Books : At the Water's Edge : Macroevolution and the Transformation of Life
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by: Carl Zimmer
Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 576.8
EAN: 9780684834900
ISBN: 0684834901
Label: Free Press
Manufacturer: Free Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 304
Publication Date: April 13, 1998
Publisher: Free Press
Sales Rank: 485995
Studio: Free Press
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Editorial Review:
Amazon.com Review:
Macroevolution is the interesting part of evolution: the rise and fall of major groups like dinosaurs or horses, the development of whole new organs (like eyes) and ways of life (like pollination). Such changes are difficult to study, and harder still to prove. Carl Zimmer looks at metamorphoses across the boundary between land and sea: how fish learned to walk on land, and how whales went back to the ocean. 'The story of each of these transformations hides its own unexpected details, as startling as the skyward eyes that sat on top of our ancestors' heads or the delicate toes that turned up in the equation of a whale.' Zimmer's account is accurate yet lively, covering recent discoveries in taxonomy and dolphin intelligence, embryology and eight-toed fossil fish. --Mary Ellen Curtin
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Testing the land
The shimmering interface between water and air has been a stage for some of evolution's most amazing feats. In this expertly written book Zimmer examines how nature has coped with the challenge of evolving across this formidable barrier -- first as ancient fish evolved into tetrapods, and later when certain animals re-evolved to return to the sea. Along the route we get to meet the key fossils and paleontologists that have contributed to our understanding today. Zimmer includes plenty of details, ... Read More
Rating: - Shrinking Fossil Gaps?
Although critical of, and no fan of, Darwin's theory, I found this book a significant and interesting counter-challenge important for keeping up with the vast amounts of new research that do belie some of the standard criticisms of Darwin's theory, behind enemy lines speed reading. Part of the problem in the Darwin debate is the spiritual-material dilemma that makes any challenge to selectionism seem metaphysical, this closing on the 'species question' with miracle mongering. But that was never as such ... Read More
Rating: - Shrinking Fossil Gaps?
Although critical of, and no fan of, Darwin's theory, I found this book a significant and interesting counter-challenge important for keeping up with the vast amounts of new research that do belie some of the standard criticisms of Darwin's theory, behind enemy lines speed reading. Part of the problem in the Darwin debate is the spiritual-material dilemma that makes any challenge to selectionism seem metaphysical, this closing on the 'species question' with miracle mongering. But that was never as such the ... Read More
Rating: - Shrinking Fossil Gaps?
Although critical of, and no fan of, Darwin's theory, I found this book a significant and interesting counter-challenge important for keeping up with the vast amounts of new research that do belie some of the standard criticisms of Darwin's theory, behind enemy lines speed reading. Part of the problem in the Darwin debate is the spiritual-material dilemma that makes any challenge to selectionism seem metaphysical, this closing on the 'species question' with miracle mongering. But that was never as such the ... Read More
Rating:  - Awesome!!!!
This book does a remarkable job of covering two major transitions in evolution. First the transition from fish to the first terrestrial tetrapods and secondly from terrestrial mammals to whales. A kind of out of the water and back in scenario.
The book covers the transitional specimens that have been found to date very well and goes over most of the difficulties of changing from one extreme environment to the other.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in evolution.
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