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]
["mammals are [Brusatte's] first love"][5] {seems contradictory?}
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.[6] Where the book touches on the human lineage, it focuses primarily on non-human primates, and homo sapiens is given "about the same attention as horses and whales and elephants."[3]
As in The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs, Brusatte intersperses descriptions of modern and historical palentological work and his own experience with studying mammals with descriptions of mammalian evolution.[7]
Reception
[edit]Reviewers praise Brusatte's storytelling and big-picture overview of mammalian evolution.[6][8][9] Julia Clarke, a paleontologist at the University of Texas in Austin, praises the book for including a diverse array of female palentologists, in contrast to The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs. She criticizes the book for an instance of misleading phrasing, but overall calls it a "compelling and energetic guide" to mammals.[10]
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 c 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.
- ^ THE RISE AND REIGN OF THE MAMMALS | Kirkus Reviews.
- ^ a b Gramling, Carolyn (2022-06-07). "How mammals took over the world". ScienceNews. Retrieved 2025-02-04.
- ^ Wolff, Karl. "The Rise and Reign of the Mammals: A New History, from the Shadow of the Dinosaurs to Us". www.nyjournalofbooks.com. Retrieved 2025-02-04.
- ^ Marshall, Michael. "The Rise and Reign of the Mammals review: how mammals found their way". New Scientist. Retrieved 2025-02-04.
- ^ 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 2025-02-04.
- ^ Clarke, Julia (November 18, 2022). "Humanity's kith and kin: Humans make up just 7 million years of rich mammalian history". go.gale.com. Retrieved 2025-02-04.
Source dump:
- 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://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"