Vertebrates: Then and Now

Author: Ye Xiangkui
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1997-07-01
Features: This colorful and intricate "big book" of the evolution of vertebrates could not be elaborated on in detail due to space constraints. What is offered here to the readers are some important and interesting aspects of vertebrate evolution, blending ancient and modern perspectives, narrated in a story format, one section at a time, with each section covering a single topic. At first glance, the chapters may seem disjointed, but as a whole, they provide a condensed overview of the evolution of vertebrates. If readers can grasp the general outline of vertebrate evolution from this, the compilers' purpose will have been achieved. Science is constantly evolving, and human understanding is continuously deepening. In paleontology, it is not uncommon for views once written into textbooks and considered settled to be challenged and revised by new discoveries and research. Who can predict whether these new perspectives will be further corrected by future discoveries? Recent hot topics include: Was Archaeopteryx the earliest bird? Which group of ancient fish did terrestrial quadrupeds evolve from? Is the DNA found in dinosaur eggs that of dinosaur embryos? What was the reason for the extinction of dinosaurs? To avoid fostering fixed ideas in readers, this book does not provide specific answers to these new theories, nor does it introduce them in separate chapters. Instead, it integrates these developments into relevant sections, informing readers of the current state of research and allowing future practice to test the truth. This approach may be more objective.