Living Fossil: The Story of the Coelacanth

Living Fossil: The Story of the Coelacanth

by KeithStewartThomson (Author)

Synopsis

In the winter of 1938, a fishing boat by chance dragged from the Indian Ocean a fish thought extinct for 70 million years. It was a coelacanth, which thrived concurrently with dinosaurs and pterodactyls-an animal of major importance to those who study the history of vertebrate life.

Living Fossil describes the life and habitat of the coelcanth and what scientists have learned about it during fifty years of research. It is an exciting and very human story, filled with ambitious and brilliant people, that reveals much about the practice of modern science.

$21.48

Quantity

10 in stock

More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 252
Edition: New edition
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Co.
Published: 01 Oct 1992

ISBN 10: 0393308685
ISBN 13: 9780393308686

Media Reviews
One of the classic stories of zoology, told with uncommon authority and grace. -- Edward O. Wilson, Harvard University
A marvelous book describing the discovery of the coelacanth and its importance to evolutionary biology. . . . Fascinating reading for scientist and non-scientist alike. -- George D. Langdon, president, American Museum of Natural History
Authoritative and eminently readable, deserving of a wide audience. -- James D. Ebert, National Academy of Sciences
Author Bio
Keith S. Thomson holds a Ph.D. in biology from Harvard University and is a former dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Yale University. He is now CEO of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia.