The Eternal Trail: A Tracker Looks at Evolution Book

A well-versed hunter or backwoods wanderer can tell the passage of a deer or elk herd by patterns of broken twigs, can guess at the age of a bear by the height of claw marks on a tree, can distinguish bird species by minute differences in their footprints and droppings. Tracks and signs reveal much about animals--and about humans. Martin Lockley, a paleontologist and dinosaur tracker, explores the hidden grammar of those signs in the Eternal Trail, a book full of wonders. Looking for evidence of Tyrannosaurus rex is one thing, of course; but who knew that archaeologists can tell Anglo-Saxons and Celts apart in ancient British sites by the shape of their footprints? Lockley uses such small variations among individuals, the cornerstone of Darwinian evolutionary theory, to explore the remarkable record of the past that lies on the ground all around us, accessible to anyone with keen eyes and a modicum of imagination. "What does it mean to look consciously backward and forward along the eternal trail and see ourselves in motion?" Lockley asks, having taken his readers through a vast catalog of examples. He answers by suggesting that we gain insight into the miracle of evolution across time, and that with this insight we better prepare ourselves to protect the natural world. It's a fine lesson, entertainingly delivered. --Gregory McNameeRead More