Nature's Clocks

How Scientists Measure the Age of Almost Everything

By: Doug Macdougall

Write A Review

Hardcover | 30 June 2008 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Hardcover
288 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
2.35 x 1.94 x 0.28

New Edition

Published: 20th October 2009

Hardcover

$107.75

or 4 interest-free payments of $26.94 with

or

Ships in 5 to 7 business days

"Radioactivity is like a clock that never needs adjusting," writes Doug Macdougall. "It would be hard to design a more reliable timekeeper." In Nature's Clocks, Macdougall tells how scientists who were seeking to understand the past arrived at the ingenious techniques they now use to determine the age of objects and organisms. By examining radiocarbon (C-14) dating--the best known of these methods--and several other techniques that geologists use to decode the distant past, Macdougall unwraps the last century's advances, explaining how they reveal the age of our fossil ancestors such as "Lucy," the timing of the dinosaurs' extinction, and the precise ages of tiny mineral grains that date from the beginning of the earth's history. In lively and accessible prose, he describes how the science of geochronology has developed and flourished. Relating these advances through the stories of the scientists themselves--James Hutton, William Smith, Arthur Holmes, Ernest Rutherford, Willard Libby, and Clair Patterson--Macdougall shows how they used ingenuity and inspiration to construct one of modern science's most significant accomplishments: a timescale for the earth's evolution and human prehistory.

Industry Reviews

"Rich in historical tidbits." New Scientist "A helpful handbook on how we are now able to travel to the distant past." Publishers Weekly "The heart of the book reveals ingenious science." Library Journal "For time-conscious readers, Nature's Clocks provides satisfaction beyond measure." Washington Post Book World "Guaranteed to improve one's understanding." Natl Cntr For Science Education

Shipping

	Standard Shipping	Express Shipping
Metro postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Regional postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Rural postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95

Orders over $89.00 qualify for free shipping.

How to return your order

At Booktopia, we offer hassle-free returns in accordance with our returns policy. If you wish to return an item, please get in touch with Booktopia Customer Care.

Additional postage charges may be applicable.

Defective items

If there is a problem with any of the items received for your order then the Booktopia Customer Care team is ready to assist you.

For more info please visit our Help Centre.

More in Earth Sciences

Is a River Alive?

Paperback

RRP $26.99

$21.99

19%
OFF

A Handbook to Australian Seashells

On Seashores East to West and North to South

Paperback

RRP $35.00

$28.75

18%
OFF

Found a Fossil

Digs, Discoveries and Australia's Deep Past

Paperback

RRP $39.99

$33.75

16%
OFF

For the Love of Soil

Strategies to Regenerate Our Food Production Systems

Paperback

RRP $41.80

$36.99

12%
OFF

The Breath of the Gods

The History and Future of the Wind

Paperback

RRP $37.99

$28.99

24%
OFF

The Fisherman

A chilling supernatural horror epic

Paperback

RRP $22.99

$19.75

14%
OFF

The Human Bone Manual

Paperback

RRP $77.95

$63.75

18%
OFF

The Hidden Lives of Lab Animals

A Vet's Vision for a More Humane Future

Hardcover

RRP $44.95

$35.75

20%
OFF

The Geology of Australia

Paperback

RRP $106.95

$81.99

23%
OFF

Performance Philosophy

Performance as Transformation through Endurance

Hardcover

RRP $180.00

$159.75

11%
OFF

Oceanography : The Basics - Jonathan Sharples

$48.75

11%
OFF

For Her Love of Birds

The extraordinary untold story of Australian naturalist and taxidermist Jane Ward Tost

Paperback

RRP $36.99

$31.75

14%
OFF

Navigating the Souring Seas

The Global Experimentalist Governance of Ocean Acidification

Hardcover

RRP $210.95

$185.75

12%
OFF

Introduction and Applications of Machine Learning in Geotechnics

Paperback

RRP $323.95

$288.75

11%
OFF

Forest of the Sea

The Remarkable Life and Imperiled Future of Kelp

Hardcover

RRP $54.99

$53.99

Under a Metal Sky

A Journey Through Minerals, Greed and Wonder

Paperback

RRP $24.99

$23.75

The Trench Biosphere at the Bottom of the Ocean

Progress and Challenges

Paperback

RRP $334.95

$297.75

11%
OFF

Living Planet

The Web of Life on Earth Centenary Edition

Paperback

RRP $35.55

$33.99

The Coast

A Journey Along Australia's Eastern Shores

Paperback

RRP $36.99

$29.75

20%
OFF

Field Guide to the Seashores of South-Eastern Australia

Paperback

RRP $39.99

$33.75

16%
OFF

Material World

A Substantial Story of Our Past and Future

Paperback

RRP $26.99

$22.99

15%
OFF

Geology

An Illustrated History

Hardcover

RRP $49.99

$40.75

18%
OFF

Storm

Chasing Nature's Wildest Weather

Hardcover

RRP $65.00

$48.99

25%
OFF

List of Illustrations	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xi
No Vestige of a Beginning ...	p. 1
Mysterious Rays	p. 21
Wild Bill's Quest	p. 45
Changing Perceptions	p. 72
Getting the Lead Out	p. 101
Dating the Boundaries	p. 131
Clocking Evolution	p. 159
Ghostly Forests and Mediterranean Volcanoes	p. 190
More and More from Less and Less	p. 219
The Geological Time Scale	p. 239
Periodic Table of the Chemical Elements	p. 241
Additional Notes	p. 245
Glossary	p. 251
Resources and Further Reading	p. 257
Index	p. 265
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Nature's Clocks

How Scientists Measure the Age of Almost Everything

At a Glance

New Edition

Hardcover

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

More in Earth Sciences

Is a River Alive?

A Handbook to Australian Seashells

On Seashores East to West and North to South

Found a Fossil

Digs, Discoveries and Australia's Deep Past

For the Love of Soil

Strategies to Regenerate Our Food Production Systems

The Breath of the Gods

The History and Future of the Wind

The Fisherman

A chilling supernatural horror epic

The Human Bone Manual

The Hidden Lives of Lab Animals

A Vet's Vision for a More Humane Future

The Geology of Australia

Performance Philosophy

Performance as Transformation through Endurance

Oceanography

The Basics

Gemstones of the World

Newly Revised Fifth Edition

For Her Love of Birds

The extraordinary untold story of Australian naturalist and taxidermist Jane Ward Tost

Navigating the Souring Seas

The Global Experimentalist Governance of Ocean Acidification

Introduction and Applications of Machine Learning in Geotechnics

Forest of the Sea

The Remarkable Life and Imperiled Future of Kelp

Under a Metal Sky

A Journey Through Minerals, Greed and Wonder

The Trench Biosphere at the Bottom of the Ocean

Progress and Challenges

Living Planet

The Web of Life on Earth Centenary Edition

The Coast

A Journey Along Australia's Eastern Shores

Field Guide to the Seashores of South-Eastern Australia

Material World

A Substantial Story of Our Past and Future

Geology

An Illustrated History

Storm

Chasing Nature's Wildest Weather

This product is categorised by