Douglas H. Erwin Books
Erwin is a senior scientist and curator of paleobiology at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, specializing in macroevolution and the early history of animal life.
Known for: The Cambrian Explosion: The Construction of Animal Biodiversity
Books by Douglas H. Erwin
The Cambrian Explosion: The Construction of Animal Biodiversity
This book provides a comprehensive synthesis of the Cambrian Explosion, the period roughly 540 million years ago when most major animal groups first appeared in the fossil record. Erwin and Valentine integrate paleontological, developmental, ecological, and molecular evidence to explain how and why this evolutionary event occurred, exploring the interplay between genetic innovation, environmental change, and ecological opportunity.
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Historical Context: Tracing the Origins of a Mystery
When paleontologists first uncovered Cambrian fossils in the 19th century, they were astonished. Rocks older than the Cambrian seemed nearly barren of complex life, while Cambrian strata teemed with skeletonized creatures representing almost all major animal phyla. This apparent discontinuity perple...
From The Cambrian Explosion: The Construction of Animal Biodiversity
The Pre-Cambrian World: Seeds of Complexity
Before the Cambrian, life was dominated by microbes and enigmatic multicellular forms known as the Ediacaran biota. These organisms, often quilted and soft-bodied, lacked the anatomical features associated with later animals. Yet they represented a crucial stage in life’s preparation for complexity ...
From The Cambrian Explosion: The Construction of Animal Biodiversity
About Douglas H. Erwin
Erwin is a senior scientist and curator of paleobiology at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, specializing in macroevolution and the early history of animal life.
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Erwin is a senior scientist and curator of paleobiology at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, specializing in macroevolution and the early history of animal life.
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