{"product_id":"the-crucible-of-creation-the-burgess-shale-and-the-rise-of-animals-9780198501978","title":"The Crucible of Creation; The Burgess Shale and the Rise of Animals","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn The Crucible of Creation  paleontologist Simon Conway Morris describes the marvelous finds of the Burgess Shale--a fantastically rich deposit of bizarre and bewildering Cambrian fossils  located in Western Canada. Conway Morris is one of the few paleontologists ever to explore the Burgess Shale  having been involved in the dig since 1972  and thus he is an ideal guide to this amazing discovery. Indeed  he provides a complete overview of this remarkable find  ranging from an informative  basic discussion of the origins of life and animals on earth  to a colorful description of Charles Walcotts discovery of the Burgess Shale and of the painstaking scientific work that went on there (as well as in Burgess collections held at Harvard and the Smithsonian)  to an account of similar fossil finds in Greenland and in China. The heart of the book is an imaginative trip in a time machine  back to the Cambrian seas  where the reader sees first-hand the remarkable diversity of life as it existed then. And perhaps most important  Conway Morris examines the lessons to be learned from the Burgess Shale  especially as they apply to modern evolutionary thinking. In particular  he critiques the ideas of Stephen Jay Gould  whose best-selling book Wonderful Life drew on Conway Morriss Burgess Shale work. The author takes a fresh look at the evidence and draws quite different conclusions from Gould on the nature of evolution. This finely illustrated volume takes the reader to the forefront of paleontology as it provides fresh insights into the nature of evolution and of life on earth.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45280065814581,"sku":"ByrdShop_0198501978","price":154.78,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780198501978.jpg?v=1780618950","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-crucible-of-creation-the-burgess-shale-and-the-rise-of-animals-9780198501978","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}