Originally published in 1933 Functional Affinities of Man, Monkeys and Apes gives a taxonomic and phylogenetic survey and the findings of diverse experimental investigations of lemurs, monkeys, and apes. The book discusses the inter-relationships of different Primates and emphasizes seldom-used approaches to the question of primate phylogeny. The book attempts to show how little they have been systematically tried, and argues for a regard to the proper place of functional investigations in the study of the classification and evolution of Primates. This book will be of interest to anthropologists, scientists and historians alike.

"This is the major text on the integration of field palaeontology and sedimentology, particularly valuable for both practical lab exercises and students working independently and unsupervised on field projects" Reviewer's comment Field Palaeontology provides a comprehensive, rigorous and unique approach to the analysis of fossils and sediments and offers a practical field guide which no palaeontology student can afford to be without. The past decade has seen immense changes in palaeontology and in the study of sedimentary rocks in general. This edition has been thoroughly revised to take into account these advancements in the subject to produce a book that is unique in its coverage of palaeontology and sedimentology. It aims to provide a basis for evaluating the information potential of fossiliferous sediments, and then to give an outline of the strategy and tactics whicn can be adopted in the field. Field Palaeontology is written for advanced undergraduate courses in palaeontology, palaeoecology, palaeobiology, sedimentology and biostratigraphy within geoscience and geology degrees. It is also useful reading for Masters earth science students and first year postgraduates looking for a grounding in the basics of the subject.

"Splendid and important .... Scientifically rigorous and written with a clarity and candor that create a gripping tale ... [Boehme's] account of the history of Europe's lost apes is imbued with the sweat, grime, and triumph that is the lot of the fieldworker, and carries great authority."-Tim Flannery, The New York Review of Books In this "fascinating forensic inquiry into human origins" (Kirkus STARRED Review), a renowned paleontologist takes readers behind-the-scenes of one of the most groundbreaking archaeological digs in recent history. Somewhere west of Munich,paleontologist Madelaine Boehme and her colleagues dig for clues to the origins of humankind. What they discover is beyond anything they ever imagined: the twelve-million-year-old bones of Danuvius guggenmosi make headlines around the world. This ancient ape defies prevailing theories of human history-his skeletal adaptations suggest a new common ancestor between apes and humans, one that dwelled in Europe, not Africa. Might the great apes that traveled from Africa to Europe before Danuvius's time be the key to understanding our own origins? All this and more is explored in Ancient Bones. Using her expertise as a paleoclimatologist and paleontologist, Boehme pieces together an awe-inspiring picture of great apes that crossed land bridges from Africa to Europe millions of years ago, evolving in response to the challenging conditions they found. She also takes us behind the scenes of her research, introducing us to former theories of human evolution (complete with helpful maps and diagrams), and walks us through musty museum overflow storage where she finds forgotten fossils with yellowed labels, before taking us along to the momentous dig where she and the team unearthed Danuvius guggenmosi himself-and the incredible reverberations his discovery caused around the world. Praise for Ancient Bones: "Readable and thought-provoking. Madelaine Boehme is an iconoclast whose fossil discoveries have challenged long-standing ideas on the origins of the ancestors of apes and humans."-Steve Brusatte, New York Times-bestselling author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs "An inherently fascinating, impressively informative, and exceptionally thought-provoking read."-Midwest Book Review "An impressive introduction to the burgeoning recalibration of paleoanthropology."-Kirkus Reviews(starred review)

The history of scientific research and technological development is replete with examples of breakthroughs that have advanced the frontiers of knowledge, but seldom does it record events that constitute paradigm shifts in broad areas of intellectual pursuit. One notable exception, however, is that of spin electronics (also called spintronics, magnetoelectronics or magnetronics), wherein information is carried by electron spin in addition to, or in place of, electron charge. It is now well established in scientific and engineering communities that Moore's Law, having been an excellent predictor of integrated circuit density and computer performance since the 1970s, now faces great challenges as the scale of electronic devices has been reduced to the level where quantum effects become significant factors in device operation. Electron spin is one such effect that offers the opportunity to continue the gains predicted by Moore's Law, by taking advantage of the confluence of magnetics and semiconductor electronics in the newly emerging discipline of spin electronics. From a fundamental viewpoine, spin-polarization transport in a material occurs when there is an imbalance of spin populations at the Fermi energy. In ferromagnetic metals this imbalance results from a shift in the energy states available to spin-up and spin-down electrons. In practical applications, a ferromagnetic metal may be used as a source of spin-polarized electronics to be injected into a semiconductor, a superconductor or a normal metal, or to tunnel through an insulating barrier.

Texas is known worldwide as a rich resource for the intricate Cretaceous-age echinoids widely sought by professional and amateur paleontologists. With much of the scientific literature on Texas Cretaceous echinoids decades old, here is an updated and detailed guide for identifying this rich fossil fauna. After a brief description of the climatic events that led to the formation of these marine deposits, readers are introduced to the terminology needed to understand the morphology and biology of echinoids. More than 350 high-quality color photographs and detailed descriptions provide a visual guide to identifying, usually to the species level, most of the Cretaceous echinoids found in Texas. The information will be of interest to nature lovers, new and advanced collectors, and students of invertebrate paleontology looking for in-depth, updated insights into the morphology, classification, and identification of these striking fossils.

The chapters in this book will cover the paleontology and geology of some important rock formations (Paleozoic and Paleogene) in the northeastern United States. The emphasis will be on brachiopod paleontology, specifically taxonomy, but will also include comments on morphologic variation and community analysis. The Martinsburg formation in the lower mid-Hudson Valley has been studied for many years but recently yielded numerous marine fossils that shed new light on the community ecology of the formation in the region. The Middle Silurian Shawangunk Formation near New Paltz, New York, is an important ridge-maker that extends toward the southwest into Pennsylvania. Recently discovered rare trace fossils in the Shawangunk will be discussed along with the depositional environment of the conglomerate. The Onondaga Limestone is a well-known formation that crops out from Port Jervis, northeast toward Albany and the westward to Buffalo. The brachiopods and community structure of the formation will be covered in some detail. The paleoecology of the Paleogene Hornerstown Formation of New Jersey will also be discussed, including a biostrome of large terebratulid brachiopods.

In the Miocene and Pliocene fossil shell beds of the eastern United States, the single most spectacular molluscan species radiation is seen in the ecphora shells (the Tribe Ecphorini). These bizarrely shaped gastropods, with their distinctive ribbed shell sculpture, represent a separate branch of the Subfamily Ocenebridae, Family Muricidae. Characteristically, these muricid gastropods are heavily ornamented with spiral ribs and cords and are considered some of the most beautiful and interesting groups of fossil mollusks found along the Atlantic Coastal Plain and Floridian Peninsula. The ecphoras are greatly sought after by fossil collectors. The ecphora faunas, and their individual species and subspecies, are illustrated and described in detail, along with photographs of ecphora-bearing geological units and in-situ specimens. The authors list the 67 known species and subspecies that are recognized as valid, arranged by the eight genera and five subgenera that encompass these taxa.

>The rich fossil record of the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains of the United States is a gold mine for interested scientists. The last thirty million years of Earth history are superbly chronicled by a succession of fossil assemblages extending from the St. Lawrence River to Florida. Marine scientists, paleontologists, and systematic biologists alike need a thorough guide to interpret this history. Cenozoic Seas: The View from Eastern North America analyzes the changing geography, the arrival and departures of ecosystems and species, and the affect of climate on living things. The author classifies all of the region's fossil-bearing formations and their contents within a logical, descriptive framework of space and time, providing a clear path for those studying evolution and extinction within specific communities of organisms. The book is also an excellent field guide for fossil collectors, providing detailed information for all species illustrated. Many organisms have never before been illustrated in a book on fossil shells.

This detailed exposition gives background and context to how modern biogeography has got to where it is now. For biogeographers and other researchers interested in biodiversity and the evolution of life on islands, Biogeology: Evolution in a Changing Landscape provides an overview of a large swathe of the globe encompassing Wallacea and the western Pacific. The book contains the full text of the original article explored in each chapter, presented as it appeared on publication. Key features: Holistic treatment, collecting together a series of important biogeographical papers into a single volume Authored by an expert who has spent nearly three decades actively involved in biogeography Describes and interprets a region of exceptional biodiversity and extreme endemism The only book to provide an integrated treatment of Wallacea, Melanesia, New Zealand, the New Zealand Subantarctic Islands and Antarctica Offers a critique of fashionable neo-dispersalist arguments, showing how these still suffer from the same weaknesses of the original Darwinian formulation. The chapters also include analysis of many major theoretical and philosophical issues of modern biogeographic theory, so that those interested in a more philosophical approach will find the book stimulating and thought-provoking.

"Peking Man," a cave man once thought a great hunter who had first tamed fire, was actually a composite of the gnawed remains of some fifty women, children, and men unfortunate enough to have been the prey of the giant cave hyena. Researching the famous fossil site of Dragon Bone Hill in China, scientists Noel T. Boaz and Russell L. Ciochon retell the story of the cave's unique species of early human, Homo erectus. Boaz and Ciochon take readers on a gripping scientific odyssey. New evidence shows that Homo erectus was an opportunist who rode a tide of environmental change out Africa and into Eurasia, puddle-jumping from one gene pool to the next. Armed with a shaky hold on fire and some sharp rocks, Homo erectus incredibly survived for over 1.5 million years, much longer than our own species Homo sapiens has been on Earth. Tell-tale marks on fossil bones show that the lives of these early humans were brutal, ruled by hunger and who could strike the hardest blow, yet there are fleeting glimpses of human compassion as well. The small brain of Homo erectus and its strangely unchanging culture indicate that the species could not talk. Part of that primitive culture included ritualized aggression, to which the extremely thick skulls of Homo erectus bear mute witness. Both a vivid recreation of the unimagined way of life of a prehistoric species, so similar yet so unlike us, and a fascinating exposition of how modern multidisciplinary research can test hypotheses in human evolution, Dragon Bone Hill is science writing at its best.