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Beasts Before Us

The Untold Story of Mammal Origins and Evolution

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Beasts Before Us

By: Elsa Panciroli
Narrated by: Ruth Urquhart
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About this listen

For most of us, the story of mammal evolution starts after the asteroid impact that killed the dinosaurs, but over the last 20 years, scientists have uncovered new fossils and used new technologies that have upended this story.

In Beasts Before Us, paleontologist Elsa Panciroli charts the emergence of the mammal lineage, Synapsida, beginning at their murky split from the reptiles in the Carboniferous period, over 300 million years ago. They made the world theirs long before the rise of dinosaurs.

Elsa crisscrosses the globe to explore the sites where discoveries are being made and meet the people who make them. In Scotland, she traverses the desert dunes of prehistoric Moray, where quarry workers unearthed the footprints of Permian creatures from before the time of dinosaurs. In South Africa, she introduces us to animals that gave scientists the first hints that our furry kin evolved from a lineage of egg-laying burrowers. In China, new, complete fossilized skeletons reveal mammals that were gliders, shovel-pawed Jurassic moles, and flat-tailed swimmers.

This book radically reframes the narrative of our mammalian ancestors and provides a counterpoint to the stereotypes of mighty dinosaur overlords and cowering little mammals. It turns out the earliest mammals weren't just precursors, they were pioneers.

©2021 Elsa Panciroli (P)2021 Tantor
Evolution Palaeontology Mammal Evolution

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Title should be: Mammals & Why I Hate White Men

To have such non political subject matter constantly interspersed with how villainous white men are was so unnecessary, spiteful and factually incorrect. Couldn’t get beyond chapter 4. Go take your poison elsewhere author & learn not to be so insulting, hateful & unbalanced.

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