Descriptions and illustrations of two important species of Menuites.

This book brings together international scientists who focus on present-day and fossil cephalopods, ranging broadly from Paleozoic ammonoids to today's octopods. It covers systematics and evolution; hard- and soft part morphology; and ecology, biogeography, and taphonomy. The book also includes new evidence for the existence of an ink sac in fossil ammonoids and features the first record of an in-depth study of octopus ecology in Alaska.

This book provides practical morphological information, together with detailed illustrations and brief explanatory texts. Each chapter starts with a brief introduction, and goes on to describe the respective organism’s morphology in detail through numerous illustrations. This is followed by a brief note on its classification, and concludes with illustrated examples of stratigraphically important organisms through time with their major distinguishing characteristics. Featuring over 2500 clearly labelled, hand-drawn and classroom-friendly illustrations, the book offers a fundamental resource for budding palaeontologists, petroleum geologists and palaeobiologists.

Renowned researchers summarize the current knowledge on ammonoid paleobiology. The book begins with a description of the systematic position of the Ammonoidea within the Cephalopoda, providing the phylogenetic framework for the rest of the book. Following discussions include soft- and hard-part morphology of ammonoids, rate of growth and ontogeny, and taphonomy and ecology. Closing chapters explore the distribution of ammonoids in time and space as well as their extinction at the end of the Cretaceous. With its diverse viewpoints and new material, this resource will benefit researchers and graduate students in paleontology, marine biology, and evolutionary biology.

Scientific notes and summaries of investigations in geology, hydrology, and related fields.

In The Medea Hypothesis, renowned paleontologist Peter Ward proposes a revolutionary and provocative vision of life's relationship with the Earth's biosphere--one that has frightening implications for our future, yet also offers hope. Using the latest discoveries from the geological record, he argues that life might be its own worst enemy. This stands in stark contrast to James Lovelock's Gaia hypothesis--the idea that life sustains habitable conditions on Earth. In answer to Gaia, which draws on the idea of the "good mother" who nurtures life, Ward invokes Medea, the mythical mother who killed her own children. Could life by its very nature threaten its own existence? According to the Medea hypothesis, it does. Ward demonstrates that all but one of the mass extinctions that have struck Earth were caused by life itself. He looks at our planet's history in a new way, revealing an Earth that is witnessing an alarming decline of diversity and biomass--a decline brought on by life's own "biocidal" tendencies. And the Medea hypothesis applies not just to our planet--its dire prognosis extends to all potential life in the universe. Yet life on Earth doesn't have to be lethal. Ward shows why, but warns that our time is running out. Breathtaking in scope, The Medea Hypothesis is certain to arouse fierce debate and radically transform our worldview. It serves as an urgent challenge to all of us to think in new ways if we hope to save ourselves from ourselves.