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Dinosaurs: A Very Short Introduction discusses how dinosaurs were first discovered and interpreted, and how our understanding of them has changed over the past 200 years. It looks at some of the amazing discoveries that have enabled us to gain new and unexpected insights into dinosaurs as animals with natural histories and behaviours, and considers some of the biggest questions in dinosaur biology, such as the implications of their having warm blood. It also shows how research on dinosaurs has been enriched, particularly in recent decades, by technological break-throughs which complement the informed speculation and luck that have played a part in many of the major discoveries.Less

How did Darwin use fossils to support his theory of evolution? What are ‘living fossils’? What fossils will we leave behind for future generations to examine? Fossils: A Very Short Introduction shows how fossils have been vital to our understanding of the formation of the earth and the origins of all life on it. However, their impact has not been limited to debates about geology and evolution; attempts to explain their existence has shaken religion at its very roots, and they have remained a subject of ceaseless fascination for people of all ages and backgrounds.Less

The History of Life: A Very Short Introduction introduces ideas from a range of scientific disciplines, from evolutionary biology and earth history, to geochemistry, palaeontology, and systematics, to present a succinct guide to the key episodes in the evolution of life — from the very origins of life four million years ago to the extraordinary diversity of species around the globe today. Major breakthroughs that made new forms of life possible: including sex and multicellularity, hard skeletons, and the move to land are described along with mass extinctions, the first forests, the rise of modern ecosystems, and conscious humans.Less