Fossils

How the Science of Paleontology Brings Dead Bones to Life

August 14, 2017

This Science Café looks at the nature of the forensic investigative work conducted by paleontologists, why their work goes well beyond creating museum exhibits, and the value that it provides society. The books and resources below are just a small sample of what's available through Cleveland Public Library to provide a wider perspective on the topic. Click the titles to link to the library's catalog to place a hold or to get additional information.

Non-fiction

Horned Armadillos and Rafting Monkeys: The Fascinating Fossil Mammals of South America by Darin Croft (2016)
- This book, by tonight's Science Café speaker, examines "some of the most distinctive mammals on Earth—giant armadillos, tiny anteaters, the world’s largest rodent, and its smallest deer. But the continent once supported a variety of other equally intriguing mammals that have no close living relatives: armored mammals with tail clubs, saber-toothed marsupials, and even a swimming sloth. We know of the existence of these peculiar species thanks to South America’s rich fossil record, which provides many glimpses of prehistoric mammals and the ecosystems in which they lived." Winner of the Gold Medal in Science at the 2017 Independent Publisher Book Awards. Learn more about the book and author at the Indiana University Press website.

Fossils: The Key to the Past by Richard Fortey (2015)
- From Cornell University Press website: "Richard Fortey is without peer among science writers."—Bill Bryson "In his accessible introduction to the study and meaning of fossils, the world-renowned paleontologist Richard Fortey provides a comprehensive guide to all aspects of fossils and their use in reconstructing the history of life on Earth. Extensively illustrated in full color throughout, this fifth edition of Fossils includes the most recent advances in our understanding of the fossil record and the significance of new fossil finds."
The Story of Life in 25 Fossils: Tales of Intrepid Fossil Hunters and the Wonders of Evolution by Donald Prothero (2015)
- "Every fossil tells a story. Best-selling paleontology author Donald R. Prothero describes twenty-five famous, beautifully preserved fossils in a gripping scientific history of life on Earth. Recounting the adventures behind the discovery of these objects and fully interpreting their significance within the larger fossil record, Prothero creates a riveting history of life on our planet." (From Columbia University Press website)
The Worst of Times: How Life on Earth Survived Eighty Million Years of Extinctions by Paul Wignall (2015)
- Two hundred sixty million years ago, life on Earth suffered wave after wave of cataclysmic extinctions, with the worst wiping out nearly every species on the planet. The Worst of Times delves into the mystery behind these extinctions and sheds light on the fateful role the primeval supercontinent, known as Pangea, might have played in causing these global catastrophes. Drawing on the latest discoveries as well as his own firsthand experiences conducting field expeditions to remote corners of the world, Paul Wignall reveals what scientists are only now beginning to understand about the most prolonged and calamitous period of environmental crisis in Earth's history.
Dodging Extinction: Power, Food, Money, and the Future of Life on Earth by Anthony Barnosky (2014)
- "When a paleontologist warns that something very unusual in Earth's history is taking place right now, everyone ought to pay attention." Elizabeth Kolbert, author of The Sixth Extinction. (from the book jacket) (Also available as an e-book for download)
In Pursuit of Early Mammals by Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska (2013)
- In Pursuit of Early Mammals presents the history of the mammals that lived during the Mesozoic era, the time when dinosaurs ruled the Earth, and describes their origins, anatomy, systematics, paleobiology, and distribution. It also tells the story of the author, a world-renowned specialist on these animals, and the other prominent paleontologists who have studied them. Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska was the first woman to lead large-scale paleontological expeditions, including eight to the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, which brought back important collections of dinosaur, early mammal, and other fossils.
Australia's Fossil Heritage: A Catalogue of Important Australian Fossil Sites by The Australian Heritage Council (2012)
- The Australian Heritage Council engaged palaeontologists from state museums and the Northern Territory Museum and Art Gallery to compile lists of outstanding fossil sites and to document their characteristics and relative importance... with the focus being on lesser-known but still important sites.
Bones, Clones, and Biomes: The History and Geography of Recent Neotropical Mammals edited by Bruce D. Patterson and Leonora Costa (2012)
- "As explorers and scientists have known for decades, the Neotropics harbor a fantastic array of our planet’s mammalian diversity, from capybaras and capuchins to maned wolves and mouse opossums to sloths and sakis. [T]o comprehend the development of modern Neotropical mammal faunas requires not only mastery of the Neotropics’ substantial diversity, but also knowledge of mammalian lineages and landscapes dating back to the Mesozoic. Bones, Clones, and Biomes offers just that, an exploration of the development and relationships of the modern mammal fauna through a series of studies that encompass the last 100 million years and both Central and South America.
Saved in Time: The Fight to Establish Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Colorado by Estella Leopold and Herbert Meyer (2012)
- In the summer of 1969, a federal district court in Denver, Colorado, heard arguments in one of the nation's first explicitly environmental cases, in which the Defenders of Florissant, Inc. opposed real estate interests intent on developing lands containing an extraordinary set of ancient fossils. This book, the first account of the fight to preserve the Florissant fossil beds, tells a story of environmental activism that remains little known more than forty years after the coalition's victory.
Applied Paleontology by Robert Wynn Jones (2006)
- Applied Palaeontology adopts a holistic, integrated approach to palaeontology, highlighting its key role in the study of the evolving earth, life history and environmental processes.
Terrible Lizard: The First Dinosaur Hunters and the Birth of a New Science by Deborah Cadbury (2001)
- In a fast-paced narrative, Terrible Lizard reveals a strange, awesome prehistoric era and the struggle that set the stage for Darwin's shattering theories-and for controversies that still rage today.
Paleobiogeography: Using Fossils to Study Global Change, Plate Tectonics, and Evolution by Bruce Lieberman (2000)
- Paleobiogeography emphasizes how analytical techniques from phylogenetic biogeography can be applied to the study of patterns in the fossil record. In doing this, it considers the strengths and weaknesses of paleobiogeographic data, the effects of plate tectonic processes (specifically continental rifting and collision) and changes in relative sea levels in terms of how they influence the evolution and distribution of organisms.

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