J. David. Archibald's Books

Aristotle's Ladder, Darwin's Tree

The Evolution of Visual Metaphors for Biological Order

By: J. David Archibald

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Aristotle's Ladder, Darwin's Tree

The Evolution of Visual Metaphors for Biological Order

By: J. David Archibald

Leading paleontologist J. David Archibald explores the rich history of visual metaphors for biological order from ancient times to the present and their influence on humans' perception of their place in nature, offering uncommon insight into how we went from standing on the top rung of the biological ladder to embodying just one tiny twig on the tree of life. He begins with the ancient but still misguided use of ladders to show biological order, moving then to the use of trees to represent seasonal life cycles and genealogies by the Romans. The early Christian Church then appropriated trees to represent biblical genealogies. The late eighteenth century saw the tree reclaimed to visualize relationships in the natural world, sometimes with a creationist view, but in other instances suggesting evolution. Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species (1859) exorcised the exclusively creationist view of the "tree of life," and his ideas sparked an explosion of trees, mostly by younger acolytes in Europe. Although Darwin's influence waned in the early twentieth century, by midcentury his ideas held sway once again in time for another and even greater explosion of tree building, generated by the development of new theories on how to assemble trees, the birth of powerful computing, and the emergence of molecular technology. Throughout Archibald's far-reaching study, and with the use of many figures, the evolution of "tree of life" iconography becomes entwined with our changing perception of the world and ourselves.

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Page Count

257

Publisher

Columbia University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0231537662

ISBN 13

9780231537667

Charles Darwin

By: J. David Archibald

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Charles Darwin

By: J. David Archibald

A fresh account of Charles Darwin’s rich personal and professional lives, well beyond On the Origin of Species. In 1859 Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species. With this bedrock of biology books, Darwin carved a new origin-story for all life: evolution rather than creation. But this single book is not the whole story. In this new biography, J. David Archibald describes and analyzes Darwin’s prodigious body of work and complex relationships with colleagues, as well as his equally productive home life—he lived with his wife and seven surviving children in the bustling environs of Down House, south of London. There, among his family and friends, Darwin continued to experiment and write many more books on orchids, sex, emotions, and earthworms until his death in 1882, when he was honored with burial at Westminster Abbey. This is a fresh, up-to-date account of the life and work of a most remarkable man.

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Page Count

225

Publisher

Reaktion Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

1789144396

ISBN 13

9781789144390

Extinction and Radiation

How the Fall of Dinosaurs Led to the Rise of Mammals

By: J. David Archibald

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Extinction and Radiation

How the Fall of Dinosaurs Led to the Rise of Mammals

By: J. David Archibald

This study identifies the fall of dinosaurs as the factor that allowed mammals to evolve into the dominant tetrapod form. It refutes the single-cause impact theory for dinosaur extinction and demonstrates that multiple factors--massive volcanic eruptions, loss of shallow seas, and extraterrestrial impact--likely led to their demise. While their avian relatives ultimately survived and thrived, terrestrial dinosaurs did not. Taking their place as the dominant land and sea tetrapods were mammals, whose radiation was explosive following nonavian dinosaur extinction. The author argues that because of dinosaurs, Mesozoic mammals changed relatively slowly for 145 million years compared to the prodigious Cenozoic radiation that followed. Finally out from under the shadow of the giant reptiles, Cenozoic mammals evolved into the forms we recognize today in a mere ten million years after dinosaur extinction.

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Page Count

121

Publisher

JHU Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0801898056

ISBN 13

9780801898051

Origins of Darwin's Evolution

Solving the Species Puzzle Through Time and Place

By: J. David Archibald

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Origins of Darwin's Evolution

Solving the Species Puzzle Through Time and Place

By: J. David Archibald

Historical biogeography—the study of the history of species through both time and place—first convinced Charles Darwin of evolution. This field was so important to Darwin’s initial theories and line of thinking that he said as much in the very first paragraph of On the Origin of Species (1859) and later in his autobiography. His methods included collecting mammalian fossils in South America clearly related to living forms, tracing the geographical distributions of living species across South America, and sampling peculiar fauna of the geologically young Galápagos Archipelago that showed evident affinities to South American forms. Over the years, Darwin collected other evidence in support of evolution, but his historical biogeographical arguments remained paramount, so much so that he devotes three full chapters to this topic in On the Origin of Species. Discussions of Darwin’s landmark book too often give scant attention to this wealth of evidence, and we still do not fully appreciate its significance in Darwin’s thinking. In Origins of Darwin’s Evolution, J. David Archibald explores this lapse, showing how Darwin first came to the conclusion that, instead of various centers of creation, species had evolved in different regions throughout the world. He also shows that Darwin’s other early passion—geology—proved a more elusive corroboration of evolution. On the Origin of Species has only one chapter dedicated to the rock and fossil record, as it then appeared too incomplete for Darwin’s evidentiary standards. Carefully retracing Darwin’s gathering of evidence and the evolution of his thinking, Origins of Darwin’s Evolution achieves a new understanding of how Darwin crafted his transformative theory.

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304

Publisher

Columbia University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0231545290

ISBN 13

9780231545297

Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia

Extinction

By: Bernhard Grzimek,Norman MacLeod,J. David Archibald,Phillip S. Levin

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Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia

Extinction

By: Bernhard Grzimek,Norman MacLeod,J. David Archibald,Phillip S. Levin

Based on the acclaimed print series, Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia, 2nd ed., this new supplement covers extinct life. Written for students and general researchers, this supplement explores all aspects of extinctions and extinct life. Approximately 80 articles outline major extinctions and related scientific areas. Entries are written by nationally renowned subject specialists and peer-reviewed by the editor-in-chief and an editorial board of academic experts specializing in zoology, paleontology, and environmental science.

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Page Count

964

Publisher

Gale Cengage

Published Date

ISBN 10

1414490690

ISBN 13

9781414490694

Book's by J. David. Archibald

Aristotle's Ladder, Darwin's Tree

Aristotle's Ladder, Darwin's Tree

Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin

Extinction and Radiation

Extinction and Radiation

Origins of Darwin's Evolution

Origins of Darwin's Evolution

Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia

Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia

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