User:Rusalkii/The Rise and Reign of the Mammals
| Author | Steve Brusatte |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Todd Marshall, Sarah Shelley |
| Subject | Evolution of mammals |
| Publisher | Mariner Books |
Publication date | 2022 |
The Rise and Reign of the Mammals: A New History, from the Shadow of the Dinosaurs to Us is a 2022 book on the evolution of mammals by Steve Brusatte. The book received strongly positive reviews, with reviewers praising his storytelling and vivid writing.
Background[edit]
The author, Steve Brussatte, is a paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh.[1] His first popular science book for adults, The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs, was published in 2018. Since then, he had shifted his research focus to mammals, wondering "what happened next" after the dinosaurs.[2]
The Rise and Reign of the Mammals was published in 2022 by Mariner Books, an imprint of HarperCollins.[3] Illustrations were provided by Todd Marshall and Brusatte's former PhD student Sarah Shelley, who was responsible for the diagrams.[4][3]
Contents[edit]
Beginning with the split between the ancestors of mammals and reptiles in the Carboniferous era, the books traces the evolution of mammals chronologically to the present day.
Brusatte, however, gives humans “about the same attention as horses and whales and elephants. After all, we are but one of many amazing feats of mammalian evolution.” Focuses primarily on on-human primates [New Scientist], and homo sapiens is "presented as something of a calamity".
Reception[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Steve Brusatte". University of Edinburgh Research Explorer. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
- ^ Geggel, Laura (2022-06-08). "How little, furry mammals that scurried under dinosaurs' feet came to rule the world". livescience.com. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
- ^ a b Brusatte, Steve (2022-06-07). The Rise and Reign of the Mammals: A New History, from the Shadow of the Dinosaurs to Us. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-295152-6.
- ^ inquisitivebiologist (2022-06-24). "Book review – The Rise and Reign of the Mammals: A New History, from the Shadow of the Dinosaurs to Us". The Inquisitive Biologist. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
Cats
Source dump:
- https://www.sciencenews.org/article/mammal-world-evolution-innovation-dinosaurs-paleontology Praises for putting modern civilization in context. "Brusatte, though, is a nimble storyteller and he’s chosen an engrossing story to tell."
- https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/jun/19/in-brief-im-sorry-you-feel-that-way-the-rise-and-reign-of-the-mammals-the-glitter-in-the-green-review "Brusatte, who reveals the fascinating story of mammalian evolution and the history of paleontological discoveries, is an impassioned guide and the result is a highly engaging work of popular science."
- https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/steve-brusatte/the-rise-and-reign-of-the-mammals/ starred review"lucid prose and generous illustrations" "A must for any list of the best popular science books of the year." "outstanding work of paleontology"
- https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2022/06/24/book-review-the-rise-and-reign-of-the-mammals-a-new-history-from-the-shadow-of-the-dinosaurs-to-us/ "Brusatte’s strength is to bring to life the above flurry of names" "Somewhere between chapters 6 and 7, I became awestruck by his narrative as the enormity of the mammalian evolutionary trajectory started to come into full view" "excels at explaining complex research methods and scientific concepts" "In what is surely a hallmark of his love and enthusiasm for the field, Brusatte’s bibliography has again been written as a narrative. It is like a chatty literature review in which he recommends books and papers, indicates where literature has become outdated, adds more technical details or clarifications, discusses where there is active debate and disagreement, and shortly touches on topics that he had to omit from the main narrative. ... it is ever so useful. You could not wish for a better starting point if you wanted to read deeper into the technical literature."
- https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/rise-and-reign-mammals "superlative natural history for those interested in what came after the extinction of the dinosaurs" "Rise and Reign is peppered with these imaginative scenes, recreating past events, combining narrative impact with the latest scientific research" e.g. the mammal and reptile ancestors on the raft at the start of the book. "Rise and Reign is an accessible and entertaining exploration of mammalian evolution. It weaves together natural history, the history of paleontology, and Brusatte’s own biography. It traces mammalian history as far back as the ancient synapsids." Good description of the contents, lean on this source for that
- https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg25433900-400-the-rise-and-reign-of-the-mammals-review-how-mammals-found-their-way/ "his discussion of the emergence of mammals remains startlingly clear and engaging" "The Rise and Reign of the Mammals stands out for its brilliant balance of scientific detail and lively, efficient storytelling. Brusatte has a clear understanding of the book he is writing. It isn’t a long argument, like On the Origin of Species, but rather a story, which he tells with elan."
- https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-rise-and-reign-of-the-mammals-by-steve-brusatte-review-g53hvvczg Brusatte writes with precision and panache. From tiny fossils he conjures up vivid worlds. Seen through his eyes, the mammals are every bit as engaging as the reptiles from whom they inherited the Earth. In 400 pages he sweeps through 325 million years of evolution." brings species "thrillingly back to life" "Brusatte has a gift for bringing this kind of forensic detail to life"
- https://www.csmonitor.com/Books/Book-Reviews/2022/0623/The-fall-of-Tyrannosaurus-rex-and-the-rise-of-mammals-on-Earth "terrific"
- https://gizmodo.com/rise-of-mammals-steve-brusatte-1849046194 sought to address misconception - "lot of people don’t realize that mammals and dinosaurs go back to the same time, same place."
- https://www.wsj.com/articles/when-giants-walked-the-earth-three-books-on-prehistoric-life-dinosaurs-review-11654264348 paywalled
- https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/jun/11/dinosaurs-are-not-us-book-reveals-how-mammals-came-to-rule-the-world
- https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A729497742/ITOF?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=32c2a465 "In marked and laudable contrast to Brusatte's earlier book The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs (2018), a young woman reading this can see some place for her in palaeontology" "He refers to the ways in which genetic data informs ancestry as DNA "paternity tests". This is regrettably out of date and misleading, as are aspects of his shorthand guiding us through the traits that lead to more perfectly mammal-like creatures, a teleological convenience that implies evolution is heading in a certain, useful direction. ... the focus of this book is on telling an epic tale, and in this regard Steve Brusatte succeeds admirably. The Rise and Reign of the Mammals is a compelling and energetic guide to our species and the class of animal to which we belong."
- https://wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/login?auth=production&url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=163820067&site=eds-live&scope=site "familiar but comprehensively updated" "excellent" "its larger views are not controversial and draw on classic ideas from the literature. However, it is greatly enriched by discussions of more recent discoveries and new analytical techniques"