Cutting-edge science, highly recommended.
The Cambrian period saw the first proliferation of complex life on earth, and herewith is the fascinating argument that the development of vision triggered “evolution's big bang.”
Parker (Zoology/Oxford) takes a roundabout route to this destination, touching on a wide variety of disciplines. Cambrian fossils, such as those of the Burgess Shale, are the first to preserve solid body parts—the armor and claws of the alien-looking life forms that apparently sprang out of nowhere some 543 million years ago. Parker vividly describes his visits to several key Cambrian fossil sites, and the kind of information fossils can be made to yield. A long unanswered question is the coloration of extinct animals, a feature not readily determined from fossils. Comparison of two groups of marine crustaceans, one of which uses flashes of light as a mating signal, led to the discovery of minute body parts capable of functioning as diffraction gratings—a startling biological anticipation of high tech. Parker then undertook microscopic examination of Cambrian fossils, uncovering quite similar structures preserved in ancient beetles, sea creatures, and even some members of the Burgess fauna. This recovery of vanished colors from physical structures preserved in fossils is in itself a breakthrough, but Parker does not stop there. Color implies the presence of eyes to see it; a careful examination of the eyes of living creatures clarifies the question (which vexed even Darwin) of how eyes evolved. Trilobites, one of the characteristic Cambrian animals, appear to have been the first creatures capable of clear vision. Parker's conclusion, that the presence of eyes indicates the evolution of an active hunting lifestyle among Cambrian creatures, is both convincing and surprisingly fresh. Parker's writing skills are not quite up to the level of his science, but the subject matter is so compelling that few readers are likely to object.
Cutting-edge science, highly recommended.Pub Date: April 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-7382-0607-5
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Perseus
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2003
BOOK REVIEW
The Johnstown Flood was one of the greatest natural disasters of all time (actually manmade, since it was precipitated by a wealthy country club dam which had long been the source of justified misgivings). This then is a routine rundown of the catastrophe of May 31st, 1889, the biggest news story since Lincoln's murder in which thousands died. The most interesting incidental: a baby floated unharmed in its cradle for eighty miles.... Perhaps of local interest-but it lacks the Lord-ly touch.
Pub Date: March 18, 1968
ISBN: 0671207148
Page Count: 312
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1968
IN THE NEWS
A media-savvy scientist cleans out his desk.
Tyson (Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, 2017, etc.) receives a great deal of mail, and this slim volume collects his responses and other scraps of writing.
The prolific science commentator and bestselling author, an astrophysicist at the American Museum of Natural History, delivers few surprises and much admirable commentary. Readers may suspect that most of these letters date from the author’s earlier years when, a newly minted celebrity, he still thrilled that many of his audience were pouring out their hearts. Consequently, unlike more hardened colleagues, he sought to address their concerns. As years passed, suspecting that many had no interest in tapping his expertise or entering into an intelligent give and take, he undoubtedly made greater use of the waste basket. Tyson eschews pure fan letters, but many of these selections are full of compliments as a prelude to asking advice, pointing out mistakes, proclaiming opposing beliefs, or denouncing him. Readers will also encounter some earnest op-ed pieces and his eyewitness account of 9/11. “I consider myself emotionally strong,” he writes. “What I bore witness to, however, was especially upsetting, with indelible images of horror that will not soon leave my mind.” To crackpots, he gently repeats facts that almost everyone except crackpots accept. Those who have seen ghosts, dead relatives, and Bigfoot learn that eyewitness accounts are often unreliable. Tyson points out that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, so confirmation that a light in the sky represents an alien spacecraft requires more than a photograph. Again and again he defends “science,” and his criteria—observation, repeatable experiments, honest discourse, peer review—are not controversial but will remain easy for zealots to dismiss. Among the instances of “hate mail” and “science deniers,” the author also discusses philosophy, parenting, and schooling.
A media-savvy scientist cleans out his desk.Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-324-00331-1
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Norton
Review Posted Online: Sept. 1, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2019
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