What do you think?
Rate this book
Explorers of Deep Time: Paleontologists and the History of Life
Paleontology is one of the most visible yet most misunderstood fields of science. Children dream of becoming paleontologists when they grow up. Museum visitors flock to exhibits on dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals. The media reports on fossil discoveries and new clues to mass extinctions. Nonetheless, misconceptions paleontologists are assumed only to be interested in dinosaurs, and they are all too often imagined as bearded white men in battered cowboy hats.Roy Plotnick provides a behind-the-scenes look at paleontology as it exists today in all its complexity. He explores the field’s aims, methods, and possibilities, with an emphasis on the compelling personal stories of the scientists who have made it a career. Paleontologists study the entire history of life on Earth; they do not only use hammers and chisels to unearth fossils but are just as likely to work with cutting-edge computing technology. Plotnick presents the big questions about life’s history that drive paleontological research and shows why knowledge of Earth’s past is essential to understanding present-day environmental crises. He introduces readers to the diverse group of people of all genders, races, and international backgrounds who make up the twenty-first-century paleontology community, foregrounding their perspectives and firsthand narratives. He also frankly discusses the many challenges that face the profession, with key takeaways for aspiring scientists. Candid and comprehensive, Explorers of Deep Time is essential reading for anyone curious about the everyday work of real-life paleontologists.
344 pages, Hardcover
Published January 4, 2022
8 people are currently reading
455 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 10, 2022
5/10 stars
My full review on my blog.
I’ll be very frank: Roy Plotnick’s book is a strange beast indeed; I have expected something along the lines of Dean R. Lomax’s Locked In Time, a pure palaeontology delight filled with descriptions of unique discoveries and fact-based interpretation of the traces of life long gone. What I got instead was an unusual mixture of a tiny bit of paleontological knowledge, a huge load of pages seemingly lifted from Who’s Who in US palaeontology, overflowing with personal information about various US palaeontologists in the last 50 years, complete with short biography boxes completely disrupting the flow of the book, and a fair amount of what looks like a memoir of Plotnick himself, with personal photographs. In short, if you want to become a palaeontologist in the modern United States, this book is for you. It’s filled with useful information about positions, institutions, big and small names in the field, the development of various palaeontology areas and subdivisions, and so on. But if you want to know a bit more about the contents of palaeontology itself – look somewhere else. I strongly suggest Lomax’s book, because it’s as illuminating as it is engaging.
As for Plotnick, I must confess I had somewhat of a hard time going through pages and pages of alternately gossipy and nostalgic snippets of information about people I never met nor expect to ever meet. The moments of the book when Plotnick finally gets to the bones of palaeontology were the most interesting and enjoyable – it’s obvious that he has an enormous knowledge in the field, and a gift for explaining it succinctly and clearly. I was many times surprised and delighted to see how the scope of paleontological knowledge is changing and evolving, how various fields of biological and geological sciences combine to illuminate the times long gone, and how such an old, not to say prehistoric, area of interest can give us insights into our future. Plotnick is an advocate of an interdisciplinary approach to palaeontology, and his book makes for a compelling argument in its favour. The description of the various ways we can apply knowledge about past climates to our current situation and search for solutions to the global warming problems in the past is very interesting. And Plotnick is a scientist through and through – the bibliography annex is very useful and for those interested in palaeontology it offers a wealth of information and options for future reading – I’ll be coming back to it as my reference list. Fascinating! I really wish Plotnick devoted the whole book to the topic of palaeontology instead of going down the rabbit hole of personal information on palaeontologists.
[...]
I believe that American current and future palaeontologists will be delighted to read this book. For them, it’s a veritable well of useful information and gossip. For a person who wanted to learn more about palaeontology itself, however, it was a disappointment. I really wish I could’ve liked it more, Plotnick seems like a nice and very knowledgeable person.
I have received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My special thanks to Robyn Massey at Columbia University for providing the book for review.
My full review on my blog.
I’ll be very frank: Roy Plotnick’s book is a strange beast indeed; I have expected something along the lines of Dean R. Lomax’s Locked In Time, a pure palaeontology delight filled with descriptions of unique discoveries and fact-based interpretation of the traces of life long gone. What I got instead was an unusual mixture of a tiny bit of paleontological knowledge, a huge load of pages seemingly lifted from Who’s Who in US palaeontology, overflowing with personal information about various US palaeontologists in the last 50 years, complete with short biography boxes completely disrupting the flow of the book, and a fair amount of what looks like a memoir of Plotnick himself, with personal photographs. In short, if you want to become a palaeontologist in the modern United States, this book is for you. It’s filled with useful information about positions, institutions, big and small names in the field, the development of various palaeontology areas and subdivisions, and so on. But if you want to know a bit more about the contents of palaeontology itself – look somewhere else. I strongly suggest Lomax’s book, because it’s as illuminating as it is engaging.
As for Plotnick, I must confess I had somewhat of a hard time going through pages and pages of alternately gossipy and nostalgic snippets of information about people I never met nor expect to ever meet. The moments of the book when Plotnick finally gets to the bones of palaeontology were the most interesting and enjoyable – it’s obvious that he has an enormous knowledge in the field, and a gift for explaining it succinctly and clearly. I was many times surprised and delighted to see how the scope of paleontological knowledge is changing and evolving, how various fields of biological and geological sciences combine to illuminate the times long gone, and how such an old, not to say prehistoric, area of interest can give us insights into our future. Plotnick is an advocate of an interdisciplinary approach to palaeontology, and his book makes for a compelling argument in its favour. The description of the various ways we can apply knowledge about past climates to our current situation and search for solutions to the global warming problems in the past is very interesting. And Plotnick is a scientist through and through – the bibliography annex is very useful and for those interested in palaeontology it offers a wealth of information and options for future reading – I’ll be coming back to it as my reference list. Fascinating! I really wish Plotnick devoted the whole book to the topic of palaeontology instead of going down the rabbit hole of personal information on palaeontologists.
[...]
I believe that American current and future palaeontologists will be delighted to read this book. For them, it’s a veritable well of useful information and gossip. For a person who wanted to learn more about palaeontology itself, however, it was a disappointment. I really wish I could’ve liked it more, Plotnick seems like a nice and very knowledgeable person.
I have received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My special thanks to Robyn Massey at Columbia University for providing the book for review.
March 16, 2022
What a wonderful, wonderful survey of academic paleontology. This is a great book for the budding paleontologist, the armchair paleontologist, or anyone interested in academic paleontology. Instead of repeating common knowledge about dinosaurs or information-bare anecdotes in a disjointed fashion, this book truly took care and effort to excavate for laymen what academic paleontology is, in very structured manner.
-First two chapters truly impress that paleontology isn't just about fossil-hunting or 'stamp-collecting' dinosaurs and megafauna, it's about peeling the hidden layers of the history of life, which may be mostly invertebrate or microscopic. Paleontology's focus is on the big questions of evolution-- is there a direction to life's complexity, is there an internal or external dynamic driving evolutionary change, and what the pace of evolution is.
-Third chapter is on the types of paleontologist based on what they specialize in (vertebrate or invertebrate, mammalian or arthropod, Permian or Cenozoic, university or museums) as well as explication of the bush of scientists and scientific fields that are also concerned with the long past (paleobotanist, palynologist, paleoclimatologist, paleooceanographer, etc)
-Fourth is about the entire process of fieldwork and what it involves from beginning to end. Choosing sites are based on geological knowledge of rock exposures, local masteral and doctoral theses of previous research in the library, online topographic maps and satellite imagery. Then comes the selection of questions, and planning and packing of gear (hammer, chisel, safety glasses, inspecting lens, GPS, tents). Ocean sites require something else (scuba gear, drill gear for ships collecting sediment).
-5th chapter is on the role of museums in paleontology. This book shows how they provide places of employment for paleontologists and even goes to document the hierarchy of ranks (curator, collection manager, preparator, etc.) It's also frank about the threat to museums, especially redlined budgets and closures.
-The 6th chapter is concerned with the technological instruments that help paleontologists get mor analysis from their fossils than ever before. There's a roundup of the newest techniques such as photogrammetry, reflection transformation imaging, light scanning, X ray microscopes and synchotron accelerators.
-The 7th chapter is on statistical or numerical analysis methods in the discipline. This include compilation and computational analysis of the papers published for any key word or subject.
-The 8th chapter is on extinctions, the hypothesized causes for them, and how the 6th Extinction is going. It shows how paleontologists and paleobiologists make relevant contributions to the study of the climate record.
-10th chapter charts the personal academic and career trajectory of the author and his colleagues, as examples of the motivations and paths people took to get to paleontology, and how a big factor is serendipitous mentorship. It then plots the steps a budding paleontolgist must take-- the choice of graduate school, the sacrifices and rewards, the aspects to consider in building a professional CV, etc.
-the next chapter is about what happens after the paleontologist gets their PhD. It talks about the postdoc positions and the job search. It does not shy away from discussing the erosion of tenured positions in academia in general and paleontology in particular. It also talks about the expectations in tenure, and alternative off-ramps in career decisions.
-the next chapter is about the applaudable diversification of scientists involved in paleontology. More women and people of color are becoming paleontologists. LGBTQ+ societies in paleontology are forming.
And so on and on. Truly this book is both wondrous and practical, a rich survey of current practices of paleontology that would appeal to people who've daydreamed of becoming paleontologists. Throughout the book, short bios of various paleontologists are interspersed and featured, as examples of the diversity of routes people took to arrive at the post of becoming paleontologists.
-First two chapters truly impress that paleontology isn't just about fossil-hunting or 'stamp-collecting' dinosaurs and megafauna, it's about peeling the hidden layers of the history of life, which may be mostly invertebrate or microscopic. Paleontology's focus is on the big questions of evolution-- is there a direction to life's complexity, is there an internal or external dynamic driving evolutionary change, and what the pace of evolution is.
-Third chapter is on the types of paleontologist based on what they specialize in (vertebrate or invertebrate, mammalian or arthropod, Permian or Cenozoic, university or museums) as well as explication of the bush of scientists and scientific fields that are also concerned with the long past (paleobotanist, palynologist, paleoclimatologist, paleooceanographer, etc)
-Fourth is about the entire process of fieldwork and what it involves from beginning to end. Choosing sites are based on geological knowledge of rock exposures, local masteral and doctoral theses of previous research in the library, online topographic maps and satellite imagery. Then comes the selection of questions, and planning and packing of gear (hammer, chisel, safety glasses, inspecting lens, GPS, tents). Ocean sites require something else (scuba gear, drill gear for ships collecting sediment).
-5th chapter is on the role of museums in paleontology. This book shows how they provide places of employment for paleontologists and even goes to document the hierarchy of ranks (curator, collection manager, preparator, etc.) It's also frank about the threat to museums, especially redlined budgets and closures.
-The 6th chapter is concerned with the technological instruments that help paleontologists get mor analysis from their fossils than ever before. There's a roundup of the newest techniques such as photogrammetry, reflection transformation imaging, light scanning, X ray microscopes and synchotron accelerators.
-The 7th chapter is on statistical or numerical analysis methods in the discipline. This include compilation and computational analysis of the papers published for any key word or subject.
-The 8th chapter is on extinctions, the hypothesized causes for them, and how the 6th Extinction is going. It shows how paleontologists and paleobiologists make relevant contributions to the study of the climate record.
-10th chapter charts the personal academic and career trajectory of the author and his colleagues, as examples of the motivations and paths people took to get to paleontology, and how a big factor is serendipitous mentorship. It then plots the steps a budding paleontolgist must take-- the choice of graduate school, the sacrifices and rewards, the aspects to consider in building a professional CV, etc.
-the next chapter is about what happens after the paleontologist gets their PhD. It talks about the postdoc positions and the job search. It does not shy away from discussing the erosion of tenured positions in academia in general and paleontology in particular. It also talks about the expectations in tenure, and alternative off-ramps in career decisions.
-the next chapter is about the applaudable diversification of scientists involved in paleontology. More women and people of color are becoming paleontologists. LGBTQ+ societies in paleontology are forming.
And so on and on. Truly this book is both wondrous and practical, a rich survey of current practices of paleontology that would appeal to people who've daydreamed of becoming paleontologists. Throughout the book, short bios of various paleontologists are interspersed and featured, as examples of the diversity of routes people took to arrive at the post of becoming paleontologists.
December 20, 2021
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through Edelweiss
TL:DR review version: if you're looking into becoming a paleontologist and have actually dreamt about it for a while, this book is GREAT for you. If you're just curious about paleontology and what these scientists do, maybe give it a pass, because it will probably bog you down.
It's hard for me to review this book, because as you might have guessed already, I don't think I'm the intended audience for it.
All in all, this book felt a little like sitting down with your great grandma and listen to her tell you about all those people she knew in her village in her youth. People who's names she'll remember incredibly vividly (middle names included), and people who have absolutely zero relevance to your life, and who you do not and will not remember. You'll hear who married who, who went to which school, how many jobs they held down and how many acres their farms were. You'll listen and politely nod, and think it was nice to talk to her, but hot damn. And you'll walk away forgetting them and their accomplishments the minute you touch the doorknob. This is kind of the way the book felt to me, cause while I'd love to know what paleontologists actually do, I don't even REMOTELY care about specific last names, their histories, the schools they went to and their theses they defended. I do, however, hope that for a person who's already filled out their summer program or university admittance papers this works out as a good, informative read. It's probably just for a super niche audience.
So if you think this book is about paleontology - that's not quite correct. It's more like, it's about paleontologists. And if you ask, where's the difference - well, there is definitely a lot of overlap here, but it's mostly about different kinds of jobs paleontologists can do, or what those specialties entail. There is a lot about paleontology itself too, but it's more about what paleontologists do with their time and how it relates with the science. I can imagine it's a pretty great book if you're deeply interested in becoming a paleontologist yourself, or thinking of related studies. However, if you're a random person who wants to learn more about the subject (like me), well, you're out of luck.
There's nothing wrong with the subject matter, and introducing different kinds of paleontology subdivisions and specialists is all fine and good, but I still feel like it lacked cohesive structure, because I had a hard time following. I wasn't sure if there was a, well, I obviously don't mean a plot, cause it's nonfiction, but something like a train of thought? A lot of the time, I didn't feel like I knew where the book was leading me. Just random bits about this paleontologist, then another, the one university, then another... It was a bit hard to follow.
Another thing that I didn't quite get in this book were these 'boxes' - like a short description of some random paleontologist whose photo I am not seeing and I guess who added to the words in recent paragraphs? Some of them had a photo, but not many, and I'm not sure whether this is because I have a review copy and it's not final, or if it's just going to remain this way. The boxes seem to be just a short bio, but honestly, I struggled to connect that to the text, and to me as a reader, it felt more like it broke up my reading without really giving me information that was in the least interesting or even connected to the story the book was telling me. In the first half of the page it would be about a branch of paleontology, and then there comes a box with some random scientist's "X got into paleontology through this random happening and chose field A or B" and like.. why do I need to know that again? I get the desire to introduce everyone who contributed to the book, but like.. Maybe that's something that should go in acknowledgments or something, because I skipped most of those boxes. I honestly don't need to know the bio if I don't even know WHY you're talking about this person here.
Other than the paleontologists themselves, of course the book talks about where they work (the field, the lab) and the instruments they use (also in the field and the lab). How much it has benefited as a science from digitization, as well as examples of how it affects the end-data you get. And it does give hints about how to choose a school, what to expect from it as a profession, both tasks-wise and money-wise. There's even info on how often a couple who are both working in paleontology (or at least academia) get hired into the same organizations, or how you can juggle these kinds of things that aren't really talked about, but do matter in real life. There is also a significant bit about sexism and women in the field, as well as balancing career and family (regardless of your gender).
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
Book Blog | Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
TL:DR review version: if you're looking into becoming a paleontologist and have actually dreamt about it for a while, this book is GREAT for you. If you're just curious about paleontology and what these scientists do, maybe give it a pass, because it will probably bog you down.
It's hard for me to review this book, because as you might have guessed already, I don't think I'm the intended audience for it.
All in all, this book felt a little like sitting down with your great grandma and listen to her tell you about all those people she knew in her village in her youth. People who's names she'll remember incredibly vividly (middle names included), and people who have absolutely zero relevance to your life, and who you do not and will not remember. You'll hear who married who, who went to which school, how many jobs they held down and how many acres their farms were. You'll listen and politely nod, and think it was nice to talk to her, but hot damn. And you'll walk away forgetting them and their accomplishments the minute you touch the doorknob. This is kind of the way the book felt to me, cause while I'd love to know what paleontologists actually do, I don't even REMOTELY care about specific last names, their histories, the schools they went to and their theses they defended. I do, however, hope that for a person who's already filled out their summer program or university admittance papers this works out as a good, informative read. It's probably just for a super niche audience.
So if you think this book is about paleontology - that's not quite correct. It's more like, it's about paleontologists. And if you ask, where's the difference - well, there is definitely a lot of overlap here, but it's mostly about different kinds of jobs paleontologists can do, or what those specialties entail. There is a lot about paleontology itself too, but it's more about what paleontologists do with their time and how it relates with the science. I can imagine it's a pretty great book if you're deeply interested in becoming a paleontologist yourself, or thinking of related studies. However, if you're a random person who wants to learn more about the subject (like me), well, you're out of luck.
There's nothing wrong with the subject matter, and introducing different kinds of paleontology subdivisions and specialists is all fine and good, but I still feel like it lacked cohesive structure, because I had a hard time following. I wasn't sure if there was a, well, I obviously don't mean a plot, cause it's nonfiction, but something like a train of thought? A lot of the time, I didn't feel like I knew where the book was leading me. Just random bits about this paleontologist, then another, the one university, then another... It was a bit hard to follow.
Another thing that I didn't quite get in this book were these 'boxes' - like a short description of some random paleontologist whose photo I am not seeing and I guess who added to the words in recent paragraphs? Some of them had a photo, but not many, and I'm not sure whether this is because I have a review copy and it's not final, or if it's just going to remain this way. The boxes seem to be just a short bio, but honestly, I struggled to connect that to the text, and to me as a reader, it felt more like it broke up my reading without really giving me information that was in the least interesting or even connected to the story the book was telling me. In the first half of the page it would be about a branch of paleontology, and then there comes a box with some random scientist's "X got into paleontology through this random happening and chose field A or B" and like.. why do I need to know that again? I get the desire to introduce everyone who contributed to the book, but like.. Maybe that's something that should go in acknowledgments or something, because I skipped most of those boxes. I honestly don't need to know the bio if I don't even know WHY you're talking about this person here.
Other than the paleontologists themselves, of course the book talks about where they work (the field, the lab) and the instruments they use (also in the field and the lab). How much it has benefited as a science from digitization, as well as examples of how it affects the end-data you get. And it does give hints about how to choose a school, what to expect from it as a profession, both tasks-wise and money-wise. There's even info on how often a couple who are both working in paleontology (or at least academia) get hired into the same organizations, or how you can juggle these kinds of things that aren't really talked about, but do matter in real life. There is also a significant bit about sexism and women in the field, as well as balancing career and family (regardless of your gender).
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
Book Blog | Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
April 10, 2024
Explorers of Deep Time is a conversational overview of the field of paleontology (as in, what paleontologists do all day); this is not so much a book about the content of paleontology (as in, facts about fossils and the history of life, although specific fossils and concepts are frequently used as examples throughout). The focus on the paleontologists themselves provides an interesting perspective and gives this book a unique niche in science nonfiction.
It's not really clear who the intended audience is, however. In many places, it seems that Roy Plotnick is addressing non-paleontologists, perhaps even non-scientists: he goes through great efforts to dispel very basic misconceptions about paleontologists (who are “not Ross on Friends or Indiana Jones”), describe what sort of activities occur at scientific conferences, and explain the basic process of publishing a peer-reviewed scientific article. But in other places, the text feels catered to fellow professional paleontologists, and dives deep into the minutiae of very niche areas of the field, including details of specific grant proposals and initiatives previously funded by particular government agencies, for example. I think a casual reader might be overwhelmed.
For someone already active in the field of paleontology, Explorers of Deep Time provides a great overview of the state-of-the-field (e.g., challenges, opportunities, changing demographics, funding sources, etc.) and is packed full of useful references and resources. For someone who has no idea what paleontologists actually do, this book will definitely answer those questions.
It's not really clear who the intended audience is, however. In many places, it seems that Roy Plotnick is addressing non-paleontologists, perhaps even non-scientists: he goes through great efforts to dispel very basic misconceptions about paleontologists (who are “not Ross on Friends or Indiana Jones”), describe what sort of activities occur at scientific conferences, and explain the basic process of publishing a peer-reviewed scientific article. But in other places, the text feels catered to fellow professional paleontologists, and dives deep into the minutiae of very niche areas of the field, including details of specific grant proposals and initiatives previously funded by particular government agencies, for example. I think a casual reader might be overwhelmed.
For someone already active in the field of paleontology, Explorers of Deep Time provides a great overview of the state-of-the-field (e.g., challenges, opportunities, changing demographics, funding sources, etc.) and is packed full of useful references and resources. For someone who has no idea what paleontologists actually do, this book will definitely answer those questions.
June 30, 2022
....be ye forwarned, there is some loopy stuff here about paleontologists in the field. How they dress, look, relieve themselves ....even a blurb on menstruation. In the field, of course. As if no one has ever been on a hike or backpacked. Then add a touch more about foul language, sexual harassment, LGBQT. However, it should be evident from the start, even for someone mildly interested in paleontology, or beginning amateur fossil collectors, for whom this book is partially for, this is really uneccesary discourse.
As a retired geologist (petroleum, environmental), I do so look forward to actual scientists writing about their discipline! Given the plethora of non scientists writing about science and subsequently needing to seek their perception of a discipline heirarchy, its refreshing to read those ensconched scientists, especially those with acedemic tenure, that should have the liberty to stretch out a bit....explore their discipline....maybe on the fringes.
Strike two for Plotnick. My goodness(!) Apart from a few brief departures, could there ever be a longer laundry list of "he/she finally got their pHD from...." and then went on to do paleo. The list is so long, its endless...and possibly pointless. But as the tiltle suggests, Plotnick goes deeper into the why...why people become so fascinated with paleontology. What is it when you start out to study law at Alabama, or race realtions at George Washington, that something happens, that some kind of switch gets flipped? You're out of your old life and into the new. Plotnick explains it all in detail.
There is no third strike. Here, by a real, bonafied, practacing acedemecian, are the arguments, the disputed arguments, the indesputible arguments. And all this is backed by his and others' most unequivioccly, utterlly fascinating research. You will meet so many, read it all and go deep... deep into the field, laboratory and time, to be fascianted or, like me, jealous. I gave this tome three stars, perhaps harshly, because it doesn't really go where I want to go at this time in my amateur collecting. I also wonder if hikers need a refesher on field practices, doctorate candidates need to know the machinations of publishing, or the general public needs to know what natural history museums do. But if you hang in there and get past the obvious you will encounter a trove of bits and pieces that even the advanced amateur will find useful. And, as previously mentioned you will meet esentially every academic paleontologist known to god and man.
Oh, finally, Plonick will endlessly rub it into your face how much FUN academic paleos have. Like I said, jealous.
January 5, 2022
Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
Explorers of Deep Time is an accessible, scientifically accurate, and well written look at paleontology and the scientists who study it written by Dr. Roy Plotnick. Released 4th Jan 2022 by The Columbia University Press, it's 344 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats.
The author writes engagingly and well about "Deep Time" and the conditions and physical, geological, and biological features which shaped those eras and have had such a profound effect on our world. The illustrations and photographs (and digital recreations) add a lot and helped me to visualize scale (giant dragonflies circa 310 million years ago were *really* huge).
Besides talking about ancient history, the author spends a gratifying amount of time talking about academia and the sometimes (often?) circuitous path to becoming a paleontologist or other theoretical scientist and academic. I am a bionerd and am on numerous groups on social media and one of the perennial questions is "My kid is interested in _____, so what education should they be pursuing"? It's nice to see actual real life advice on real life studies by an eminent (real life) scientist.
The book is layman accessible, and I found it a fascinating read. It's well annotated (and the chapter notes and index make for fascinating further reading) but doesn't get bogged down in overly academic language. This is popular science writing - not a "how-to" guide for collection or specimen study. It's clear he's both knowledgeable and engaged in the subjects as well as having a solid interest in passing on knowledge and encouraging others to learn and study. There are a handful of popular science writers who have the gift of writing layman accessibly and engagingly on their topics of expertise. We can safely add Dr. Plotnick to the list. The chapter notes and bibliography are for papers and research presented in English (most science writing is in English these days).
Five stars. Heartily recommended for readers of science, paleontology, academic pursuits, and STEM subjects, as well as for public and school library acquisition.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Explorers of Deep Time is an accessible, scientifically accurate, and well written look at paleontology and the scientists who study it written by Dr. Roy Plotnick. Released 4th Jan 2022 by The Columbia University Press, it's 344 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats.
The author writes engagingly and well about "Deep Time" and the conditions and physical, geological, and biological features which shaped those eras and have had such a profound effect on our world. The illustrations and photographs (and digital recreations) add a lot and helped me to visualize scale (giant dragonflies circa 310 million years ago were *really* huge).
Besides talking about ancient history, the author spends a gratifying amount of time talking about academia and the sometimes (often?) circuitous path to becoming a paleontologist or other theoretical scientist and academic. I am a bionerd and am on numerous groups on social media and one of the perennial questions is "My kid is interested in _____, so what education should they be pursuing"? It's nice to see actual real life advice on real life studies by an eminent (real life) scientist.
The book is layman accessible, and I found it a fascinating read. It's well annotated (and the chapter notes and index make for fascinating further reading) but doesn't get bogged down in overly academic language. This is popular science writing - not a "how-to" guide for collection or specimen study. It's clear he's both knowledgeable and engaged in the subjects as well as having a solid interest in passing on knowledge and encouraging others to learn and study. There are a handful of popular science writers who have the gift of writing layman accessibly and engagingly on their topics of expertise. We can safely add Dr. Plotnick to the list. The chapter notes and bibliography are for papers and research presented in English (most science writing is in English these days).
Five stars. Heartily recommended for readers of science, paleontology, academic pursuits, and STEM subjects, as well as for public and school library acquisition.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
December 2, 2021
Roy Plotnick is a Professor Emeritus at University of Chicago Illinois with decades of experience in paleontology. In his book, Explorers of Deep Time, he discusses the history and importance of paleontology and how the field has changed radically in the last few decades, becoming more diverse and technology-driven. He also makes a very compelling argument for the fundamental importance of paleontology as an interdisciplinary science essential for understanding climate change and other environmental problems we face now and in the future.
This is a fascinating book for anyone interested in the life of paleontologists. One thing that quickly becomes clear is how varied and undefined the path is. Plotnick gives brief biographies about several dozen paleontologists working today, showing that their career progression is seldom linear. Too many people (myself included) have an idea that scientists are always sure of themselves and move steadily along on a predetermined path. It’s refreshing to see the truth.
I do wish there were more pictures or photographs in this book. I ended up googling several times a chapter, which interrupted my reading process, because I wanted to see what the fossils described looked like! I understand that there are complicated logistical issues involving replicating images in books, but I hope the final print book will include additional images.
Plotnick shows that paleontology is relevant, nay, vital, and that it's an overlooked interdisciplinary field that defies and challenges trends in the last few decades towards increased isolation and specialization in the sciences. I was really struck by his suggestion that one way to overcome this might be to start teaching children more holistically in the sciences at a young age. He uses the example of using dinosaurs as an introduction to teaching children about how the dinosaurs lived in their environment, how they moved, what the chemical composition of their bones is, etc. By teaching people from a young age to regard the sciences as dynamic and interconnected, not just as isolated subfields, we can improve scientific education in the general public, and give children a greater awareness of what STEM careers really entail.
Overall, this book rekindled my old love (shared by many children) for dinosaurs in particular and paleontology in general. It also pointed me in new directions of discovery. I had no idea that microbial paleontology was so advanced, or that we can learn so much about past climates from fossils. I share Plotnick’s cautious optimism that we can learn enough from the past to help protect ourselves from some of the future threats of climate change.
I received a free ARC copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is a fascinating book for anyone interested in the life of paleontologists. One thing that quickly becomes clear is how varied and undefined the path is. Plotnick gives brief biographies about several dozen paleontologists working today, showing that their career progression is seldom linear. Too many people (myself included) have an idea that scientists are always sure of themselves and move steadily along on a predetermined path. It’s refreshing to see the truth.
I do wish there were more pictures or photographs in this book. I ended up googling several times a chapter, which interrupted my reading process, because I wanted to see what the fossils described looked like! I understand that there are complicated logistical issues involving replicating images in books, but I hope the final print book will include additional images.
Plotnick shows that paleontology is relevant, nay, vital, and that it's an overlooked interdisciplinary field that defies and challenges trends in the last few decades towards increased isolation and specialization in the sciences. I was really struck by his suggestion that one way to overcome this might be to start teaching children more holistically in the sciences at a young age. He uses the example of using dinosaurs as an introduction to teaching children about how the dinosaurs lived in their environment, how they moved, what the chemical composition of their bones is, etc. By teaching people from a young age to regard the sciences as dynamic and interconnected, not just as isolated subfields, we can improve scientific education in the general public, and give children a greater awareness of what STEM careers really entail.
Overall, this book rekindled my old love (shared by many children) for dinosaurs in particular and paleontology in general. It also pointed me in new directions of discovery. I had no idea that microbial paleontology was so advanced, or that we can learn so much about past climates from fossils. I share Plotnick’s cautious optimism that we can learn enough from the past to help protect ourselves from some of the future threats of climate change.
I received a free ARC copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
December 5, 2021
Could be subtitled “So you think you want to be a paleontologist?” Or…”Ontology of Paleontology”. Plotnik is a good writer! With a science background, I found him easy to follow. It seemed like he’d be fun to sit next to at a dinner party….or long train ride. Personable, forthcoming, thoughtful and inclusive, he leads us through past, present and future (needs, trends, disadvantages and advantages) of the wide (I now know) field of paleontology. We aren’t just dinosaurs. The book is more about how a variety of people went into the field, what they do now, what the needs are and what a person could do in this field. He introduces the reader to the cool questions paleontologist and their friends attempt to answer, but doesn’t go into detail about those answers. He gives plenty of references to books that do this. This is really for a reader who is or might be interested in paleontology or related fields. Would be good for high schoolers and up, including second career adults. I especially appreciate his honest portrayals of the deficiencies in the field and his individual short bios of a variety of paleontologists -male and female. Five stars for thoroughly accomplishing his goals. Five stars for writing. If you aren’t interested in what its like to be a paleontologist, this book probably isn’t for you.
December 5, 2021
Could be subtitled “So you think you want to be a paleontologist?” Or…”Ontology of Paleontology”. Plotnik is a good writer! With a science background, I found him easy to follow. It seemed like he’d be fun to sit next to at a dinner party….or long train ride. Personable, forthcoming, thoughtful and inclusive, he leads us through past, present and future (needs, trends, disadvantages and advantages) of the wide (I now know) field of paleontology. We aren’t just dinosaurs. The book is more about how a variety of people went into the field, what they do now, what the needs are and what a person could do in this field. He introduces the reader to the cool questions paleontologist and their friends attempt to answer, but doesn’t go into detail about those answers. He gives plenty of references to books that do this. This is really for a reader who is or might be interested in paleontology or related fields. Would be good for high schoolers and up, including second career adults. I especially appreciate his honest portrayals of the deficiencies in the field and his individual short bios of a variety of paleontologists -male and female. Five stars for thoroughly accomplishing his goals. Five stars for writing. If you aren’t interested in what its like to be a paleontologist, this book probably isn’t for you.
November 17, 2021
Along with police officer, fire fighter and garbage collector, paleontologist is very likely to be on most children’s “ most desirable” careers list. But as adults, we may be less aware of exact,y who paleontologists are and why their work is crucial to understanding our environment, its past and where we may be headed in the future of life on earth. Plotnick, an emeritus professor of paleontology, explains the “who, what and why” of paleontology through stories of the work and discoveries of current researchers. The prose is clear and friendly. If you are ready to go beyond a grade school understanding of the field and would like to know about the challenges and importance of the field, this is a great introduction. Understanding how science works is crucial to critical thinking about our future as a species and this book makes the learning a fun adventure.
November 26, 2021
As the author says, my idea of paleontologists came from Jurassic Park, so this volume was informative in that I now have a better understanding of how they work. Turns out that only a small percentage of them deal with dinosaurs, but that doesn’t make them any less interesting. I had no idea that they specialized in so many different areas. That said, I found the rest of the book very dry. There are too many details and names. For a budding paleontologist it may be fascinating but for a layperson it was… well, boring. I also wasn’t too crazy about the long paragraphs with woke political content. The introduction seemed promising, but the rest was disappointing.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/#Columbia University Press!
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/#Columbia University Press!
November 4, 2021
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley:
I really enjoyed this detailed look into the lives of paleontologists. From field work to grant writing, the author conveyed all the things that go into working in this field. I feel the author did an excellent job of balancing his experience as an older paleontologist with how things work today, especially his balanced critique of some of the shortcomings of the field in regards to women, minorities and disabled persons who have traditionally been marginalized in STEM. I also really enjoyed how he worked to subvert the trope that paleontologists are just "stamp-collectors" and do not have any relevance in today's scientific world. The cutting edge technology in use now is fascinating.
I really enjoyed this detailed look into the lives of paleontologists. From field work to grant writing, the author conveyed all the things that go into working in this field. I feel the author did an excellent job of balancing his experience as an older paleontologist with how things work today, especially his balanced critique of some of the shortcomings of the field in regards to women, minorities and disabled persons who have traditionally been marginalized in STEM. I also really enjoyed how he worked to subvert the trope that paleontologists are just "stamp-collectors" and do not have any relevance in today's scientific world. The cutting edge technology in use now is fascinating.
January 22, 2022
As lot of other people I came for the dinosaurs and discovered what being a palaeontologist means.
It's a good book that explains what they do and how to become one.
It's always interesting to learn more about one of your dream profession.
It's a bit dry at time but it was an interesting read.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
It's a good book that explains what they do and how to become one.
It's always interesting to learn more about one of your dream profession.
It's a bit dry at time but it was an interesting read.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
September 14, 2021
A big thank you to the publishers - Columbia University Press - for giving me access to this publication as an E-ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Plotnick gives a thorough rundown of how it is working as a palaeontologist from university and onwards. As a child I, as many children, was quite into dinosaurs and often pestered my parents to take me to the Natural History museum which had (and have!) a great palaeontology exhibition. I would be one of the children Plotnick describes asking him if he's found many dinosaurs and then going away crestfallen when a negative answer was given. It's nice to broaden one's horizons a bit as palaeontology is much more than just dinosaurs.
I'm not quite sure what I imagined from this book but it was interesting all the same, but I did find myself skipping some bits. I think I might have wanted more of the science/field work rather than how to become a palaeontologist.
Plotnick gives a thorough rundown of how it is working as a palaeontologist from university and onwards. As a child I, as many children, was quite into dinosaurs and often pestered my parents to take me to the Natural History museum which had (and have!) a great palaeontology exhibition. I would be one of the children Plotnick describes asking him if he's found many dinosaurs and then going away crestfallen when a negative answer was given. It's nice to broaden one's horizons a bit as palaeontology is much more than just dinosaurs.
I'm not quite sure what I imagined from this book but it was interesting all the same, but I did find myself skipping some bits. I think I might have wanted more of the science/field work rather than how to become a palaeontologist.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews