Written in Stone
Evolution, the Fossil Record, and Our Place in Nature
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Narrated by:
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L. J. Ganser
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By:
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Brian Switek
About this listen
Spectacular fossil finds make today's headlines; new technology unlocks secrets of skeletons unearthed 100 years ago. Still, evolution is often poorly represented by the media and misunderstood by the public. A potent antidote to pseudoscience, Written in Stone is an engrossing history of evolutionary discovery for anyone who has marveled at the variety and richness of life.
Download the accompanying reference guide.©2010 Brian Switek (P)2014 Audible, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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An Engaging Biography of the King
- By Erik on 08-06-18
By: David Hone
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Why Evolution Is True
- By: Jerry A. Coyne
- Narrated by: Victor Bevine
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Why evolution is more than just a theory: it is a fact. In all the current highly publicized debates about creationism and its descendant "intelligent design", there is an element of the controversy that is rarely mentioned: the evidence, the empirical truth of evolution by natural selection.
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As great as everyone says it is
- By Joseph on 12-01-10
By: Jerry A. Coyne
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The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs
- A New History of a Lost World
- By: Steve Brusatte
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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In this stunning narrative spanning more than 200 million years, Steve Brusatte, a young American paleontologist who has emerged as one of the foremost stars of the field - discovering 10 new species and leading groundbreaking scientific studies and fieldwork - masterfully tells the complete, surprising, and new history of the dinosaurs, drawing on cutting-edge science to dramatically bring to life their lost world and illuminate their enigmatic origins, spectacular flourishing, astonishing diversity, cataclysmic extinction, and startling living legacy.
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"The Rise of the Scientists Who Study Dinosaurs"
- By Daniel Powell on 09-16-18
By: Steve Brusatte
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Ancient Bones
- Unearthing the Astonishing New Story of How We Became Human
- By: Madelaine Böhme
- Narrated by: Aimée Ayotte
- Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Africa has long been considered the cradle of life - where life and humans evolved - but somewhere west of Munich, Germany, paleoclimatologist and paleontologist Madelaine Böhme and her team make a discovery that is beyond anything they ever imagined: the 12-million-year-old bones of an ancient ape - Danuvius guggenmos - which makes headlines around the world and defies prevailing theories of human history and where human life began.
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Brave Attempt
- By Bill Treat on 10-15-22
By: Madelaine Böhme
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First Peoples in a New World
- Colonizing Ice Age America
- By: David J. Meltzer
- Narrated by: Christopher Prince
- Length: 11 hrs
- Abridged
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More than 12,000 years ago, in one of the greatest triumphs of prehistory, humans colonized North America, a continent that was then truly a new world. Just when and how they did so has been one of the most perplexing and controversial questions in archaeology.
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Last Gasp of American Anthropological Orthodoxy
- By Thomas66 on 01-05-17
By: David J. Meltzer
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I, Mammal
- By: Liam Drew
- Narrated by: Neil Gardner
- Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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A list of the attributes that define a mammal is a ragbag of things - fur, live birth, three bones in the middle ear, a brain whose two halves are robustly joined together.... But this curious collection of features contain the roots of all the biology that makes us what we are: monkeys with massive brains who parent extensively, enjoy sport and think lots. Which is to say, what makes us mammals makes us human.
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Who knew?
- By Fitmen on 04-25-18
By: Liam Drew
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Superlative
- The Biology of Extremes
- By: Matthew D. LaPlante
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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The world's largest land mammal could help us end cancer. The fastest bird is showing us how to solve a century-old engineering mystery. The oldest tree is giving us insights into climate change. The loudest whale is offering clues about the impact of solar storms. For a long time, scientists ignored superlative life forms as outliers. Increasingly, though, researchers are coming to see great value in studying plants and animals that exist on the outermost edges of the bell curve.
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Fascinating survey of amazing biology
- By Nerd's-eye view on 12-06-19
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The Most Perfect Thing
- By: Tim Birkhead
- Narrated by: Gareth Armstrong
- Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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How are eggs of different shapes made, and why are they the shapes they are? When does the shell of an egg harden? Why do some eggs contain two yolks? How are the colours and patterns of eggshells created, and why do they vary? And which end of an egg is laid first - the blunt end or the pointy end?
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Great book about eggs!!
- By Timothy on 03-24-21
By: Tim Birkhead
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Letters to a Young Scientist
- By: Edward O. Wilxon
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 4 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Edward O. Wilson has distilled sixty years of teaching into a book for students, young and old. Reflecting on his coming-of-age in the South as a Boy Scout and a lover of ants and butterflies, Wilson threads these twenty-one letters, each richly illustrated, with autobiographical anecdotes that illuminate his career - both his successes and his failures - and his motivations for becoming a biologist.
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Long on biography, short on advice
- By A. Mandelin on 08-02-18
By: Edward O. Wilxon
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The World Before Us
- The New Science Behind Our Human Origins
- By: Tom Higham
- Narrated by: John Sackville
- Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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A fascinating investigation of the origin of humans based on incredible new discoveries and advanced scientific technology.
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Wonderfully Accessible
- By Deborah N on 11-02-21
By: Tom Higham
What listeners say about Written in Stone
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- RF
- 09-23-20
Evolution detailed
I really appreciate the depth of research and understanding that is shared by the author. I knew aspects (whale origins) but Switek went into far greater detail across earth's history and with great interest. Well worth reading if interested in life and the earth.
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- Amazon Customer
- 04-18-19
Narrator mispronounces a lot of words
He also reads fairly flatly. If it doesn’t bother you that he obviously didn’t Google any of the words beforehand, then you’ll probably love it.
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- Mehran Asdigha
- 09-02-21
A great introduction to (aspects of) history of science
Well written and read. Thanks for the pdf as well. This work drills another hole in all religious and dogmatic thought that articulates nonsensical fairy tales for the natural history of life! I am industrial scientist and understood this work pretty well, since author patiently summarizes scientific milestones and their philosophical implications at every stage.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Marcus
- 11-11-20
good information if your interested in the topic.
I enjoyed the information that it had, but it was a little boring at time.
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- Lupita Alcantar
- 07-23-21
great text
the information is great. the pop culture references aren't cringe. this book is a slice of humble pie for any one that sees humanity as the peak of progress.
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- Anonymous User
- 06-23-19
Very good but has some weaknesses
I enjoyed 95% of this book. A captivating recounting of the story of the key fossils in our current understanding evolution. However the author strays into metaphysical speculation that lacks nuance and sophistication. He wines about religion like a 15 year old atheist, not realizing his opposition itself is freighted with terms that imply some pre-rational valuation. Yes biological evolution is a fact, but it’s ultimate meaning like it or not takes the shape of a faith. Glass houses and all that
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9 people found this helpful
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- Robert F. Jones
- 09-03-19
personal
Two stars - meh
three stars - good
four stars - worth a second read
five stars - life-changing - my top 50 of all time
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- verneal
- 08-06-21
Very nice
I really like! The narrator voice is very nice never dull. The information is put in a straightforward way and has alot of the history of paleontology as well as the paleontology!
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- dennis a durkin
- 11-08-21
Who Knew !
Who knew dirt could be so cool! Lovely story, deftly performed, well worth the time
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- Benji
- 02-11-18
Very informative
It reads like a text book. But listening to it on audible was a much better platform. The reading is able to draw you into the history and the record and the evolution of many many species including our own
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8 people found this helpful