A Brief History of Earth

A Brief History of Earth
Author: Andrew H. Knoll
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2021-04-27
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0062853937

Harvard’s acclaimed geologist “charts Earth’s history in accessible style” (AP) “A sublime chronicle of our planet." –Booklist, STARRED review How well do you know the ground beneath your feet? Odds are, where you’re standing was once cooking under a roiling sea of lava, crushed by a towering sheet of ice, rocked by a nearby meteor strike, or perhaps choked by poison gases, drowned beneath ocean, perched atop a mountain range, or roamed by fearsome monsters. Probably most or even all of the above. The story of our home planet and the organisms spread across its surface is far more spectacular than any Hollywood blockbuster, filled with enough plot twists to rival a bestselling thriller. But only recently have we begun to piece together the whole mystery into a coherent narrative. Drawing on his decades of field research and up-to-the-minute understanding of the latest science, renowned geologist Andrew H. Knoll delivers a rigorous yet accessible biography of Earth, charting our home planet's epic 4.6 billion-year story. Placing 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).

Natural History

Natural History
Author: Kathryn Hennessy
Publisher: DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley)
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2010
Genre: Natural history
ISBN: 9780756667528

A landmark in reference publishing and overseen and authenticated by the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, Natural History presents an unrivaled visual survey of Earth's natural history. Giving a clear overview of the classification of our natural world-over 6,000 species-Natural History looks at every kingdom of life, from bacteria, minerals, and rocks to fossils to plants and animals. Featuring a remarkable array of specially commissioned photographs, Natural History looks at thousands of specimens and species displayed in visual galleries that take the reader on an incredible journey from the most fundamental building blocks of the world's landscapes, through the simplest of life forms, to plants, fungi, and animals.

A Brief History of the Earth's Climate

A Brief History of the Earth's Climate
Author: Steven Earle
Publisher: New Society Publishers
Total Pages: 210
Release: 2021-10-12
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1550927523

I love it. Earle understands the big climate picture and paints it with exceptional clarity. — JAMES HANSEN, director, Climate Science, Awareness and Solutions, Columbia University Earth Institute What's natural, what's caused by humans, and why climate change is a disaster for all A Brief History of the Earth's Climate is an accessible myth-busting guide to the natural evolution of the Earth's climate over 4.6 billion years, and how and why human-caused global warming and climate change is different and much more dangerous. Richly illustrated chapters cover the major historical climate change processes including evolution of the sun, plate motions and continental collisions, volcanic eruptions, changes to major ocean currents, Earth's orbital variations, sunspot variations, and short-term ocean current cycles. As well as recent human-induced climate change and an overview of the implications of the COVID pandemic for climate change. Content includes: Understanding natural geological processes that shaped the climate How human impacts are now rapidly changing the climate Tipping points and the unfolding climate crisis What we can do to limit the damage to the planet and ecosystems Countering climate myths peddled by climate change science deniers. A Brief History of the Earth's Climate is essential reading for everyone who is looking to understand what drives climate change, counter skeptics and deniers, and take action on the climate emergency. AWARDS SILVER | 2022 IPPY Awards - Science

Biodiversity and Earth History

Biodiversity and Earth History
Author: Jens Boenigk
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 410
Release: 2015-03-31
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3662463946

This uniquely interdisciplinary textbook explores the exciting and complex relationship between Earth’s geological history and the biodiversity of life. Its innovative design provides a seamless learning experience, clarifying major concepts step by step with detailed textual explanations complemented by detailed figures, diagrams and vibrant pictures. Thanks to its layout, the respective concepts can be studied individually, as part of the broader framework of each chapter, or as they relate to the book as a whole. It provides in-depth coverage of: - Earth’s formation and subsequent geological history, including patterns of climate change and atmospheric evolution; - The early stages of life, from microbial ‘primordial soup’ theories to the fossil record’s most valuable contributions; - Mechanisms of mutual influence between living organisms and the environment: how life changed Earth’s history whilst, at the same time, environmental pressures continue to shape the evolution of species; - Basic ideas in biodiversity studies: species concepts, measurement techniques, and global distribution patterns; - Biological systematics, from their historical origins in Greek philosophy and Biblical stories to Darwinian evolution by natural selection, and to phylogenetics based on cutting-edge molecular techniques. This book’s four major sections offer a fresh cross-disciplinary overview of biodiversity and the Earth’s history. Among many other concepts, they reveal the massive diversity of eukaryotes, explain the geological processes behind fossilisation, and provide an eye-opening account of the relatively short period of human evolution in the context of Earth’s 4.6 billion-year history. Employing a combination of proven didactic tools, the book is simultaneously a reading reference, illustrated guide, and encyclopaedia of organismal biology and geology. It is aimed at school- and university-level students, as well as members of the public fascinated by the intricate interrelationship of living organisms and their environment.

Geo-Texas

Geo-Texas
Author: Eric R. Swanson
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
Total Pages: 228
Release: 1995
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9780890966822

Geo-Texas succeeds in bringing together astronomy, geology, meteorology, oceanography, and environmental studies in a highly informative, one-of-a-kind guide to Earth sciences in the Lone Star State. Eric R. Swanson draws on the latest scientific findings in treating the natural history of Texas from the oldest known rock, through the age of the dinosaurs, to the geologic present, from the early development of Texas' water and land resources to the current crisis of environmental pollution. In examining Texas natural sciences-and the abiding connection between Texans and their physical surroundings-Geo-Texas is engagingly anecdotal and draws freely on the wry humor with which Texans have always observed and regarded their environment. Entertaining accounts of natural phenomena, such as a meteorite scoring a direct hit on a swimming pool and a Texas twister sweeping up a farmer and returning him to earth unharmed, supplement the scholarship in each chapter to show how cultural and scientific issues converge. Students and teachers of Texas Earth science will find Geo-Texas indispensable. With more than eighty illustrations and valuable appendices listing rock hound clubs, Earth science organizations, and points of interest throughout the state, Geo-Texas will also appeal to the general reader and serve as the Earth science guide for lovers of Texas and its multifaceted environment.

Earth History and Palaeogeography

Earth History and Palaeogeography
Author: Trond H. Torsvik
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 329
Release: 2017
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1107105323

This book provides a complete Phanerozoic story of palaeogeography, using new and detailed full-colour maps, to link surface and deep-Earth processes.

The Story of Earth

The Story of Earth
Author: Robert M. Hazen
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 322
Release: 2013-07-30
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0143123645

Hailed by The New York Times for writing “with wonderful clarity about science . . . that effortlessly teaches as it zips along,” nationally bestselling author Robert M. Hazen offers a radical new approach to Earth history in this intertwined tale of the planet’s living and nonliving spheres. With an astrobiologist’s imagination, a historian’s perspective, and a naturalist’s eye, Hazen calls upon twenty-first-century discoveries that have revolutionized geology and enabled scientists to envision Earth’s many iterations in vivid detail—from the mile-high lava tides of its infancy to the early organisms responsible for more than two-thirds of the mineral varieties beneath our feet. Lucid, controversial, and on the cutting edge of its field, The Story of Earth is popular science of the highest order. "A sweeping rip-roaring yarn of immense scope, from the birth of the elements in the stars to meditations on the future habitability of our world." -Science "A fascinating story." -Bill McKibben

Origins

Origins
Author: Lewis Dartnell
Publisher: Basic Books
Total Pages: 348
Release: 2019-05-14
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1541617894

A New York Times-bestselling author explains how the physical world shaped the history of our species When we talk about human history, we often focus on great leaders, population forces, and decisive wars. But how has the earth itself determined our destiny? Our planet wobbles, driving changes in climate that forced the transition from nomadism to farming. Mountainous terrain led to the development of democracy in Greece. Atmospheric circulation patterns later on shaped the progression of global exploration, colonization, and trade. Even today, voting behavior in the south-east United States ultimately follows the underlying pattern of 75 million-year-old sediments from an ancient sea. Everywhere is the deep imprint of the planetary on the human. From the cultivation of the first crops to the founding of modern states, Origins reveals the breathtaking impact of the earth beneath our feet on the shape of our human civilizations.