The Quest For Life In Amber: The Discovery Of Fossil Dna - Couverture rigide

Poinar, George; Poinar, Roberta

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0201626608 ISBN 13 : 9780201626605

Editeur : Basic Books, 1994

Synopsis

The dinosaurs of "Jurassic Park" are an imaginative leap from the ancient bee and its 40-million-year-old preserved DNA that George and Roberta Poinar discovered in 1991. Here they describe in detail the miracle and beauty of the preserved invertebrates they found, frozen forever in their everyday tasks - worker ants carrying food, bees with outstretched wings carrying pollen, flies mating - in the mummification process that tree sap provides. In passages that read more like an Indiana Jones screenplay than a story about scientific research, the Poinars describe how what began as a hobby grew into a semi obsession which ultimately led to a breakthrough scientific discovery. Along the way they encounter all manner of unusual characters, from threatening black marketeers and gun-toting guerrillas to talented scientists, and, of course, the luminously beautiful specimens captured in the still-life of amber.

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur

George Poinar began collecting amber specimins over thirty years ago, but it was only recently that he, Roberta Poinar, and the rest of his research team astounded the scientific community with the news that they had obtained ”live” DNA strands from an insect over 40 million years old. The news was so significant that it made headlines throughout the world. Since that time, their lab has remained extraordinarily active, and in the summer of 1993, they were able to announce the successful extraction of preserved DNA strands over 125 million years old. Thus, there is now DNA available for study dating from the early dinosaur period.In passages that read more like an Indiana Jones screenplay than a story about scientific research, the Poinars describe how what began as a hobby grew into a semi-obsession which ultimately led to a breakthrough scientific discovery. Along the way, they encounter all manner of unusual characters, from threatening black marketeers and gun-toting guerrillas to extraordinarily talented scientists, and of course, the luminously beautiful specimins captured in the still-life of amber.

Biographie de l'auteur

George and Roberta Poinar founded the Amber Institute in Oregon, where they both continue their amber research. George is also in the Department of Entomology at Oregon State University.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Basic Books
• Date d'édition: 1994
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0201626608
• ISBN 13: 9780201626605
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 219
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible