Remnants of Ancient Life: The New Science of Old Fossils

Greenwalt, a researcher at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, debuts with an esoteric examination of ancient biomolecules, or the “DNA, protein, pigments, and other organic material” left behind by ancient animals and plants. Laying out the methods and materials involved in biomolecular research, the author recounts searching for fossils in Montana’s Glacier National Park, where he found a fossilized mosquito that he studied using spectrometry technology and determined that the specimen was carrying blood, providing clues about the species’ evolutionary history. Ancient pigments, he contends, are essential to understanding the “colors of ancient life, as well as the evolution of color vision.” He outlines how melanin evolved from an antioxidant and credits the discovery of bountiful fossil beds in northeastern China with supercharging research into the coloration of dinosaur feathers. Greenwalt’s discussion of the quest for ancient DNA and the science behind Jurassic Park entertains, but the academic language (“The calyptrates are thought to have radiated at the beginning of the middle Eocene”) will make it difficult for general readers to follow the impressive science. Rewarding if dense, this will appeal to specialists. (Jan.)