Description
Book SynopsisAn exploration of how the Cryogenian Period, when our planet was covered in ice for millions of years, created today’s remarkable biodiversity
Trade Review“A spellbinding read from one of the deepest thinkers about deep time. Part scientific autobiography, part paean to unsung heroes of the past, and part thrilling detective story, this book is the culmination of three decades of field research. Graham Shields pieces together an astonishing new answer to the oldest question: Where did we come from?”—Nick Lane, author of
Vital Question: Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life“
Born of Ice and Fire is a fresh take on the mystery that most vexed Darwin: the seemingly sudden appearance of animal life in Cambrian strata. Graham Shields explores Earth’s evolving biogeochemical system and the extreme ice age that ushered in a brave new oxygen-rich world.”—Marcia Bjornerud, author of
Timefulness: How Thinking Like a Geologist Can Help Save the World“
Born of Ice and Fire is engagingly and fluently written and is an authoritative, detailed overview of a highly complex and interdisciplinary subject.”—Rachel Wood, author of
Reef Evolution“Graham Shields takes us on a worldwide tour, presenting the latest geological evidence about the Precambrian period and investigating how stark physical conditions like a lack of oxygen and a world covered in ice established the first life on Earth.”—Michael J. Benton, author of
Dinosaurs Rediscovered and
When Life Nearly Died: The Greatest Mass Extinction of All Time
