Questo secondo volume prosegue la breve trattazione sulle catastrofi naturali. E la volta delle catastrofi dell acqua e dell aria, spesso sui giornali quando un uragano o un inondazione colpiscono il nostro pianeta. E anche delle minacce cosmiche, rare ma in grado di annientare la nostra civilta.

Vedremo quegli straordinari eventi di cui conosciamo l esistenza dallo studio degli strati geologici e dei fossili, ma la cui causa e ancora avvolta nel mistero. Si tratta delle estinzioni di massa, episodi in cui la biosfera e cambiata in maniera improvvisa e drammatica a causa di una catastrofe globale.

Tra un aneddoto e una digressione sulle basi scientifiche dei fenomeni e passando attraverso qualche caso di studio, si incuriosisce il lettore su un tema importante e coinvolgente.

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The Cambrian radiation was the explosive evolution of marine life that started 550,000,000 years ago. It ranks as one of the most important episodes in Earth history. This key event in the history of life on our planet changed the marine biosphere and its sedimentary environment forever, requiring a complex interplay of wide-ranging biologic and nonbiologic processes.

"The Ecology of the Cambrian Radiation" offers a comprehensive and surprising picture of the Earth at that ancient time. The book contains contributions from thirty-three authors hailing from ten countries and will be of interest to paleontologists, geologists, biologists, and other researchers interested in the global Earth-life system.

Die Oberflache der Erde hat eine bewegte Geschichte hinter sich. So stabil uns manche grossraumigen Landschaftsstrukturen wie Gebirgszuge, Tiefebenen und Ozeane auch erscheinen mogen, so sehr hat sich das Antlitz der Erde doch im Laufe von Milliarden von Jahren immer wieder verandert. Und uberall trifft man auf die Spuren dieser unruhigen Vergangenheit. Richard Fortey ist ihr Chronist, und indem er uns an geologisch besonders interessante Statten fuhrt und deren Eigenheiten erlautert, lehrt er uns, das Wesen der Erde besser zu verstehen. Er zeigt, dass nicht nur die Gestalt der Erdoberflache, sondern auch die menschliche Kultur, die Naturgeschichte, ja sogar die Form unserer Stadte auf tieferen geologischen Prozessen beruhen. Die Reise beginnt an den Hangen des Vesuvs, wo Fortey die Geschichte dieser von Vulkanausbruchen gekennzeichneten Landschaft durch die Augen der Italiener des 15. Jahrhunderts, der Romer und - auf der Basis einzigartiger geologischer Befunde - der Menschen der Jungsteinzeit erzahlt. Und mit jeder neuen Geschichte, die er erzahlt, treten Verbindungen von der jungeren Vergangenheit zu langst vergessenen Zeiten zutage - bis tief hinab zu fernen geologischen Epochen, wenn er Plattenverschiebungen und die Bildung von alten Kontinenten und Meeren beschreibt. Nichts in diesem Buch scheint still zu stehen. Die Erdoberflache weitet sich und zieht sich wieder zusammen, Berge und Seen entstehen und vergehen, Kontinente driften umher und kollidieren. Unter Forteys kundiger Fuhrung erklimmen wir die Alpen, baden in den heissen Quellen Islands und tauchen hinab zum Meeresgrund. Wir erkunden die kahlen Felsen von Neufundland, klettern in bohmische Silberminen hinab, spazieren durch die uppigen Okosysteme von Hawaii, durchqueren die Salzebenen von Oman und schlendern am Andreas-Graben entlang. Forteys Beschreibungen der Schonheiten der Natur sind dabei so unvergesslich wie die besten Reiseberichte, seine Prosa ist so packend wie die eines Romanciers, und seine kristallklaren wissenschaftlichen Erklarungen sind faszinierend und oft uberraschend. Dieses wahrhaft tiefschurfende Buch wird Ihren Blick auf die Welt verandern - fur immer."

Dinosaurs are fascinating creatures and their popularity seems never ending, fuelled by films such as Jurassic Park and documentaries such as Walking with Dinosaurs. Yet dinosaurs (or more precisely non-avian dinosaurs) last trod the Earth 65 million years ago. All we know of them today are their fossilised bones, the tracks and traces that they left behind and, in very rare instances, some of the soft tissues or even traces of their chemistry. In many respects dinosaurs present us with one of the ultimate forensic challenges: they comprise the fragmentary remains of creatures that died many tens of millions of years ago, rather than just recently, or a few tens of years ago, which is the problem usually faced by forensic pathologists. How much do we really know about them, and to what extent can their remains inform us about ancient worlds, and indeed about the history of our planet? In this Very Short Introduction David Norman discusses how dinosaurs were first discovered and interpreted, and how our understanding of them has changed over the past 200 years. He looks at some of the amazing discoveries that have enabled us to gain new and unexpected insights into dinosaurs as animals with natural histories and behaviours, and considers some of the biggest questions in dinosaur biology, such as the implications of them having warm blood. Norman also shows how research upon dinosaurs has been enriched, particularly in recent decades, by technological break-throughs, which complement the informed speculation and luck which have played a part in many of the major discoveries. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Seismosaurus: The Earth Shaker is a richly illustrated telling of the trials and triumphs of the discovery and excavation of Seismosaurus hallorum, the longest dinosaur yet known - and possibly the largest land animal ever to have lived. This is the first book to explain clearly the science used by paleontologists and the new cutting-edge techniques that led to Seismosaurus's discovery. David Gillette's first-person account of the project answers the most frequently asked questions about Seismosaurus: How was it discovered? How do we know it is a new species? How was it named? And more intriguing still, how did it die? His chronicle also examines the sauropods in general - the giant dinosaurs that with Seismosaurus include Apatosaurus (Brontosaurus), Brachiosaurus, and Diplodocus. This lively tale of discovery is woven with anecdotes and descriptions of the details of the excavation, which began with small jackhammers and later incorporated such sophisticated machinery as ground-penetrating radar that "looks" for fossils underground with radio waves. The story moves from the excavation site in 1985 to current advances in research and then back to the prehistoric age as Gillette, in adventure-narrative style, describes the habitat, habits, and characteristics of the sauropod, right down to Seismosaurus's gastroliths - stomach stones that helped in digestion. Part catalogue of the workings of paleontological science in the 1990s, the book also illustrates the exciting collaboration between David Gillette and the chemists and physicists who helped to reconstruct Seismosaurus and its life. Excavation of the Seismosaurus skeleton was completed in the fall of 1993. Some bones are already ondisplay at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History. Meanwhile, Mark Hallett, a consultant on Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park, brings Seismosaurus to life in more than eighty marvelous color and black-and-white illustrations. Seismosaurus: The Earth Shaker is a delight!

"Lucy is a 3.2-million-year-old skeleton who has become the spokeswoman for human evolution. She is perhaps the best known and most studied fossil hominid of the twentieth century, the benchmark by which other discoveries of human ancestors are judged.""-"From "Lucy's Legacy
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In his "New York Times" bestseller, "Lucy: The Beginnings of Humankind, " renowned paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson told the incredible story of his discovery of a partial female skeleton that revolutionized the study of human origins. Lucy literally changed our understanding of our world and who we come from. Since that dramatic find in 1974, there has been heated debate and-most important-more groundbreaking discoveries that have further transformed our understanding of when and how humans evolved.
In "Lucy's Legacy," Johanson takes readers on a fascinating tour of the last three decades of study-the most exciting period of paleoanthropologic investigation thus far. In that time, Johanson and his colleagues have uncovered a total of 363 specimens of Australopithecus afarensis (Lucy's species, a transitional creature between apes and humans), spanning 400,000 years. As a result, we now have a unique fossil record of one branch of our family tree-that family being humanity-a tree that is believed to date back a staggering 7 million years.
Focusing on dramatic new fossil finds and breakthrough advances in DNA research, Johanson provides the latest answers that post-Lucy paleoanthropologists are finding to questions such as: How did Homo sapiens evolve? When and where did our species originate? What separates hominids from the apes? What was the nature of Neandertal and modern human encounters? What mysteries about human evolution remain to be solved?
Donald Johanson is a passionate guide on an extraordinary journey from the ancient landscape of Hadar, Ethiopia-where Lucy was unearthed and where many other exciting fossil discoveries have since been made-to a seaside cave in South Africa that once sheltered early members of our own species, and many other significant sites. Thirty-five years after Lucy, Johanson continues to enthusiastically probe the origins of our species and what it means to be human.

"From the Hardcover edition."

Studies of the Jurassic period are greatly helped by the high degree of stratigraphic control provided by the ubiquitous ammonites. Although this work, originally publisjed in 1975, is not a study of stratigraphy as such, a short chapter on this topic is included to provide a framework for environmental interpretation. The main goal of this book is to review in detail the advances which existed at the time in the interpretation of Jurassic facies in the classical European and American deposits and to then apply this knowledge to illuminate more general topics such as the fluctuation in land/sea distribution and the nature of the Jurassic climate and biogeography. There is also an account of plate tectonics and igneous activity during the period. A comprehensive bibliography is provided, which includes the important stratigraphic literature published from 1956 to 1975.

This important volume reviews the status of investigations aimed at deciphering the geologic, biogeographic, and archaeological records for the Quaternary Era--the last million years of geologic time-for the area of continental United States. Over eighty Quaternary scientists have contributed to the fifty-five chapters divided into four main parts. Part 1 treats the areal geology, with emphasis on the stratigraphy of the glaciated areas east of the Rocky Mountains, unglaciated eastern and central United States, and western United States. Part 2 deals with biogeography: phytogeography and palynology, animal geography and evolution. Part 3 deals with archaeology prehistory in the northeastern states, southeastern states, plains, desert west, and Pacific Coast including Alaska. Part 4 covers many diverse Quaternary studies on--the continental shelves, isotope geochemistry, paleopedology, the geochemistry of some lake sediments, paleohydrology, glaciers and climate, volcanic-ash chronology, paleomagnetism, neo-tectonics, dendrochronology, and theoretical paleoclimatology. Originally published in 1965. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Quantitative Paleozoology describes and illustrates how the remains of long-dead animals recovered from archaeological and paleontological excavations can be studied and analyzed. The methods range from determining how many animals of each species are represented to determining whether one collection consists of more broken and more burned bones than another. All methods are described and illustrated with data from real collections, while numerous graphs illustrate various quantitative properties.

Here twenty-one leading paleontologists use important refinements in fossil diversity data to provide critical evaluations of older hypotheses of diversification and extinction processes and to propose fresh interpretations.

Originally published in 1986.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Although herbivory probably first appeared over 300 million years ago, it only became established as a common feeding strategy during Late Permian times. Subsequently, herbivory evolved in numerous lineages of terrestrial vertebrates, and the acquisition of this mode of feeding was frequently associated with considerable evolutionary diversification in those lineages. This book, originally published in 2000, represented the first comprehensive overview of the evolution of herbivory in land-dwelling amniote tetrapods in recent years. In Evolution of Herbivory in Terrestrial Vertebrates leading experts review the structural adaptations for, and the evolutionary history of, feeding on plants in the major groups of land-dwelling vertebrates, especially dinosaurs and ungulate mammals. As such it will be the definitive reference source on this topic for evolutionary biologists and vertebrate paleontologists alike.

Picture a world of dog-sized scorpions and millipedes as long as a car; tropical rainforests with trees towering over 150 feet into the sky and a giant polar continent five times larger than Antarctica. That world was not imaginary; it was the earth more than 300 million years ago in the Carboniferous period of the Paleozoic era. In Carboniferous Giants and Mass Extinction, George R. McGhee Jr. explores that ancient world, explaining its origins; its downfall in the end-Permian mass extinction, the greatest biodiversity crisis to occur since the evolution of animal life on Earth; and how its legacies still affect us today. McGhee investigates the consequences of the Late Paleozoic ice age in this comprehensive portrait of the effects of ancient climate change on global ecology. Carboniferous Giants and Mass Extinction examines the climatic conditions that allowed for the evolution of gigantic animals and the formation of the largest tropical rainforests ever to exist, which in time turned into the coal that made the industrial revolution possible-and fuels the engine of contemporary anthropogenic climate change. Exploring the strange and fascinating flora and fauna of the Late Paleozoic ice age world, McGhee focuses his analysis on the forces that brought this world to an abrupt and violent end. Synthesizing decades of research and new discoveries, this comprehensive book provides a wealth of insights into past and present extinction events and climate change.

The assassin's bullet misses, the Archduke's carriage moves forward, and a catastrophic war is avoided. So too with the history of life. Re-run the tape of life, as Stephen J. Gould claimed, and the outcome must be entirely different: an alien world, without humans and maybe not even intelligence. The history of life is littered with accidents: any twist or turn may lead to a completely different world. Now this view is being challenged. Simon Conway Morris explores the evidence demonstrating life's almost eerie ability to navigate to a single solution, repeatedly. Eyes, brains, tools, even culture: all are very much on the cards. So if these are all evolutionary inevitabilities, where are our counterparts across the galaxy? The tape of life can only run on a suitable planet, and it seems that such Earth-like planets may be much rarer than hoped. Inevitable humans, yes, but in a lonely Universe.

One of the greatest mysteries in reconstructing the history of life on Earth has been the apparent absence of fossils dating back more than 550 million years. We have long known that fossils of sophisticated marine life-forms existed at the dawn of the Cambrian Period, but until recently scientists had found no traces of Precambrian fossils. The quest to find such traces began in earnest in the mid-1960s and culminated in one dramatic moment in 1993 when William Schopf identified fossilized microorganisms three and a half "billion" years old. This startling find opened up a vast period of time--some eighty-five percent of Earth's history--to new research and new ideas about life's beginnings. In this book, William Schopf, a pioneer of modern paleobiology, tells for the first time the exciting and fascinating story of the origins and earliest evolution of life and how that story has been unearthed.

Gracefully blending his personal story of discovery with the basics needed to understand the astonishing science he describes, Schopf has produced an introduction to paleobiology for the interested reader as well as a primer for beginning students in the field. He considers such questions as how did primitive bacteria, pond scum, evolve into the complex life-forms found at the beginning of the Cambrian Period? How do scientists identify ancient microbes and what do these tiny creatures tell us about the environment of the early Earth? (And, in a related chapter, Schopf discusses his role in the controversy that swirls around recent claims of fossils in the famed meteorite from Mars.) Like all great teachers, Schopf teaches the non-specialist enough about his subject along the way that we can easily follow his descriptions of the geology, biology, and chemistry behind these discoveries. Anyone interested in the intriguing questions of the origins of life on Earth and how those origins have been discovered will find this story the best place to start.

This important volume reviews the status of investigations aimed at deciphering the geologic, biogeographic, and archaeological records for the Quaternary Era--the last million years of geologic time-for the area of continental United States. Over eighty Quaternary scientists have contributed to the fifty-five chapters divided into four main parts. Part 1 treats the areal geology, with emphasis on the stratigraphy of the glaciated areas east of the Rocky Mountains, unglaciated eastern and central United States, and western United States. Part 2 deals with biogeography: phytogeography and palynology, animal geography and evolution. Part 3 deals with archaeology prehistory in the northeastern states, southeastern states, plains, desert west, and Pacific Coast including Alaska. Part 4 covers many diverse Quaternary studies on--the continental shelves, isotope geochemistry, paleopedology, the geochemistry of some lake sediments, paleohydrology, glaciers and climate, volcanic-ash chronology, paleomagnetism, neo-tectonics, dendrochronology, and theoretical paleoclimatology. Originally published in 1965. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Here twenty-one leading paleontologists use important refinements in fossil diversity data to provide critical evaluations of older hypotheses of diversification and extinction processes and to propose fresh interpretations. Originally published in 1986. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

This Open Access volume highlights how tree ring stable isotopes have been used to address a range of environmental issues from paleoclimatology to forest management, and anthropogenic impacts on forest growth. It will further evaluate weaknesses and strengths of isotope applications in tree rings. In contrast to older tree ring studies, which predominantly applied a pure statistical approach this book will focus on physiological mechanisms that influence isotopic signals and reflect environmental impacts. Focusing on connections between physiological responses and drivers of isotope variation will also clarify why environmental impacts are not linearly reflected in isotope ratios and tree ring widths. This volume will be of interest to any researcher and educator who uses tree rings (and other organic matter proxies) to reconstruct paleoclimate as well as to understand contemporary functional processes and anthropogenic influences on native ecosystems. The use of stable isotopes in biogeochemical studies has expanded greatly in recent years, making this volume a valuable resource to a growing and vibrant community of researchers.

Our Cosmic Origins tells the story of our remarkable adventure on this planet, beginning with a single event in the depths of space. It traces the rich and wonderful history of the Universe, from the Big Bang to the creation of atoms and molecules, from the formation of stars and planets to the emergence of life on Earth. Delsemme brings together cosmology, astronomy, geology, biochemistry, and biology to create a unique look at the complex story of the Universe. He chronicles how the first light atoms were made and formed stars and how heavier atoms were cooked in stars and scattered in space, creating dust mrains and organic molecules. He examines the growing eomplexity of plant and animal life, including the emergence and extinction of dinosaurs. Our Cosmic Origins shows how the coupling of eye and brain led to self-awareness and intelligence. It explores the cosmic coincidences that might explain our existence and concludes with the tantalizing suggestion that intelligent alien life is likely. This provocative book will appeal to anyone who has ever looked at the sky and wondered how we got here. Originally published in French, this edition has been revised to include the most recent research in astronomy and cosmology. Armand Delsemme has published four books and over 230 scientific papers. He received a Sigma Xi award for outstanding research and has had, by order of the International Astronomical Union, an asteroid named after him.

This book offers a comprehensive review of the entire field of taphonomy, the science of fossil preservation. It describes the formation of plant and animal fossils in oceanic, terrestrial and river settings and how this affects deciphering the ecology and extinction of past lifeforms and the environments in which they lived. Coverage emphasizes a process approach to the subject and reviews the taphonomic behavior of all important taxa, both plant and animal. The book will be of main interest to advanced students and professionals working in paleontology, stratigraphy, sedimentology, climate modeling and biogeochemistry. It will also appeal to anyone interested in the preservation of fossils and the formation of fossil assemblages.

1. DIE SCHOPFUNG SCHRIFfLICHER ANAPHORENFORMULARE AM AUSGANG DER ANTllill Es wird haufig betont, wie peinlich genau die Romer in ihrem Gotterkult auf die prazise Wiedergabe von Gebetsformeln achteten. Urn versehentliche Abweichungen und die hiervon befUrchteten schlimmen Folgen zu vermei- den, trugen sie die Gebete nicht auswendig vor, sondem verlasen sie in der 2 Regel aus Zeremonialbiichem. Auch die jiidische Tempelliturgie war in eine feste Form gefaBt, die wohl kaum Gelegenheit zur freien Gestaltung bot. 3 Sollte sie doch die unverriickbare kosmische Ordnung symbolisieren. Hingegen herrschte beim offentlichen Gebet im Gottesdienst der Urchri- sten groBte Freiheit nicht nur im Wortlaut,4 sondem auch in der Gesamtdis- position. Welch breiter Raum anfanglich der Eingebung des Augenblicks auch in Form von Glossolalie und von Offenbarungen sowie ihrer jeweiligen Auslegung, die man als Werk des Heiligtm Geistes betrachtete,5 gewahrt wurde, zeigen die von Paulus aufgestellten Grundregeln, die den Ablauf der Eucharistiefeier in der korinthischen Gemeinde zu ordnen suchten, indem die Teilnehmer u.a. dazu angehalten wurden, wenigstens einzeln hintereinander zu reden (1 Cor. 14,26-31). Auch im zweiten und dritten lahrhundert wurde das gottesdienstliche Ge- 6 bet oft aus der Eingebung des Augenblicks heraus improvisiert. Soweit iiberhaupt einmal, wie in einem Abschnitt der wohl schon zu Beginn des 2. 2 Vgl. G. Wissowa, Religion und Kultus der Romer = HdbAW 5, 4 (2Munchen 1912) 397f mit Anm. 7 und 9; K. Latte, Romische Religionsgeschichte = HdbA W 5, 4 (Munchen 1960) 392; F.J. DOlger, Antike und Christentum 2 (1930) 242f.

Humans are the only mammals to walk on two, rather than four, legs. From an evolutionary perspective, this is an illogical development, as it slows us down. But here we are, suggesting there must have been something tremendous to gain from bipedalism. First Steps takes our ordinary, everyday walking experience and reveals how unusual and extraordinary it truly is. The seven-million-year-long journey through the origins of upright walking shows how it was in fact a gateway to many of the other attributes that make us human-from our technological skills and sociality to our thirst for exploration. DeSilva uses early human evolution to explain the instinct that propels a crawling infant to toddle onto two feet, differences between how men and women tend to walk, physical costs of upright walking, including hernias, varicose veins and backache, and the challenges of childbirth imposed by a bipedal pelvis. And he theorises that upright walking may have laid the foundation for the traits of compassion, empathy and altruism that characterise our species today and helped us become the dominant species on this planet.