Wodehouse, and the result was charmingly anachronistic. Their thick, mineral-rich exoskeletons resulted in the remarkable preservation of many of these animals, and they left behind an extensive fossil record spanning almost 300 million years. His English was remarkably fluent: he had learned much of his use of the idioms from the novels of P.G. Researchers have known about trilobites since the 1600s. Tjernvik was in his eighties when I visited Sweden. Second, this anecdote about a Swedish trilobitist: 200 years, more than 17,000 species have been described, and trilobites have become increasingly important in the formulation of geological and evolutionary. First, trilobite eyes were made of crystalline calcium carbonate, and were molted along with the rest of the exoskeleton! No wonder their gazes appear so stony. It is excellent in general but I wanted to spotlight two things. Structured like a detective story, this is a light, but highly informative account of the wonders of scientific discovery and an engaging, quirky and fascinating introduction to evolution.I'm reading Trilobite!: Eyewitness to Evolution (exclamation not in original), possibly Newt Gingrich's favorite book about trilobites. Their own evolution calibrated geological time itself. They watched through their crystal eyes whilst life evolved. These arthropods witnessed continents move, mountain chains elevated and eroded they survived ice ages and volcanic eruptions, evolving and adapting exquisitely to their environment. Trilobite! is an unashamedly trilobito-centric view of the world unravelling the history of the exotic, crustacean-like animals which dominated the seas for three hundred million years. In all he writes, Fortey displays extraordinary range, delight and descriptive gifts which make complicated scientific facts and concepts not only easy to understand but a delight to absorb. appropriate recognition in 1822 when the French palaeontologist Alexandre Brongniart published a short treatise on our animals, Les Trilobites, in which he. Life: An Unauthorised Biography, was short-listed for the Rhone Poulenc prize and has been reprinted five times. The author made an excellent case that knowledge of trilobites has played vital roles in the debates over the origins of new species and the nature of evolution. Richard Fortey is one of Britain’s leading popular scientists. of the Lower Palaeozoic – a remarkable and fascinating book.’ SIMON WINCHESTER The detailed look at the trilobite’s eye helps track the evolution of eyes and vision in arthropods over time, says University of New England paleontologist John Paterson, who was not involved.

‘In Richard Fortey’s capable hands the humble grey trilobite has been transformed into the E.T.

Trilobite eyewitness to evolution