Chapter 4- "Teeth Everywhere"

This chapter was intriguing because it opened my mind to the small things in life: such as teeth. I never knew an organism's teeth is so essential in uncovering the history of their being/structure. I also never knew that it was the most sturdy and informative fossil a paleontologist can find. Then when Shubin was describing the precision of the human mouth, I felt a sense of pride because we are one of the few organisms that can consume plants AND meat due to the different types of teeth we have.
As Shubin conveyed his introduction to fossil finding, I was surprised because I didn't know that it would be as difficult as he portrayed it to be. Only an extremely patient adventurer would have the perseverence he had to obtain his first finding: his first tooth. I also didn't realize that there were certain "rules" to fossil finding until he himself laid them out to his readers. Later, when Shubin led his first expedition and found a part mammal, part reptile fossil, I caught myself smiling at his success. "He deserves those praises," I thought to myself, "for his such unconditional dedication."