Living Earth: A Short History of Life and Its Home

by E.G.Nisbet (Author)

• New

  Paperback
  1991

  $81.46

  Life has shaped the Earth, and the Earth has moulded the history of life. That history, the co-evolution of our ancestors and their horne, has much to teach us about our place on the planet today. We are part of the fabric of the biosphere. As we change that fabric we would be wise to understand how our horne was built. Our planet is neither a hotel nor a colony. It is not a place which life briefly inhabits during a transient occupation. Instead, it is our horne, designed by the deeds of our ancestors and suited to our own needs. The history of life on Earth is held in the geological record, which is composed of the rocks, water and air that are available for study on the planet's surface. These rocks, the oceans and the atmosphere are not simply stores of information for the excitement of fossil hunters and geochemists, or resources to exploit without thought. Their cre- ation and continued existence form an integral part of the development and management of the Earth as the horne of life.

• Used

  Paperback
  1991

  $8.64

  Living Earth outlines the history of life on earth, showing how the biosphere and planet have evolved together as a single complex system. The contents comprehensively survey the course of events and describe the circumstances that have led up to life on Earth as scientists understand it today. Starting with the origins of the solar system, the text demonstrates how life has developed with the physical evolution of the planet. It also examines how, throughout geological history, the planet has shaped life and how life has shaped the planet, governing the atmosphere and influencing the geological evolution of the continents and oceans. This account includes topics such as: precambrian life and geological evolution; the development of the eukaryotes; the evolution of the vertebrates; continental drift, sea floor spreading and plate tectonics; the history of the atmosphere; the construction of an interdependent biosphere. This book should be of interest to first year geology or environmental science undergraduate students taking a general introductory course in the history of the earth; biology and geology students as an invaluable introduction to the history of life; and arts and social science students taking a general introductory science course.

• New

  Paperback
  1991

  $72.35

  Living Earth outlines the history of life on earth, showing how the biosphere and planet have evolved together as a single complex system. The contents comprehensively survey the course of events and describe the circumstances that have led up to life on Earth as scientists understand it today. Starting with the origins of the solar system, the text demonstrates how life has developed with the physical evolution of the planet. It also examines how, throughout geological history, the planet has shaped life and how life has shaped the planet, governing the atmosphere and influencing the geological evolution of the continents and oceans. This account includes topics such as: precambrian life and geological evolution; the development of the eukaryotes; the evolution of the vertebrates; continental drift, sea floor spreading and plate tectonics; the history of the atmosphere; the construction of an interdependent biosphere. This book should be of interest to first year geology or environmental science undergraduate students taking a general introductory course in the history of the earth; biology and geology students as an invaluable introduction to the history of life; and arts and social science students taking a general introductory science course.