bears out [Schopfs] assertion that science is enormously good fun!"--Scientific American "What were your very earliest ancestors like? I do not mean your great-great-great-grandparents. I mean the earliest life on the planet. In principle we all have a unique lineage of ancestors that runs all the way back to the origin of life. What was life like then--and is the supposed life on Mars our cousin? These are the problems palaeontologist Bill Schopf faces... It has been a while since I read a book with so much good sense, put over in so amicable a style. If I ever were to discover my great-great-great grandparents I hope they turn out to be as wise as Schopf."--Laurence Hurst, New Scientist "In the well-written Cradle of Life, Schopf tells his own story of how Earths early microbial biosphere was discovered."--Stefan Bengtson, Nature "A very clear introduction to the first living things... Schopf ... adopts an unusually informal first-person style for this rangy exploration of how Pre-cambrian fossils came to light and what theyve taught us."--Publishers Weekly "An exceptional description of the field that is accessible to any educated lay reader."--Library Journal (starred review) "Schopf combines his often entertaining personal story with an introduction to the discipline of paleobiology, with asides on the chemical makeup of life... A good introduction to the history of a science on the cutting edge."--Kirkus Reviews "A good introduction to a quickly evolving topic... Schopf also offers a number of insider nuggets."--Choice "Schopfs subject, the origin of life, is fascinating, and as significant as any question that has ever been asked in academia. His explanation of the science behind his conclusions is clear, his approach is well organized... This is a marvelous, magnificent, scientific adventure."--John R. Alden, Cleveland Plain Dealer "Cradle of Life provides the best current popular overview of the first 85% of lifes history on Earth, and that is history worth reading."--Robert M. Hazen, Physics Today "An extraordinary account of a monumentally complex subject presented in simple and understandable terms, and in an eminently readable style."--Steve Voynick, Rock and Gem Promotional I am born, writes Dickens David Copperfield, in simple statement of fact. Our knowledge of how the first cells and organisms were begotten is far less resolute. With focused vision, Cradle of Life probes one view of primordial Earth and the succor of its first cells and organisms, even as scientists explore and assemble evidence to advocate other possibilities. Schopf engages the reader with the magic of storytelling as he writes about such matters as the fables and foibles of scientists, the demands of discovery and documentation in attaining an understanding of how life evolved, the tempo of evolution, and, of course, the continuing saga of the Mars rocks. -- Cindy Lee Van Dover, author of "Deep-Ocean Journeys" An entertaining and informative book. It provides an interesting perspective on how science is done... Schopfs personal perspective provides a sense of the personalities involved and engages the reader... -- Dawn Y. Sumner, University of California, Davis Kirkus US Review One of the newest scientific specialties has as its subject the oldest living things: the unbelievably ancient fossils of the Pre-Cambrian period. Until very recently, the record of fossil life began with the Cambrian period, roughly 550 million years ago. But the fossils of that era were already complex, the remains of organisms far more advanced than the simple cells that scientists believed must have been the earliest living things. Were the more ancient forms too fragile to survive the fossilization process or had they simply gone unrecognized? As Darwin already recognized, the apparent absence of truly primitive forms in the fossil record might be counted an argument against evolution. One pioneer, J.T. Dawson of Canada, did use his claimed discover) of a "dawn animal" over 1.1 billion years old to raise questions about the missing links in the long stretch between it and the first Cambrian fossils. Dawsons claims were refuted, but other scientists took up the search. The strongest candidates were stromatolites, cabbage-like structures first identified in upstate New York in the 1870s. But their biological origin was controversial until the 1950s, when microscopic examination of fossil stromatolites, and the discovery of living stromatolites near Australia, clinched the case. Schopf, who as a graduate student contributed to the breakthrough, goes on to describe more recent research in the field - almost all of which has been done in the last 35 years. Now a professor of paleobiology at UCLA, he was part of the team that identified the oldest fossils thus far known: the 3,465-million-year-old Apex Chert microbes of Western Australia. Schopf combines his often entertaining personal story with an introduction to the discipline of paleobiology, with asides on the chemical makeup of life, questions still to be answered, and a skeptical look at the purported "fossils" from Mars. A good introduction to the history of a science on the cutting edge. (Kirkus Reviews) Prizes Winner of Phi Beta Kappa Science Book Prize 2000 Review Quote Winner of the 2000 Phi Beta Kappa Book Award in Science Details ISBN0691088640 Author J. William Schopf Short Title CRADLE OF LIFE Publisher Princeton University Press Language English ISBN-10 0691088640 ISBN-13 9780691088648 Media Book Format Paperback Year 2001 Imprint Princeton University Press Subtitle The Discovery of Earths Earliest Fossils Place of Publication New Jersey Country of Publication United States Birth 1941 Residence Los Angeles, CA, US Translated from English DOI 10.1604/9780691088648 UK Release Date 2001-04-09 NZ Release Date 2001-04-09 US Release Date 2001-04-09 Pages 384 Publication Date 2001-04-09 Alternative 9780691002309 DEWEY 560 Illustrations 8 color plates 80 halftones 68 line illus. Audience Professional & Vocational AU Release Date 2001-06-18 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. 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