Explorers of Deep Time

"To truly understand biology is to recognize the role of history, which is recorded by paleontology."

Why did I read it
Curious about paleontology.

Notes
- Paleontology = geology + biology. It adopts many cutting-edge methods for research, and therefore, is not outdated and archaic.
- Paleontologists are interested in comparing the modern biodiversity decline to the catastrophic collapse of the geologic past (the five extinctions) to better understand the Sixth Extinction.
- The vast majority of fossils are not rare, although some are. Animal behavior can also be captured in the form of 'trace fossils' (tracks, trails, drill holes, bites, etc.).
- DNA degrades too quickly to be preserved intact, so let's wait until we have more advanced technologies to make our Jurassic Park dream come true.
- Many fascinating stories on landowners who restrict their areas for field research, fossil auctions, and smugglers.

Thoughts
- Now I'm deeply troubled on why paleontologists don't appear to be heavily engaged in climate change books.
- A very detailed and comprehensive book on paleontology; you will know every single thing about the people, the journals, the conferences, etc. If you are an aspiring paleontologist, this book is a must-read! If you're expecting a simple introduction, this book might be too detailed.
- The content is very US-oriented, therefore, the author expresses a deep interest in global paleontology and how virtual meetings helped him to know more about this field in other countries.
- I love Plotnick's honesty, sense of humor, and passion as he went all-out in describing the daily life of a paleontologist. They are literally reading the history of the earth from the earth itself (which is super cool), but they also have issues in research grants and publication. Very entertaining!
- The non-academic issues are also written in detail (e.g., gender and racial issue; the stereotype of 'white-man-with-beard paleontologist').