Rereading the fossil record [[electronic resource] ] : the growth of paleobiology as an evolutionary discipline / / David Sepkoski

• Record Nr.: UNINA9910790192203321
• Autore: Sepkoski David <1972->
• Pubbl/distr/stampa: Chicago ; ; London, : University of Chicago Press, 2012
• ISBN: 1-280-12640-X; 9786613530264; 0-226-74858-8
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (442 p.)
• Disciplina: 560.9
• Soggetti: Paleobiology - History; Paleontology - History
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Note generali: Description based upon print version of record.
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references and index.
• Nota di contenuto: Frontmatter -- Contents -- Introduction. Rereading the Fossil Record -- Chapter One. Darwin's Dilemma -- Chapter Two. The Growth of Theoretical Paleontology -- Chapter Three. The Rise of Quantitative Paleobiology -- Chapter Four. From Paleoecology to Paleobiology -- Chapter Five. Punctuated Equilibria and the Rise of the New Paleobiology -- Chapter Six. The Founding of a Research Journal -- Chapter Seven. "Towards a Nomothetic Paleontology": The MBL Model and Stochastic Paleontology -- Chapter Eight. A "Natural History of Data": The Rise of Taxic Paleobiology -- Chapter Nine. The Dynamics of Mass Extinctions -- Chapter Ten. Toward a New Macroevolutionary Synthesis -- Conclusion. Paleontology at the High Table? -- Acknowledgments -- Abbreviations -- Works Cited -- Index
• Sommario/riassunto: Rereading the Fossil Record presents the first-ever historical account of the origin, rise, and importance of paleobiology, from the mid-nineteenth century to the late 1980s. Drawing on a wealth of archival material, David Sepkoski shows how the movement was conceived and promoted by a small but influential group of paleontologists and examines the intellectual, disciplinary, and political dynamics involved in the ascendency of paleobiology. By tracing the role of computer technology, large databases, and quantitative analytical methods in the ; emergence of paleobiology, this book also offers insight into the growing prominence and centrality of data-driven approaches in recent science.