A New History of Life: The Radical New Discoveries about the Origins and Evolution of Life on Earth, by Peter Ward & Joe Kischvink. New York: Bloomsbury Press, 2015, cloth, 391 pages.
Review by Thomas Hansen, Ph.D.
The authors have a great time presenting their exciting theories and arguments in this informative book. You can tell they really love the topics in this book and enjoy discussing them. This really comes out clearly upon reading.
Whether you are a botany teacher or a fan of dinosaurs, you also will enjoy the discussion of how life started on this planet. Without giving all the content away, I will say that even though my science background is limited (undergrad minor) I got a lot out of the book. It is entertaining and very interesting.
Some background in a lot of different science areas would be helpful for the readers, for the authors talk about Jurassic Park, plants, dinosaurs, oxygen, plate tectonics, chemistry, geology, paleontology, and on and on. The authors obviously have a great deal of interdisciplinary background and and make good use of their facility with many types of data, theories, schools of thought, and science traditions.
The authors make good use of humor, also, in putting forth their ideas. For example, they mention the period of time when many scientists feel nothing was happening in terms of major biological change, some calling this the boring billion years. The authors respond to this notion by saying, “A billion years is a long time for nothing to happen. But like so much else, the boring billion has recently been shown to be not so boring. New discoveries are showing us that life was not resting at all” (p. 90).
They mention on page 93 that there was no oxygen available during this same time, using a chart and this clever explanation: “Zero. Really zero. No whiffs.”
Regarding a theory about tectonic plate movement, they stress on page 141, “However, this would work only if Laurentia and Australia were roughly ninety degrees away from each other at the time (which—duh—had to be true if Australia was on the equator and Laurentia on the pole!)” as a way to emphasize their opinion about
On the same point, they joke, “With apologies to Tolkien, “One motion to move them all, one rotation to spin them, one translation from the pole, and on the globe we’ll find them!”
I recommend this book for several types of readers. Certainly, fans of evolution theories and science in general will want to grab a copy of this book. Teachers of science will also find a lot of interesting passages and theories to consider. Science in its many subfields will come into play for the reader, for the authors discuss planets, geology, meteorology, primates, amphibians, and a host of other characters and developments in the scheme of life on this planet.
The book contains some content that will dovetail into units and lessons on science language and technical content. The book can be used as background reading for the teacher, reference material for the classroom, and suggested reading for student projects and reports on evolution because of the information, theories, arguments, and conclusions set forth. For example, the book may connect to the following Common Core Standards for Grades 11-12:
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.8
Evaluate the hypotheses, data, analysis, and conclusions in a science or technical text, verifying the data when possible and corroborating or challenging conclusions with other sources of information. - CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.9
Synthesize information from a range of sources (e.g., texts, experiments, simulations) into a coherent understanding of a process, phenomenon, or concept, resolving conflicting information when possible.
For more advanced students and for those in honors and college-prep courses, the book can be used in relation to this standard:
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.10
By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 11-CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.
The book can also be used as required reading for graduate and advanced undergraduate science courses, suggested reading for seminars on evolution, and additional reading in a professional development (PD) session for teachers of science. As always, follow-up sessions, group discussions, interdisciplinary research, and self-reflection are beneficial additional activities for any advanced text being used in PD sessions over the summer or on several Saturdays during the school year.
Review of A New History of Life: The Radical New Discoveries about the Origins and Evolution of Life on Earth, by Peter Ward & Joe Kischvink. New York: Bloomsbury Press, 2015, cloth, 391 pages.
The authors have a great time presenting their exciting theories and arguments in this informative book. You can tell they really love the topics in this book and enjoy discussing them. This really comes out clearly upon reading.
Whether you are a botany teacher or a fan of dinosaurs, you also will enjoy the discussion of how life started on this planet. Without giving all the content away, I will say that even though my science background is limited (undergrad minor) I got a lot out of the book. It is entertaining and very interesting.
Some background in a lot of different science areas would be helpful for the readers, for the authors talk about Jurassic Park, plants, dinosaurs, oxygen, plate tectonics, chemistry, geology, paleontology, and on and on. The authors obviously have a great deal of interdisciplinary background and and make good use of their facility with many types of data, theories, schools of thought, and science traditions.
The authors make good use of humor, also, in putting forth their ideas. For example, they mention the period of time when many scientists feel nothing was happening in terms of major biological change, some calling this the boring billion years. The authors respond to this notion by saying, “A billion years is a long time for nothing to happen. But like so much else, the boring billion has recently been shown to be not so boring. New discoveries are showing us that life was not resting at all” (p. 90).
They mention on page 93 that there was no oxygen available during this same time, using a chart and this clever explanation: “Zero. Really zero. No whiffs.”
Regarding a theory about tectonic plate movement, they stress on page 141, “However, this would work only if Laurentia and Australia were roughly ninety degrees away from each other at the time (which—duh—had to be true if Australia was on the equator and Laurentia on the pole!)” as a way to emphasize their opinion about
On the same point, they joke, “With apologies to Tolkien, “One motion to move them all, one rotation to spin them, one translation from the pole, and on the globe we’ll find them!”
I recommend this book for several types of readers. Certainly, fans of evolution theories and science in general will want to grab a copy of this book. Teachers of science will also find a lot of interesting passages and theories to consider. Science in its many subfields will come into play for the reader, for the authors discuss planets, geology, meteorology, primates, amphibians, and a host of other characters and developments in the scheme of life on this planet.
The book contains some content that will dovetail into units and lessons on science language and technical content. The book can be used as background reading for the teacher, reference material for the classroom, and suggested reading for student projects and reports on evolution because of the information, theories, arguments, and conclusions set forth. For example, the book may connect to the following Common Core Standards for Grades 11-12:
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.8
Evaluate the hypotheses, data, analysis, and conclusions in a science or technical text, verifying the data when possible and corroborating or challenging conclusions with other sources of information. - CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.9
Synthesize information from a range of sources (e.g., texts, experiments, simulations) into a coherent understanding of a process, phenomenon, or concept, resolving conflicting information when possible.
For more advanced students and for those in honors and college-prep courses, the book can be used in relation to this standard:
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.10
By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 11-CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.
The book can also be used as required reading for graduate and advanced undergraduate science courses, suggested reading for seminars on evolution, and additional reading in a professional development (PD) session for teachers of science. As always, follow-up sessions, group discussions, interdisciplinary research, and self-reflection are beneficial additional activities for any advanced text being used in PD sessions over the summer or on several Saturdays during the school year.
Review of A New History of Life: The Radical New Discoveries about the Origins and Evolution of Life on Earth, by Peter Ward & Joe Kischvink. New York: Bloomsbury Press, 2015, cloth, 391 pages.
Review by Thomas Hansen, Ph.D.
The authors have a great time presenting their exciting theories and arguments in this informative book. You can tell they really love the topics in this book and enjoy discussing them. This really comes out clearly upon reading.
Whether you are a botany teacher or a fan of dinosaurs, you also will enjoy the discussion of how life started on this planet. Without giving all the content away, I will say that even though my science background is limited (undergrad minor) I got a lot out of the book. It is entertaining and very interesting.
Some background in a lot of different science areas would be helpful for the readers, for the authors talk about Jurassic Park, plants, dinosaurs, oxygen, plate tectonics, chemistry, geology, paleontology, and on and on. The authors obviously have a great deal of interdisciplinary background and and make good use of their facility with many types of data, theories, schools of thought, and science traditions.
The authors make good use of humor, also, in putting forth their ideas. For example, they mention the period of time when many scientists feel nothing was happening in terms of major biological change, some calling this the boring billion years. The authors respond to this notion by saying, “A billion years is a long time for nothing to happen. But like so much else, the boring billion has recently been shown to be not so boring. New discoveries are showing us that life was not resting at all” (p. 90).
They mention on page 93 that there was no oxygen available during this same time, using a chart and this clever explanation: “Zero. Really zero. No whiffs.”
Regarding a theory about tectonic plate movement, they stress on page 141, “However, this would work only if Laurentia and Australia were roughly ninety degrees away from each other at the time (which—duh—had to be true if Australia was on the equator and Laurentia on the pole!)” as a way to emphasize their opinion about
On the same point, they joke, “With apologies to Tolkien, “One motion to move them all, one rotation to spin them, one translation from the pole, and on the globe we’ll find them!”
I recommend this book for several types of readers. Certainly, fans of evolution theories and science in general will want to grab a copy of this book. Teachers of science will also find a lot of interesting passages and theories to consider. Science in its many subfields will come into play for the reader, for the authors discuss planets, geology, meteorology, primates, amphibians, and a host of other characters and developments in the scheme of life on this planet.
The book contains some content that will dovetail into units and lessons on science language and technical content. The book can be used as background reading for the teacher, reference material for the classroom, and suggested reading for student projects and reports on evolution because of the information, theories, arguments, and conclusions set forth. For example, the book may connect to the following Common Core Standards for Grades 11-12:
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.8
Evaluate the hypotheses, data, analysis, and conclusions in a science or technical text, verifying the data when possible and corroborating or challenging conclusions with other sources of information. - CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.9
Synthesize information from a range of sources (e.g., texts, experiments, simulations) into a coherent understanding of a process, phenomenon, or concept, resolving conflicting information when possible.
For more advanced students and for those in honors and college-prep courses, the book can be used in relation to this standard:
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.10
By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 11-CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.
The book can also be used as required reading for graduate and advanced undergraduate science courses, suggested reading for seminars on evolution, and additional reading in a professional development (PD) session for teachers of science. As always, follow-up sessions, group discussions, interdisciplinary research, and self-reflection are beneficial additional activities for any advanced text being used in PD sessions over the summer or on several Saturdays during the school year.
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