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The Earth

A Biography of Life: The Story of Life On Our Planet through 47 Incredible Organisms
By Dr Elsa Panciroli
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Brief Description
An insightful book with sparkling wit and humour that will appeal to new and seasoned readers of palaeontology. Dr Anjana Khatwa, TV presenter and Earth Scientist It is difficult to conceive of the vast scale of the history of life on Earth, from the very first... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
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A unique perspective on how our living planet has evolved and adapted, from early organisms to life in the current Anthropocene.

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

An insightful book with sparkling wit and humour that will appeal to new and seasoned readers of palaeontology.

Dr Anjana Khatwa, TV presenter and Earth Scientist

It is difficult to conceive of the vast scale of the history of life on Earth, from the very first living organisms sparking into life in hydrothermal deep-sea vents to the dizzying diversity of life today. The evolution of life is a sweeping epic of a tale, with twists and turns, surprising heroes, and unlikely survivors.

The Earth beautifully distils this complex story into a meaningful scale. In taking a closer look at 47 carefully selected organisms over fifteen periods in our planetary history, this book tells the whole story of life on Earth, and the interconnectedness that unites us through our ecosystems and planetary history.

Prepare to be confounded by the ingenuity of evolutionary biologies, humbled by our own brief part in this epic history, and disquieted by our disproportionate impact on the world we call home.

An extraordinarily accessible and informative biography of life seen through the many forms it has generated and preserved in stone, beautifully presented. From tales of the well-known stars of palaeontology like Archaeopteryx to the many-sided cultural stories of the earliest bee fossil, everyone will learn something new.

Thomas Halliday, bestselling author of Otherlands: A World in the Making

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781529414011

Publisher: Quercus Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 05 June 2025

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Greenfinch

Illustration: approx 50 b/w illustrations

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 28.0mm

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 237g

Pages: 336

Collections

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About the Author

Dr Elsa Panciroli is a Scottish palaeontologist and writer fascinated by the natural history of our planet. She studies Jurassic fossils from the Isle of Skye, and is especially interested in the origins and evolution of mammals. She is currently a research fellow at the University of Oxford Museum of Natural History, and associate researcher at National Museums Scotland. She gives regular public talks for all ages, and has written about science for The Guardian and BBC Science Focus among others, as well as appearing on podcasts, radio and television. She is the author of Beasts Before Us: The Untold Story of Mammal Origins and Evolution. Find her on twitter @gsciencelady

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