Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

$0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Remnants of Ancient Life cover art

Remnants of Ancient Life

By: Dale Greenwalt
Narrated by: Christopher Ragland
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £14.99

Buy Now for £14.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
activate_primeday_promo_in_buybox_DT

Listeners also enjoyed...

Frozen in Time cover art
Evolution cover art
The History of Life cover art
The Age of Reptiles cover art
Monarchs and Milkweed cover art
So Simple a Beginning cover art
Endless Forms Most Beautiful cover art
Wonderful Life cover art
Oxygen cover art
Human Evolution, 2nd Edition cover art
The Earth cover art
Some Assembly Required cover art
Life's Engines cover art
The Science of Jurassic World cover art
Genomics cover art
The Serengeti Rules cover art

Summary

This audiobook narrated by Christopher Ragland describes the revolution in science that is transforming our understanding of extinct life

We used to think of fossils as being composed of nothing but rock and minerals, all molecular traces of life having vanished long ago. We were wrong. Remnants of Ancient Life reveals how the new science of ancient biomolecules—pigments, proteins, and DNA that once functioned in living organisms tens of millions of years ago—is opening a new window onto the evolution of life on Earth.

Paleobiologists are now uncovering these ancient remnants in the fossil record with increasing frequency, shedding vital new light on long-extinct creatures and the lost world they inhabited. Dale Greenwalt is your guide to these astonishing breakthroughs. He explains how ancient biomolecules hold the secrets to how mammoths dealt with the bitter cold, what colors dinosaurs exhibited in mating displays, how ancient viruses evolved to become more dangerous, and much more. Each chapter discusses different types of biomolecules and the insights they provide about the physiology, behavior, and evolution of extinct organisms, many of which existed long before the age of dinosaurs.

A marvelous adventure of discovery, Remnants of Ancient Life offers an unparalleled look at an emerging science that is transforming our picture of the remote past. You will never think of fossils in the same way again.

©2023 Dale Greenwalt (P)2023 Princeton University Press

Critic reviews

“When you think of fossils, your mind likely goes straight to dinosaur skeletons and saber-toothed tiger skulls and ancient seashells. In this readable and engaging book, Dale Greenwalt introduces us to less heralded fossils: microscopic molecules like DNA, proteins, and pigment. Through his relatable prose and stories of discovery, Greenwalt convincingly argues that some of the smallest fossils have the biggest stories to tell.”—Steve Brusatte, New York Times bestselling author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs
“In Remnants of Ancient Life, Dale Greenwalt takes readers on a grand tour through our deepest history, guided by the tiniest of fossils. Engaging and personable, this book offers a fascinating discussion of the latest developments and discoveries in paleontology.”—Beth Shapiro, author of How to Clone a Mammoth
“If your perception of paleontology is stuck in the past, you need to read this book. Dale Greenwalt takes readers on a far-ranging expedition with biochemical fossil hunters who use trace elements, pigments, proteins, and DNA to reconstruct not only evolutionary lineages but the colors, diets, and behavior of long-vanished organisms—conjuring them out of rocks and back to life.”—Marcia Bjornerud, author of Timefulness

What listeners say about Remnants of Ancient Life

Average customer ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.