[Ch. 1 (Repost)] Chapter 1: An Intriguing Introduction

When I first bought this book, I was expecting it to be good because of all the positive comments my friends who have read it told me prior to reading the book; their comments proved to be true. Shubin's style of writing and conversational tone help readers understand the science in the novel, even though this chapter doesn't specifically have anything too complex. I actually like the content since the link between our bodies and other animals have left me curious to find out more for a while until chemistry came along and flooded my mind with chemical reactions and equilibrium constants. He elaborated on subjects about geology, dating, and anatomy that I already knew and linked them together to create a way to excavate fossils that paleontologists specifically want. For example, when Shubin found the fossil Tiktaalik, he knew that type of species would be found in the harsh Arctic because of the exposure and the similarities to the type of rock found in Pennsylvania where they previously found a fossil. I also learned that excavating takes years and years to get what they want. I always thought that you go to a site and find what you want in a matter of hours like in the movies, but that would take immense amounts of serendipity. I guess I was completely wrong hahaha. Anyways, I liked this introduction to the novel and I'm waiting for more interesting subjects and facts about anatomy he's going to talk about later.

- Bryan Munar :)

P.S. Is it still in symbols??