A MOST IMPROBABLE JOURNEY: A BIG HISTORY OF OUR PLANET AND OURSELVES PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Walter Alvarez | 256 pages | 15 Nov 2016 | WW Norton & Co | 9780393292695 | English | New York, United States A Most Improbable Journey: A Big History of Our Planet and Ourselves PDF Book Big History book review geology planetary science. A geologist by trade, he withstood the slings and arrows of outrageous and outraged scientists to see his idea accepted as part of the scientific canon. Describes how human ancestry is revealed. For instance, probing the origins of single-celled life requires linking biological and geological exploration, but Alvarez devotes little time to this before rushing through the evolution of dinosaurs, mammals, and humans. Sell it yourself. Daniel Freeman. Seller information greatbookpriceau Need Help? Please enter five or nine numbers for the postcode. Journal of World History. What if the movable jaw had not evolved? Alvarez ends his narrative with the Bronze Age and In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by:. Sign in using your Kirkus account Sign in Keep me logged in. Job Opportunities. Skip to main content Press Enter. Or Timothy Ferris who writes on cosmology and history and combines the two? Friend Reviews. This book might have served well as a very basic intro to geology. He lives in Berkeley, California. Go to Job Board. Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing. Notes and further sources provided. Here he wields his unique expertise to give us a new appreciation for the incredible occurrences—from the Big Bang to the formation of supercontinents, the dawn of the Bronze Age, and beyond—that have led to our improbable place in the universe. Historians tend to write about the history of peoples, cultures, and civilizations but geologists, in addition, write about the history of the planet, the earth, its composition, the messages hidden in its rocks and how it choreographed the evolutionary history of all species over geologic time. Arangalage, L. I wasn't able to finish the book. The Big Bang is usually described as an explosion, although not like ones familiar to us. May 18, By Walter Alvarez. International Standard : tracked-no signature 7 to 15 business days. Stephen Jay Gould? Return to Book Page. Not so much a negative but a disclaimer to readers looking for depth, this book is intended for laypersons. Definitely recommended. Founded by David Christian, an American historian then teaching in Australia, its mission is to transcend the boundaries of written history and help us see ourselves in the context of an inconceivably vast and complex universe. Powered by Higher Logic. Domestic handling time. Steven Pinker? If you are considering reading this book for any reason at all, do it! A Most Improbable Journey: A Big History of Our Planet and Ourselves Writer Like us on Facebook Changing Hands Bookstore. Overdoping Graphene Beyond the van Hove Singularity. The pieces that are needed in order to bake an apple pie from scratch from Gods perspective or end up creating you or me can not be easily created. Toggle navigation. Understanding this journey then: it's geological periods, the geography of continents and how these shaped the kingdoms and empires of men; the geography of the oceans and how these determined routes and Historians tend to write about the history of peoples, cultures, and civilizations but geologists, in addition, write about the history of the planet, the earth, its composition, the messages hidden in its rocks and how it choreographed the evolutionary history of all species over geologic time. A geologist by trade, he withstood the slings and arrows of outrageous and outraged scientists to see his idea accepted as part of the scientific canon. Cathy There is a Kindle version now, if you are still looking Journal of World History. There's a story to be told about the universe as a whole and how there is this incredibly contingent and chaotic component that gets created from a recursive a function that calls itself algorithm logos as John the Apostle would say. Rex and the Crater of Doom. Great science writing. For all authors, assume your readers are interested in learning about the topic so much that they have already read books that cover the same kind of topics. Please sign up to continue. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. No additional import charges at delivery! What if the movable jaw had not evolved? In the first case, a biological process helped to create rock: silicon dioxide, extracted by oceanic sponges from seawater, was eventually precipitated to create chert, a form of hard rock that was essential in creating early stone tools. September 6, The chapters on biological and human history feel shallow and underdeveloped. Alvarez then pieces the course of improbable events together: the elements were deposited as Earth formed, the movement of land masses determined their locations, and humans learned to exploit the resources. Does anyone know if this is true? I think the author clearly leans towards a contingent universe. Alvarez and I can agree on that. A planet in a constant state of flux Beginning with the Big Bang and rushing through the intervening What if other biological inventions we can barely imagine had shaped the path of evolution? Learn more - opens in a new window or tab. I thought Alvarez did a good job of including his own ground-breaking scientific work without it becoming a major focus of the book. However, because of its happy accident focus, that is identical to Dawkins "happy accident" focus in the Selfish Gene, this book cannot even serve as an appropriate intro to geology book. It might better serve a group that wasn't already pretty well-informed about most of what was here. Reader Writer Industry Professional. I don't recommend this for anyone who has any real interest in this topic or they would already know everything in it. If you're educated in the subjects listed above, you may find this a bit elementary, but still entertaining. Carroll, author of Endless Forms Most Beautiful For the past three decades, Walter Alvarez has been at the center of a revolution in how scientists think about the history of life and the Earth. Payment methods. Update Contact Information. Learn more - opens in a new window or tab International postage and import charges paid to Pitney Bowes Inc. A fantastic read and, yes, it is science! Contact the seller - opens in a new window or tab and request a postage method to your location. LOG IN. The geography of the oceans has determined routes of exploration, trade, and migration and has set the stage for naval warfare. Delivery times may vary, especially during peak periods. The author is infinitely smarter and wiser than me, but wow me with a narrative. Date range on this day between these dates. Please select an existing bookshelf OR Create a new bookshelf Continue. Other editions. How did cells develop, and why were they able to join together and form larger, more complex living organisms? Jared Diamond? A Most Improbable Journey: A Big History of Our Planet and Ourselves Reviews Be the first to write a review. Imagine a campfire chat with your favorite teacher sharing the biggest story you ever heard. I wasn't able to finish the book. More by Walter Alvarez. Using the first person, he leads readers with a personal touch, telling tales about the researchers in explaining scientific discoveries of the cosmos and earth and even the era of humans. Daniel Freeman. Again and again, Alvarez returns to this point. Delivery times may vary, especially during peak periods. Chris Holdgraf. And what if, in Europe, the British Isles had never been separated from Europe, what then? Sponsored items from this seller Feedback on our suggestions - Sponsored items from this seller. Composing an entire history of the planet is no easy task, especially in the course of pages. Describes how external processes like rivers, glaciers and the wind create the geological changes the produce the landscapes that we live in. Discussions List Discuss important topics within your region, ask for career advice, share local opportunities, and more. Well-known in paleontological circles for his description of the Chicxulub impact crater, which he explored in the bestselling T. Alvarez, a UC Berkeley professor of Earth and planetary science, is interested in vast timelines like these. So … props to him, and his book is an entertaining and interesting look at human history from the perspective of several sciences … but mostly geology. Payment details. Zinn starts out by depicting the arrival of Columbus in North America from the standpoint of the Indians which amounts to their standpoint as constructed from the observations of the Europeans ; and, after easily establishing the cultural disharmony that ensued, he goes on to the importation of slaves into the colonies. I too am wooed by the story of Earth-- how it came to be, how we came to be, and how everything upon it came to be. What if the dinosaurs had not been killed off? Keep me logged in. Show all comments. Journal of World History. Rex and the Crater of Doom. Other Editions 9. There is no need for such a focus on improbable miracles. Powered by Higher Logic. It was not an explosion within space, like a firecracker or a quarry blast, but an explosion of space and of matter and even of time itself, none of which existed until the explosion took place. I'm always more interested in the universal rather than the particular.