Search results for ""Author Andrew H. Knoll""

Book SynopsisKnoll explores the deep history of life from its origins on a young planet to the incredible Cambrian explosion, with the very latest discoveries in paleontology integrated with emerging insights from molecular biology and earth system science. 100 illustrations.Trade ReviewWinner of the 2003 Book Award in Science, Phi Beta Kappa "A fascinating book... The catastrophic surface narrative of this impressive and intriguing book would surely have pleased Stephen Jay Gould; but I think its deterministic subtext would have pleased Charles Darwin still more."--Matt Cartmill, Times Literary Supplement "In a book so well written that nonspecialists and specialists alike will find much to savor, [Knoll] captures both the excitement of scientific discovery and the intricacies of scientific interpretation... Readers interested in substance will certainly not be disappointed."--Publishers Weekly "Andrew Knoll is an ideal guide through this early phase of life's history on the Earth... [O]ne of the strengths of Knoll's book is that it presents science as the open-ended endeavor that it is... Life on a Young Planet . .. expresses better than most the bumptious vitality and sheer fun of open-minded research."--Stefan Bengtson, Nature "Life on a Young Planet stands apart from it predecessors in two fundamental respects. First, Knoll is perhaps the most qualified person to write such an epic: a renaissance man whose text is filled with insightful quotes from authors ranging from Darwin to Dickins to Dyson... Second ... this book describes the coevolution of life on Earth as an integrated biochemical system that has profoundly and irrevocably changed over time."--Guy M. Narbonne, Science "A balanced, excellent account of current theories and discussions of the origin and early evolution of life... Knoll is able to convey difficult scientific issues with a minimum of jargon, using a brisk and witty prose... He is a gifted storyteller with a knack for choosing the right anecdote... A browse through Knoll's book will enlighten both the cognoscenti and those unfamiliar with the complexities of reading a fossil record... Knoll manages to present a multidisciplinary field in an interdisciplinary volume."--Antonio Lazcano, American Scientist "Knoll is well placed to tell this amazing story, and he does so with verve."--Douglas Palmer, New Scientist "A detective story to match the best crime fiction. It is told with verve."--Paul Nettleton, The Guardian "The author weaves a beautifully written, fascinating story of life's origin and development based on his extensive field studies and research in the most remote corners of the globe... This volume ... is a most valuable asset that should be read by scientists active in the field, by teachers and students who are interested in the most recent thoughts on the subject, and, in fact, by anyone who is interested in how life might have originated and evolved on this planet or on other similar planets in our Universe."--Nathan Dubowsky, Science Books & Films "This is not a textbook but rather a story, giving one person's view of how the jigsaw pieces fit together. It is written in flowing prose with many asides, personal anecdotes and explanations of what evidence there is and how it is used... [F]or ecologists the book has much to offer in putting the early evolution of life into perspective."--Bulletin of the British Ecological Society "[Knoll's] words have a poetic flavor and his deep interest in the study of life on earth flows out of them, carrying readers along whole maintaining a rigorous discourse. Knoll's book will appeal to anyone interested in the evolution of life on Earth."--Choice "In this wonderful book ... Knoll's extensive field experience and eagerness to share data and ideas with colleagues enable him to reconstruct responsibly the broad evolutionary scenario yet to remain close to the evidence."--Lynn Margulis, Times Higher Education SupplementTable of ContentsAcknowledgments ix Preface to the New Paperback Edition xi Prologue 1 Chapter 1. In the Beginning? 6 Chapter 2. The Tree of Life 16 Chapter 3. Life's Signature in Ancient Rocks 32 Chapter 4. The Earliest Glimmers of Life 50 Chapter 5. The Emergence of Life 72 Chapter 6. The Oxygen Revolution 89 Chapter 7. The Cyanobacteria, Life's Microbial Heroes 108 Chapter 8. The Origins of Eukaryotic Cells 122 Chapter 9. Fossils of Early Eukaryotes 139 Chapter 10. Animals Take the Stage 161 Chapter 11. Cambrian Redux 179 Chapter 12. Dynamic Earth, Permissive Ecology 206 Chapter 13. Paleontology ad Astra 225 Epilogue 243 Further Reading 247 Index 269

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Book SynopsisPlacing twenty first-century climate change in deep context, A Brief History of Earth is an indispensable look at where we’ve been and where we’re going.Features original illustrations depicting Earth history and nearly 50 figures (maps, tables, photographs, graphs).Trade Review“A fantastic distillation of Earth's history, from one of the world’s leading geologists: Andrew H. Knoll has written an engrossing, witty, and eminently readable romp through our home planet’s 4.5 billion years, from trilobites and dinosaurs to human origins and our rapidly changing modern times.” — Steve Brusatte, New York Times bestselling author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs "Having spent decades at the forefront of discovery and research, Andrew H. Knoll has been one of our planet's leading scientists. In A Brief History of Earth, Knoll treats us to a 4.6-billion-year detective story revealing the origins and inner workings of our home in the solar system. In these pages you'll discover something profound: how our past, present, and future are grounded in Planet Earth." — Neil Shubin, author of Your Inner Fish and Some Assembly Required "Covers the arc of our planet’s history from its earliest formation to the present day in a succinct and deftly-written way." — Forbes “Charts the planet’s history in accessible style, from its beginning as ‘a small planet accreted out of rocky debris circling a modest young star’ through the development of minerals, geographical formations, atmosphere, and life forms large and small.” — Associated Press "Skillfully condenses the history of the Earth. ... An expert primer on the history of everything." — Kirkus Reviews "A sublime chronicle of our planet’s formation and beginnings, the perhaps unlikely yet awe-inspiring interactions that created life, diverse and abundant, and mass extinctions and recoveries. Knoll skillfully presents the extreme conditions, violence, and delicate fragility that mark the cycles and evolution of our home." — Booklist (starred review) "The type of book that is sorely needed at this moment in history. ... Knoll assembles facts from a wide variety of fields to tell our planet’s story in a clear and accessible narrative." — Scientific Inquirer “An eloquent call to action.” — CNN.com "In spite of its sweeping scale, the Harvard geologist and natural history professor’s primer not only makes the titular four billion years understandable – his accessible expertise makes it interesting." — Globe and Mail (Toronto)

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Book SynopsisPlacing twenty first-century climate change in deep context, A Brief History of Earth is an indispensable look at where we’ve been and where we’re going.Features original illustrations depicting Earth history and nearly 50 figures (maps, tables, photographs, graphs).Trade Review“A fantastic distillation of Earth's history, from one of the world’s leading geologists: Andrew H. Knoll has written an engrossing, witty, and eminently readable romp through our home planet’s 4.5 billion years, from trilobites and dinosaurs to human origins and our rapidly changing modern times.” — Steve Brusatte, New York Times bestselling author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs "Having spent decades at the forefront of discovery and research, Andrew H. Knoll has been one of our planet's leading scientists. In A Brief History of Earth, Knoll treats us to a 4.6-billion-year detective story revealing the origins and inner workings of our home in the solar system. In these pages you'll discover something profound: how our past, present, and future are grounded in Planet Earth." — Neil Shubin, author of Your Inner Fish and Some Assembly Required "Covers the arc of our planet’s history from its earliest formation to the present day in a succinct and deftly-written way." — Forbes “Charts the planet’s history in accessible style, from its beginning as ‘a small planet accreted out of rocky debris circling a modest young star’ through the development of minerals, geographical formations, atmosphere, and life forms large and small.” — Associated Press "Skillfully condenses the history of the Earth. ... An expert primer on the history of everything." — Kirkus Reviews "A sublime chronicle of our planet’s formation and beginnings, the perhaps unlikely yet awe-inspiring interactions that created life, diverse and abundant, and mass extinctions and recoveries. Knoll skillfully presents the extreme conditions, violence, and delicate fragility that mark the cycles and evolution of our home." — Booklist (starred review) "The type of book that is sorely needed at this moment in history. ... Knoll assembles facts from a wide variety of fields to tell our planet’s story in a clear and accessible narrative." — Scientific Inquirer “An eloquent call to action.” — CNN.com "In spite of its sweeping scale, the Harvard geologist and natural history professor’s primer not only makes the titular four billion years understandable – his accessible expertise makes it interesting." — Globe and Mail (Toronto)

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Book SynopsisThis book is the first to set out a coherent set of principles that underpin geobiology, and will act as a foundational text that will speed the intellectual dissemination of those principles.Trade Review“In summary, Fundamentals of Geobiology would be a welcome addition to any geoscientist’s bookshelf, especially those interested in sedimentary geology, palaeobiology or Earth history.” (The Geological Journal, 1 January 2013) “It would be this reviewer’s “stranded on a desert island” selection. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals.” (Choice, 1 January 2013) PROSE Awards 2012: Honorable Mention in the Earth Sciences Category. Table of ContentsContributors, xi 1. What is Geobiology?, 1 Andrew H. Knoll, Donald E. Canfield, and Kurt O. Konhauser 1.1 Introduction, 1 1.2 Life interacting with the Earth, 2 1.3 Pattern and process in geobiology, 2 1.4 New horizons in geobiology, 3 2. The Global Carbon Cycle: Biological Processes, 5 Paul G. Falkowski 2.1 Introduction, 5 2.2 A brief primer on redox reactions, 5 2.3 Carbon as a substrate for biological reactions, 5 2.4 The evolution of photosynthesis, 8 2.5 The evolution of oxygenic phototrophs, 11 2.6 Net primary production, 13 2.7 What limits NPP on land and in the ocean?, 15 2.8 Is NPP in balance with respiration?, 16 2.9 Conclusions and extensions, 17 3. The Global Carbon Cycle: Geological Processes, 20 Klaus Wallmann and Giovanni Aloisi 3.1 Introduction, 20 3.2 Organic carbon cycling, 20 3.3 Carbonate cycling, 22 3.4 Mantle degassing, 23 3.5 Metamorphism, 24 3.6 Silicate weathering, 24 3.7 Feedbacks, 25 3.8 Balancing the geological carbon cycle, 26 3.9 Evolution of the geological carbon cycle through Earth's history: proxies and models, 27 3.10 The geological C cycle through time, 30 3.11 Limitations and perspectives, 32 4. The Global Nitrogen Cycle, 36 Bess Ward 4.1 Introduction, 36 4.2 Geological nitrogen cycle, 36 4.3 Components of the global nitrogen cycle, 38 4.4 Nitrogen redox chemistry, 40 4.5 Biological reactions of the nitrogen cycle, 40 4.6 Atmospheric nitrogen chemistry, 45 4.7 Summary and areas for future research, 46 5. The Global Sulfur Cycle, 49 Donald E. Canfield and James Farquhar 5.1 Introduction, 49 5.2 The global sulfur cycle from two perspectives, 49 5.3 The evolution of S metabolisms, 53 5.4 The interaction of S with other biogeochemical cycles, 55 5.5 The evolution of the S cycle, 59 5.6 Closing remarks, 61 6. The Global Iron Cycle, 65 Brian Kendall, Ariel D. Anbar, Andreas Kappler and Kurt O. Konhauser 6.1 Overview, 65 6.2 The inorganic geochemistry of iron: redox and reservoirs, 65 6.3 Iron in modern biology and biogeochemical cycles, 69 6.4 Iron through time, 73 6.5 Summary, 83 7. The Global Oxygen Cycle, 93 James F. Kasting and Donald E. Canfield 7.1 Introduction, 93 7.2 The chemistry and biochemistry of oxygen, 93 7.3 The concept of redox balance, 94 7.4 The modern O2 cycle, 94 7.5 Cycling of O2 and H2 on the early Earth, 98 7.6 Synthesis: speculations about the timing and cause of the rise of atmospheric O2, 102 8. Bacterial Biomineralization, 105 Kurt Konhauser and Robert Riding 8.1 Introduction, 105 8.2 Mineral nucleation and growth, 105 8.3 How bacteria facilitate biomineralization, 106 8.4 Iron oxyhydroxides, 111 8.5 Calcium carbonates, 116 9. Mineral–Organic–Microbe Interfacial Chemistry, 131 David J. Vaughan and Jonathan R. Lloyd 9.1 Introduction, 131 9.2 The mineral surface (and mineral–bio interface) and techniques for its study, 131 9.3 Mineral-organic-microbe interfacial processes: some key examples, 140 10. Eukaryotic Skeletal Formation, 150 Adam F. Wallace, Dongbo Wang, Laura M. Hamm, Andrew H. Knoll and Patricia M. Dove 10.1 Introduction, 150 10.2 Mineralization by unicellular organisms, 151 10.3 Mineralization by multicellular organisms, 164 10.4 A brief history of skeletons, 173 10.5 Summary, 175 11. Plants and Animals as Geobiological Agents, 188 David J. Beerling and Nicholas J. Butterfield 11.1 Introduction, 188 11.2 Land plants as geobiological agents, 188 11.3 Animals as geobiological agents, 195 11.4 Conclusions, 200 12. A Geobiological View of Weathering and Erosion, 205 Susan L. Brantley, Marina Lebedeva and Elisabeth M. Hausrath 12.1 Introduction, 205 12.2 Effects of biota on weathering, 207 12.3 Effects of organic molecules on weathering, 209 12.4 Organomarkers in weathering solutions, 211 12.5 Elemental profiles in regolith, 213 12.6 Time evolution of profile development, 217 12.7 Investigating chemical, physical, and biological weathering with simple models, 218 12.8 Conclusions, 222 13. Molecular Biology’s Contributions to Geobiology, 228 Dianne K. Newman, Victoria J. Orphan and Anna-Louise Reysenbach 13.1 Introduction, 228 13.2 Molecular approaches used in geobiology, 229 13.3 Case study: anaerobic oxidation of methane, 238 13.4 Challenges and opportunities for the next generation, 242 14. Stable Isotope Geobiology, 250 D.T. Johnston and W.W. Fischer 14.1 Introduction, 250 14.2 Isotopic notation and the biogeochemical elements, 253 14.3 Tracking fractionation in a system, 255 14.4 Applications, 258 14.5 Using isotopes to ask a geobiological question in deep time, 261 14.6 Conclusions, 265 15. Biomarkers: Informative Molecules for Studies in Geobiology, 269 Roger E. Summons and Sara A. Lincoln 15.1 Introduction, 269 15.2 Origins of biomarkers, 269 15.3 Diagenesis, 269 15.4 Isotopic compositions, 270 15.5 Stereochemical considerations, 272 15.6 Lipid biosynthetic pathways, 273 15.7 Classification of lipids, 273 15.8 Lipids diagnostic of Archaea, 277 15.9 Lipids diagnostic of Bacteria, 280 15.10 Lipids of Eukarya, 283 15.11 Preservable cores, 283 15.12 Outlook, 287 16. The Fossil Record of Microbial Life, 297 Andrew H. Knoll 16.1 Introduction, 297 16.2 The nature of Earth’s early microbial record, 297 16.3 Paleobiological inferences from microfossil morphology, 299 16.4 Inferences from microfossil chemistry and ultrastructure (new technologies), 302 16.5 Inferences from microbialites, 306 16.6 A brief history, with questions, 308 16.7 Conclusions, 311 17. Geochemical Origins of Life, 315 Robert M. Hazen 17.1 Introduction, 315 17.2 Emergence as a unifying concept in origins research, 315 17.3 The emergence of biomolecules, 317 17.4 The emergence of macromolecules, 320 17.5 The emergence of self-replicating systems, 323 17.6 The emergence of natural selection, 326 17.7 Three scenarios for the origins of life, 327 18. Mineralogical Co-evolution of the Geosphere and Biosphere, 333 Robert M. Hazen and Dominic Papineau 18.1 Introduction, 333 18.2 Prebiotic mineral evolution I – evidence from meteorites, 334 18.3 Prebiotic mineral evolution II – crust and mantle reworking, 335 18.4 The anoxic Archean biosphere, 336 18.5 The Great Oxidation Event, 340 18.6 A billion years of stasis, 341 18.7 The snowball Earth, 341 18.8 The rise of skeletal mineralization, 342 18.9 Summary, 343 19. Geobiology of the Archean Eon, 351 Roger Buick 19.1 Introduction, 351 19.2 Carbon cycle, 351 19.3 Sulfur cycle, 354 19.4 Iron cycle, 355 19.5 Oxygen cycle, 357 19.6 Nitrogen cycle, 359 19.7 Phosphorus cycle, 360 19.8 Bioaccretion of sediment, 360 19.9 Bioalteration, 365 19.10 Conclusions, 366 20. Geobiology of the Proterozoic Eon, 371 Timothy W. Lyons, Christopher T. Reinhard, Gordon D. Love and Shuhai Xiao 20.1 Introduction, 371 20.2 The Great Oxidation Event, 371 20.3 The early Proterozoic: Era geobiology in the wake of the GOE, 372 20.4 The mid-Proterozoic: a last gasp of iron formations, deep ocean anoxia, the 'boring' billion, and a mid-life crisis, 375 20.5 The history of Proterozoic life: biomarker records, 381 20.6 The history of Proterozoic life: mid-Proterozoic fossil record, 383 20.7 The late Proterozoic: a supercontinent, oxygen, ice, and the emergence of animals, 384 20.8 Summary, 392 21. Geobiology of the Phanerozoic, 403 Steven M. Stanley 21.1 The beginning of the Phanerozoic Eon, 403 21.2 Cambrian mass extinctions, 405 21.3 The terminal Ordovician mass extinction, 405 21.4 The impact of early land plants, 406 21.5 Silurian biotic crises, 406 21.6 Devonian mass extinctions, 406 21.7 Major changes of the global ecosystem in Carboniferous time, 406 21.8 Low-elevation glaciation near the equator, 407 21.9 Drying of climates, 408 21.10 A double mass extinction in the Permian, 408 21.11 The absence of recovery in the early Triassic, 409 21.12 The terminal Triassic crisis, 409 21.13 The rise of atmospheric oxygen since early in Triassic time, 410 21.14 The Toarcian anoxic event, 410 21.15 Phytoplankton, planktonic foraminifera, and the carbon cycle, 411 21.16 Diatoms and the silica cycle, 411 21.17 Cretaceous climates, 411 21.18 The sudden Paleocene–Eocene climatic shift, 414 21.19 The cause of the Eocene–Oligocene climatic shift, 415 21.20 The re-expansion of reefs during Oligocene time, 416 21.21 Drier climates and cascading evolutionary radiations on the land, 416 22. Geobiology of the Anthropocene, 425 Daniel P. Schrag 22.1 Introduction, 425 22.2 The Anthropocene, 425 22.3 When did the Anthropocene begin?, 426 22.4 Geobiology and human population, 427 22.5 Human appropriation of the Earth, 428 22.6 The carbon cycle and climate of the Anthropocene, 430 22.7 The future of geobiology, 433 Acknowledgements, 434 References, 435 Index, 437 Colour plate pages fall between pp. 228 and 229

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Book SynopsisPart of a series of monographs and memoirs in palaeontology and biostratigraphyThe publication, Paleobiology of the Neoproterozoic Svanbergfjellet Formation, Spitsbergen, is Number 34 in the international Fossils and Strata series.

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