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Born of Ice and Fire

How Glaciers and Volcanoes (with a Pinch of Salt) Drove Animal Evolution
Brief Description
Born of Ice and Fire explores how the Cryogenian Period, when our planet was covered in ice for millions of years, created today’s remarkable biodiversity. More than half a billion years ago, our world was completely covered by glaciers, a “Snowball Earth” that persisted for millions... Read More
Format: Hardback
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An exploration of how the Cryogenian Period, when our planet was covered in ice for millions of years, created today’s remarkable biodiversity

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Born of Ice and Fire explores how the Cryogenian Period, when our planet was covered in ice for millions of years, created today’s remarkable biodiversity.

More than half a billion years ago, our world was completely covered by glaciers, a “Snowball Earth” that persisted for millions of years. Incredibly, this unimaginable cold led to the remarkable diversification of life on Earth known as the Cambrian explosion. With a geologist’s eye and a knack for storytelling, Graham Shields explores when and how such inhospitable conditions enabled animals to evolve, radiate, and diversify into our earliest ancestors.

This journey navigates the wild swings between hot and cold climates, oxygenation and oxygen starvation, biological radiations and extinctions, asking how such instability relates to grander forces that brought our planet to its modern state. Shields guides readers through evidence found in the Australian outback, Mongolia, Scotland, and other locales, revealing how geologists can trace glaciation, the atmosphere, oceans, mountain building, and more through the Earth’s rocks, providing a comprehensive theory of how life evolved and diversified.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780300242591

Publisher: Yale University Press

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 09 January 2024

Country: United States

Imprint: Yale University Press

Illustration: 27 b-w illus.

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 140.0mm

Height: 216.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 352

About the Author

Graham Shields is professor of geology at University College London. He lives in London, UK.

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