Douglas Palmer

Combining the data from 18 of the most advanced Earth satellites ever built, NASA has constructed the most detailed global portrait of our planet ever created. The Complete Earth reproduces this photomap in its entirety and at full-resolution, living up to its title by revealing the whole planet, cloud-free, at a resolution of 500m to every pixel, or 90 miles to every inch. At this scale we can trace the Amazon from Andean headwaters to Atlantic mouth, or explore the trackless sand seas of the Sahara, or follow the corrugated ridges of hills and mountains that mark the front line of India''s tectonic assault on Eurasia as if we were in low-Earth orbit. These images are supplemented by a wealth of even higher resolution satellite imagery that zooms in on noteworthy features - from volcanoes to cities, river deltas to glaciers. In addition, 12 double-page-spreads chart one year in the life of our planet as they follow the ebb and flow of the seasons across the globe: we watch snow fall in the North as it melts in the South, and desert lands bloom and fade as the rains come and go. Accompanying the images, a brief but informative text explores the history of each landscape, explaining the how and when of its mountain ranges, deserts and plains.

An identification guide to the most important and best known dinosaurs Do you know the difference between a Coelophysis and a Diplodocus? How much larger than a human was a Spinosarus? Is it likely that the Parasaurolophus made a sound like a trombone? All these questions and many more are answered in Collins Gem Dinosaurs, a highly illustrated guide to the worlds very wild life hundreds of millions of years ago. A fully illustrated guide to the lost world of dinosaurs, the book provides descriptions of the most significant features and habits of these fascinating prehistoric reptiles, with profiles of nearly 70 dinosaurs which include in-depth looks at how dinosaurs lived, from keeping warm to moving about. For each species information is given on o What they ateo How their size compares to ourso How they behavedo Where they lived The book also includes explanations of what the dinosaur names mean and how to pronounce them.

This handy guide covers everything you need to know when looking for fossils in any part of Britain and Europe. Many different types of fossilized objects are included, from plants and coral, to insects, birds and dinosaurs. Collecting fossils is a popular pastime that offers an exciting glimpse of life before man while at the same time takes you to some of the most beautiful landscapes and coastlines. This practical introductory guide provides general fossil identifications with information on their geological age and distribution. Additionally, it also covers some of the aspects involved in the process of fossilization and how to collect fossils. Major groups of fossils are illustrated and some of the important anatomical features to keep in mind when identifying them are shown and explained. The book includes advice and safety tips for fossil hunters and all those eager to make exciting discoveries about the ancient past.

Fossils provide us with a tantalizing glimpse of Britains prehistoric past and hold the key to unlocking the secrets of lifes history and evolution. Since the appearance of primitive organisms in Britain more than a billion years ago, oceans, deserts, swamps and vast mountains have come and gone in our corner of western Europe; forests of long-extinct trees, flowers and grasses have covered the land, and dinosaurs and other strange creatures have roamed across it. How do we know? The evidence is all around us - in the rocks and fossils that lie beneath the landscape.In this highly informative and practical book, which accompanies the BBC series, presenter Hermione Cockburn and renowned palaeontologist Douglas Palmer take an in-depth look at the most exciting fossil stories from around the country. When and why were dinosaur fossils first discovered in Britain? How was the biggest fish ever to have swum in the sea unearthed near Peterborough? What do modern medical techniques have to offer fossil hunters?Packed with colour photographs and illustrations, Fossils Detectives is full of surprising facts and features. And for those who want to try their hand at some fossil detecting of their own, the book includes an extensive regional gazetteer of fossil-hunting sites and places to visit, and guidance on identifying your fossil finds.Get ready for some time travel around Britain, with the Fossil Detectives!

Una historia de cuatro mil millones de años merece un libro extraordinario...La evolución se centra en una serie asombrosa de láminas, cuya longitud total equivale a la de cinco autobuses urbanos y donde se presentan cien imagenes tomadas de momentos de la historia de la vida sobre la Tierra.Desde los primeros microorganismos que aparecieron en el mar, hasta la diversidad increible de las criaturas actuales; desde los imponentes dinosaurios que recorrieron nuestro planeta, hasta nuestros propios antepasados mas antiguos..., todas estas hermosas ilustraciones se basan en las investigaciones mas recientes y se apoyan con centenares de fotografias de los indicios fosiles.En dos momentos fundamentales (el de la explosion de la vida y el de una extincion masiva), las paginas del libro se despliegan para exponer mas informacion. Y toda esta historia maravillosa se resume al final del libro en un nuevo desplegable.El contenido ilustrado se complementa con solidas y precisas explicaciones, con lo que La evolucion resulta una obra de referencia sin igual, complementada con un indice alfabetico de las especies ilustradas, una introduccion a la teoria de la evolucion, arboles genealogicos ilustrados e informacion sobre los yacimientos donde se pueden contemplar hoy dia las pruebas fosiles.Este libro se edita en conmemoracion del 150 aniversario de la publicacion de El origen de las especies, de Charles Darwin, y del bicentenario del nacimiento de su autor.La Evolucion se edita en colaboracion con el Museo de Historia Natural de Londres, entidad destacada internacionalmente en el estudio cientifico del mundo natural y que alberga una de las colecciones de historia natural mas importantes del mundo.Esta es tu historia. Esta es la historia de todos.Esta es la historia de todos los seres que viven sobre la Tierra.Y esta es la historia presentada como no la habias visto hasta ahora.PETER BARRETT es un ilustrador de historia natural cuyas precisas y delicadas acuarelas le han aportado fama internacional.Este libro es la culminacion de las cuatro decadas de su carrera profesional. Vive en las colinas de Blackdown, entre Devon y Somerset (Inglaterra).DOUGLAS PALMER es escritor sobre temas cientificos y profesor en el Instituto de Educacion Continua de la Universidad de Cambridge. Entre sus libros publicados figuran Fossil Detectives, The Origins of Man, The Complete Earth y Seven Million Years.Tambien ha colaborado en las revistas Science, BBC Wildlife Magazine y New Scientist.

Tierra. 100 descubrimientos que cambiaron el curso de la historia ofrece una fascinante introducción a los modernos conocimientos científi cos sobre nuestro mundo. Este intrigante y asequible libro, formidablemente ilustrado, analiza cien de las ideas y acontecimientos más importantes de los 4.500 millones de años de la historia del planeta, para lo que utiliza los resultados de las investigaciones geológicas y paleontológicas más recientes.