Fossilization: Understanding the Material Nature of Ancient Plants and Animals

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Fossilization: Understanding the Material Nature of Ancient Plants and Animals Editors: Carole T. Gee, Victoria E. McCoy, P. Martin Sander Format: Hardback First Published: Published By: Johns Hopkins University Press
string(3) "288"
Pages: 288 Illustrations and other contents: 3 Illustrations, color; 13 Illustrations, color; 14 Illustrations, black and white; 37 Illustrations, black and white Language: English ISBN: 9781421440217 Category:

Understanding the complex interplay of physical and chemical processes leading to fossilization is crucial to elucidating the 3800 million years of life on earth. And yet, the process of fossilization also leads to the loss of pivotal biological information, placing constraints on the very same understanding of ancient life it preserves. Over the last decade, however, remarkable advances in approaches, techniques, tools, and instrumentation have helped scientists to transcend these constraints by enabling high-resolution analysis of fossil material-even down to the nanoscale.

Fossilization provides a critical look at these cutting-edge innovations in the science of fossil preservation and provides a road map for future research. Drawing from the fields of paleontology, organic and inorganic chemistry, microbiology, and high-resolution imaging and analysis, and spanning the diversity of life from plants to vertebrates and invertebrates, this resource details expert findings on

  • fossilization of hard and soft part tissues in dinosaurs
  • high-resolution chemical analysis of organic and inorganic tissues
  • arthropods preserved in amber
  • experimental silicification of wood
  • chemical defenses and color in fossil plants
  • confocal Raman spectroscopy
  • microprobe analysis
  • radioisotopic studies
  • and much more

A true interdisciplinary undertaking, the book is authored by paleontologists, mineralogists, geochemists, organic chemists, microbiologists, and materials scientists who have worked together to investigate questions around substance fossilization and the limits of the fossil record. A special color section contains SEM, Raman, and other striking images of vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants. Fossilization is a trailblazing reference book for research scientists and specialists in related fields, as well as for advanced undergraduates and graduate students interested in fossilization, emerging research techniques, and fresh approaches in the analysis of plant and animal fossils.

Contributors: H. Jonas Barthel, Aurore Canoville, Carole T. Gee, Thorsten Geisler, Jens Goetze, Conrad C. Labandeira, Sashima Labe, Moritz Liesegang, Victoria E. McCoy, Martina Menneken, Jes Rust, P. Martin Sander, Frank Tomaschek, Torsten Wappler, Kayleigh Wiersma, Tzu-Ruei Yang

Weight0.522 kg
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What stood out is how readable these chapters are. [I] found that I could follow along with most chapters just fine. And some of this material is outright fascinating. —Inquisitive Biologist